About Me
About Me
I’m a Master’s student in Forestry at Southern Illinois University advised by Dr. Brent S. Pease. I am focused on exploring the intersection of participatory science, technology, and ecology. My Master’s research lies in the digital ecology domain, where I leverage secondary image data from iNaturalist to study (1) how distinguishing observer behaviors in species distribution modelling can better address spatial biases and (2) how digitally-derived morphological characters can support taxonomic classifications through the framework of integrative taxonomy.
On a broader scale, my interdisciplinary work applies the computer and participatory sciences to address long-standing biological and ecological challenges. Spanning diverse topics from wildfires to moths, my research draws insights from a wide range of disciplines. It touches on biogeography, data science, artificial intelligence, machine & deep learning, taxonomy, ecology, conservation, and so much more.
Because of this, I find it hard to box myself into a single discipline. While my friends jokingly call me an entomologist, and others might see me as a computational biologist or quantitative ecologist, I simply claim the label of scientist. It is a title that feels honorable, and one that I am motivated to earn every day through my work.
Upcoming Events
- 2026 Conference for Advancing the Participatory Sciences, hosted by AAPS
- Uniting Three Domains: Participatory science, technology, and conservation in the realm of Big Data
- 2026 Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference, hosted by iDigBio
- Getting a second wind: Deriving ecological insights from secondary image data in biodiversity records
