I am interested in how disturbances and decomposition influence community assembly and forest carbon cycling. My research focuses on the roles of plant communities and microbial decomposers. I use lightning as a model phenomenon for investigating the ramifications of disturbance in tropical forests. After trees die, they decompose with major implications for the carbon budget. I also explore how environmental conditions, biogeochemistry, and microbial community assembly influence decomposition. Please flip through this website and the photo gallery for a deeper look at my research program and my passion for education.
