algae-headshot
Photo by Michelle Dillon

I am a Research Scientist at Oak Ridge National Lab in the Aquatic Ecology group where I lead the Ecotoxicology Lab.


My research focuses on the ecological effects of anthropogenic stressors, specifically environmental toxicants. My research combines theoretical and empirical approaches to understand the effects of a toxicant on individual organisms, identify environmental and ecological feedbacks that impact toxicity, and ultimately extrapolate effects observed at the individual-level to the population-level.

I utilize empirical and theoretical methods to study the effect of contaminants on freshwater ecosystems. I have developed dynamic quantitative models to both help design experiments and explain empirical results. Using this structure, my research focuses on the effects of contaminants on individuals and populations of freshwater organisms and identifying the important feedbacks that occur at the population level with the goal to accurately predict population-level effects of a stressor using suborganismal and individual-level data.

Header images by John E. Stevenson