I'm a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of Texas at Austin. My research involves the long-lasting impacts of humans on environments with research focused in northern Central America. I use remote sensing and field studies to examine the lasting impact of the ancient Maya in Belize. I am particularly interested in how forest composition and structure vary with past human presence and activities. Towards these ends, I use airborne lidar imagery and directed fieldwork that assesses trees, soils, water, and microclimates. I actively conduct research in the Soils and Geoarchaeology Lab in the Department of Geography. In Belize, I collaborate with the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project.
In addition to my research, I'm committed to teaching geospatial and environmental science courses in an accessible, empirically driven manner. I strive to broaden the horizons of my students through developing their critical thinking and spatial analysis skills and demonstrating the real-world implications of geography. I have developed and taught courses at UT Austin and the University of Central Arkansas on spatial data and analysis and introductory physical geography. I am particularly fascinated by the changing landscape of online learning and have put considerable effort into translating experiential learning into the online format and also better understanding and adapting for the rise of artificial intelligence in academia (i.e., the use of ChatGPT, Google Bard, Bing AI, etc.). I completed my master’s thesis in the Department of Geography and the Environment at UT Austin, entitled “Soil characteristics associated with cohune palm (Attalea cohune) forests.” I received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology from Georgetown University in 2013. During and directly after my undergraduate career I assisted the Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project in both Washington, DC and Monkey Mia, Western Australia. I have previously worked with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the World Wildlife Fund. Starting in 2012, I assisted Tim and Sheryl Beach with their seasonal fieldwork in Belize, Mexico, and Guatemala, which brought me to UT Austin in 2016 for graduate work. I am a National Geographic Young Explorer, an NDSEG fellow, a Lewis and Clark Field Scholar, as well as the recipient of multiple field and travel grants.
When I'm not in the classroom, field, or lab I enjoy travelling, cooking, and hiking with my dog.