ABOUT ME
Since the age of four I wanted to be an entomologist. But my world was up-ended in university when I realized that plants were really cool too. I now work primarily on the evolutionary ecology of plant-animal interactions including pollination biology, herbivory and seed dispersal. I am driven by the desire to understand why organisms look the way they do, how they are adapted to their biotic and abiotic environments and the forces that generate their diversification. My approach to the subject is to use experimental field work under natural conditions. Presently I am most excited about using quantum dots (fluorescent nano particles) to label pollen grains and document competitive interactions between flowers. We think that flowers may compete with one another by smothering or displacing the pollen grains of rival males from the bodies of pollinators.
Non-academic interests: climbing, hiking, fishing, photography, spear fishing, surfing, travel