About me

My interest in plant-microbe interactions arose during my undergraduate education at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA. For my undergraduate capstone project, I worked with Dr. Tammy Tintjer and Dr. Julie Belanger. Here, we applied optimal defense theory to better understand the allocation of indole alkaloids across reproductive tissues in Tall Fescue and Morning Glory. This first experience in the complex world of plant-microbe interactions spurred my interest and led me to begin my career in academia.

From there, I moved to Laramie, Wyoming and enrolled at the University of Wyoming. In 2015, I began my Master's in Plant Science and was co-advised by Dr. Bill Stump and Dr. Linda van Diepen. My thesis focused on the belowground effects of spruce beetle infestation, particularly on microbial diversity and function. In these efforts, I was exposed to the world of high-throughput sequencing, enzyme assays, and bioinformatics. This work was conducted around Sand Lake in the Medicine Bow National Forrest near Centennial, WY, offering a fantastic backdrop for my first ecological fieldwork. 

After completing my thesis in 2018, I remained at the University of Wyoming as a PhD student in Ecology under the guidance of Dr. Linda van Diepen. During this time, I began studying the effects of invasive plants on the soil microbiome. Working closely with the Weed Science and Invasive Plant Ecology Labs at UW,  I was afforded the chance to study several problematic invasive plants including Cheatgrass, Dalmatian toadflax, and Spotted knapweed. In addition to studying the direct effects of these invasive plants, my research sought to understand how our management decisions (e.g., herbicide application) may affect belowground processes. 

Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State working with Dr. Francisco Dini-Andreote. In this role, I have combined my passion for invasion biology and microbial ecology to study the complex ecological phenomenon of community coalescence and multi-species invasions in microbial communities. 

Outside of academia, I am an avid fly fisherman and love attending concerts with my wife and daughters. Our favorite touring bands are Greensky Bluegrass and Widespread Panic!  We currently live in Boalsburg, PA with our two dogs.