 Lassen Volcanic National Park, California My research and teaching interests are in Functional Plant Biology and Soil Ecology. Much of what happens above-ground is a consequence of below-ground processes. A central theme in my research is how plants interact with other organisms, especially those in the soil, and the implications for wider ecosystem processes. Restored and natural ecosystems, and the impacts of climate change on ecosystmes, are also important themes in my lab.
Research Background
 Sierra Nevada Mountains, California Project Scientist, University of California Davis. I undertook field and laboratory based research projects on soil ecology and its role in nutrient cycling, climate change and plant ecophysiology, in a range of natural and agricultural ecosystems.
Research Associate, University of Adelaide. I studied plant-microbe interactions and their implications for plant nutrition. This project involved research visits to Japan and Denmark.
During my PhD, in the (former) Department of Soil and Water at Adelaide University I studied plant-microbe interactions (mycorrhizas) and their impact on plant physiology, following completion of an honours degree in plant pathology.
 Mutants growing in a fieldI think one of the most significant scientific and societal contributions I have made during my career was my co-leadership of an inter-disciplinary, cross-institutional team, identifying climate change impacts upon Californian agricultural landscapes. This work was undertaken at the request of the Governor of California and California Energy Commission. This group produced a report that has since been used to identify future research priorities and shape climate change policy in the State, including passage of Assembly Bill 32, through the California legislature.
I’m also interested in science policy in Australia, having recently represented the Ecological Society of Australia at the Science Meets Parliament event in Canberra. |
