Ultimately, my research has two goals: (1) to reveal fundamental principles about how the world around us works, and (2) to train students to participate in the world in ways that are scientifically rigorous, empowering of self and others, and just. To achieve either of these goals requires thoughtful and deliberate engagement with the broader contexts of our research. How and why do we ask the questions that we ask? Which voices and perspectives in our field are systematically amplified, or silenced? What are the mechanisms by which biases arise and are maintained? How can we work to dismantle them?

I tend to approach these questions structurally, with an interest in critically interrogating systems of power and helping when I can to develop and implement changes that may improve them. Some examples of what this has looked like in the past include…

• • hosting workshops and professional development trainings focused on methods to reduce bias in STEM
  • developing course materials that center critical perspectives in biology
  • finding ways for students engaged in departmental service to be compensated for their work
  • developing scholarship about how bias and social context can influence ecological research

As the leader of this research group, I hope to build a lab environment that empowers people to engage in outreach, service, and scholarship that is meaningful to them, and to see that multifaceted engagement as central rather than peripheral to the process of science.