I was a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Whendee Silver and Dr. Jeremy James on a healthy soils demonstration project at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the University of California Carbon Neutrality Initiative. My research is a comparative study investigating the effects of different compost types on California rangeland ecosystems, including their role in promoting carbon sequestration. An important part of my project involves outreach with the local community, including ranchers and key representatives of government and non-governmental organizations involved in composting initiatives.

For the past decade, I have been involved in research on the ecological restoration and conservation of grassland ecosystems. I completed my honors BSc at the University of Western Ontario in Environmental Science and my MSc at the University of Alberta studying ecological restoration and non-native plant control in fescue grassland at Waterton Lakes National Park. I also trained as a botanist at Canada’s Royal Botanical Gardens. I returned to the University of Western Ontario for my PhD, and established a tallgrass prairie restoration research site, studying the influence of soil heterogeneity on plant species diversity, ecosystem function and resilience. Some of my key interests include scientific outreach and fostering connections between applied conservation and research.