Science, Exploration, Discovery

I am a marine scientist and ocean explorer specializing in the biodiversity, biogeography, and ecology of deep-sea coral communities. As a genomics specialist in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, my work spans the full arc from seafloor exploration to genomic characterization. I integrate ROV-based video surveys, physical specimen collections, and next-generation sequencing approaches, including animal genomics and environmental DNA (eDNA), to ask fundamental questions about life in the ocean's most remote and understudied environments.

Much of my research is centered on seamounts and archipelagos in the central and eastern tropical Pacific and the Caribbean, where I investigate how oceanographic features — depth gradients, oxygen minimum zones, and water mass boundaries — shape the distribution and community structure of deep-water corals and their animal associates. A parallel and growing thread of my work focuses on developing genomic reference libraries from museum voucher collections, providing the foundational tools needed to interpret eDNA signals from deep-sea environments and support species discovery. Across more than 500 days at sea aboard research vessels including the R/V Falkor, E/V Nautilus, and NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, I have worked to generate the rigorous baseline biodiversity data that conservation and management of the deep ocean urgently requires.

Research Areas

Education

Ph.D., Biology, Temple University. 2020.

Dissertation: Deep-sea Coral Biogeography And Community Structure In Tropical Seamount Environments. Advisor: Dr. Erik Cordes

M.S., Marine Biology. University of Maine. 2014. Advisor: Dr. Rhian Waller

Thesis: Biogeographic Patterns Among Deep-Sea Benthic Megafaunal Communities Across the Drake Passage (Southern Ocean)

B.S., Marine Sciences, cum laude. University of Connecticut. 2011

About Me

My research focuses on understanding the biodiversity of life in deep ocean, the largest and last great frontier for exploration on Earth. Data generated by my research supports baseline characterization of deep-sea environments in unexplored regions, often in support of conservation and management of marine biological and seafloor resources.

These projects have taken me to the farthest corners of the Earth onboard ships and within submersibles to obtain a better understanding of life in the deep ocean. I have accumulated more than 500 days at sea in support of or leading exploration expeditions and constantly seek to deploy new technologies to measure ocean life. Of all the questions and hypotheses that humanity has posed about life in the marine environment, only one thing that is clear: there is so much left to discover about life in our oceans.

Current Appointment

Genomics Specialist, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. 2024-Present.