Staff Scientist

Coral Health and Disease Research Program at Mote Marine Laboratory

I joined the Mote team as a Postdoctoral Researcher in 2020 shortly after finishing my Ph.D. at Northeastern University in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology. My research interests center around using quantitative ecological modeling and statistics combined with fieldwork and physiological experiments to attack problems facing coral reefs from multiple angles through a complex systems and network science approach. I study the connections among polyps in a coral colony, the associations of coral species and their symbiotic algae and microbiome, and the spread of coral diseases – all under the lens of global climate change. As of January 2023, I was promoted to Staff Scientist to continue my research at Mote in the Coral Health and Disease Research Program led by Dr. Erinn Muller. I use innovative modeling and statistical analyses to advance our understanding of coral reef resilience while also working with a diverse set of collaborators and stakeholders to develop novel solutions to coral stressors. As a Staff Scientist, I manage day-to-day operations in Sarasota, FL, write grants & publications, and lead many of the program’s research projects.