2021
Panamá, Costa Rica, Cameroon, Colombia, Brazil
2020
Cameroon, Tanzania, Mexico, Brazil
2019
Congo Basin, Cameroon (December)
Kalimantan, Indonesia - Borneo (October - November)
Madagascar (August - September)
Panama (July)
USA - Florida & Carolinas (June-July)
Costa Rica (May)
Panama (April-May)
Colombia (February-April)
Ecuador (January-February)
Costa Rica (January)
2018
Panama: (November-December)
Costa Rica (May)
Madagascar (March-April)
2017
Indonesia: Bali (December)
Documenting the eruption of Mount Agung volcano & coordinating 2018 Borneo expedition logistics
French Guiana: St. Laurent du Maroni (November)
Nocturnal insect research in the rainforests of the Guyana shield
Panama: Gamboa & Panama City (August - September)
Non-expedition: Coiba Exhibition Opening + Project writing & Planning Retreat with occasional fieldwork
Mozambique: Gorongosa National Park (March)
Researching predator vs. prey interactions between bats and insects & filming with PBS Nature
Cuba: Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata, Parque Nacional Península de Guanahacabibes (January)
Studying the behavioral ecology of endangered and endemic species in the tropical forests and swamps of Cuba
2016
Madagascar: Lost Forest Expedition II (December)
Led an expedition of 45 Malagasy & 5 American researchers to document the biodiversity of a new rainforest ecosystem - supported by grants from National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration and Rainforest Trust.
Madagascar: Lost Forest Expedition I (September - October)
Led an expedition of 30 Malagasy & 5 American researchers to document the biodiversity of a new rainforest ecosystem - supported by a grant from National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration.
Panama: Isla Coiba, Coiba National Park (August - September)
Continued documenting the biodiversity of Coiba National Park on assignment for iLCP with Christian Ziegler and Ken Pelletier to raise conservation awareness and ensure protection of Coiba Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Madagascar: Ranomafana National Park (May - June)
Studying the pollination ecology of orchids in the rainforest canopy with funding from a National Geographic Society Waitt Grant.
French Guiana: Saint Laurent du Maroni (March)
Documenting biodiversity in the Guyana shield
2015
Cuba: Guanahacabibes National Park, Pinar del Rio (December)
Investigating the pollination ecology of endangered Caribbean orchids
Madagascar: Ranomafana National Park, Fianarantsoa (June - August)
National Geographic Society / Waitt Assignment on orchid pollination
Panama: Isla Coiba, Coiba National Park, Veraguas (May - June)
Assisted National Geographic photographer and iLCP Senior Fellow Christian Ziegler on a photojournalism assignment to raise conservation awareness for the continued protection of Coiba Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mexico: Angangueo, Michoacán (February – March)
Aided Dr. Thomas Emmel and colleague Ian Segebarth in leading an educational ecotourism trip to the monarch overwintering grounds
Panama: Isla Coiba, Coiba National Park, Veraguas (February)
Coiba BioBlitz - Worked with entomologists Lary Reeves and Chris Johns to document the previously unstudied insect diversity of the islands in Coiba National Park, as part of a BioBlitz planned by National Geographic photographer Christian Ziegler
2014
Indonesia: Murung Raya, Central Kalimantan, Borneo (June – August)
2014 BRINCC Expedition Leader – Planned, coordinated, and assembled an international expedition team to explore the remote interior of central Borneo. Build capacity by educating, training, and advising Indonesian students in the methods of biodiversity monitoring and conservation policy.
Florida: Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (2014 - present)
Investigating the population biology and pollination ecology of ghost orchids (Dendrophylax lindenii), listed as endangered by the state of Florida, where the species is imperiled by both habitat loss and poaching
French Guiana: Nouragues Field Station, CNRS (May)
Studied the predator vs. prey interactions between bats and moths with Akito Kawahara (FLMNH) & Jesse Barber (Boise State), expanding on previous research in Malaysian Borneo (2014, 2013) and Arizona (2013)
Malaysia: Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo(February – March)
Collected hawkmoths and trained insectivorous bats in order to study predator vs. prey interactions with Akito Kawahara (FLMNH) & Jesse Barber (BSU). Research was filmed and appeared as self on screen in David Attenborough’s Conquest of the Skies 3D and IMAX.
2013
Arizona & Idaho: Santa Rita Mountains (AZ) & Frank Church Wilderness (ID) - (August)
Collected hawkmoths in southeastern Arizona to establish a colony for bat predation experiments at Boise State University with Jesse Barber. Bats were captured in Idaho and trained to hunt moths in a flight chamber at BSU.
Vietnam: Ba Na Nui Chua & Bach Ma (April)
Collected butterflies and moths with staff from the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity to increase species representation of a poorly studied region for the FLMNH collections
Malaysia: Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo (March)
Studied the predator vs. prey interactions between bats and moths with Akito Kawahara (FLMNH) & Jesse Barber (BSU)
2011
Indonesia: Murung Raya, Central Kalimantan, Borneo (June – September)
Entomology Project Leader, 2011 BRINCC Expedition – Conducted the very first butterfly surveys of the upper Barito watershed. Trained Indonesian Team Members in biodiversity monitoring, advised an Indonesian undergraduate study on frog diversity, and led field data collection on gibbon triangulation research.
2010
Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo (August – December)
Documented fish communities in coral reefs at varying distances from the Tanzanian coast, comparing fish diversity between communities and indicating poorer reef health closer to the shore where accessibility was greatest for fishermen. Surveyed micro and macro-habitat diversity of bird populations, studied the ecology and behavior of East African ungulates in the field and led discussions on migratory patterns, political ecology, and natural resource management
Panama: Soberanía National Park & Archipiélago de Las Perlas (June – August)
Examined the extent to which island butterfly populations have diverged since separation from the mainland of Panama. Produced the very first assessments of butterfly diversity in Las Perlas and published DNA sequences on the Barcode of Life Database
Ecuador: Yasuní National Park (January)
Studied the correlation between forest age and CO2 respiration from the soil utilizing probes designed in the soil ecology lab at The Johns Hopkins University
2009
Indonesia: Sabangau Forest, Central Kalimantan, Borneo (June - August)
Researched the impacts of forest fragmentation on butterfly populations, as well as habitat preferences of canopy cover and vertical stratification within the forest, while reporting on the need for REDD+ projects to demonstrate positive biodiversity impacts. Trained a group of fifteen volunteers in the methods of butterfly monitoring and vegetation studies. Assisted in data collection for behavioral studies of orangutans and gibbons, feline camera trap studies, and birding transect walks.
Ecuador: Galápagos Islands & Amazon (January)
Studied the evolutionary biology and island biogeography of endemic species in Galapagos. Explored the underlying causes of diversification in tropical rainforests and radiations triggered by Andean uplift.
Maryland: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Investigated the nutrient cycling roles of soil organisms in temperate deciduous forests of various ages
2005-08
Costa Rica
Led field courses in national parks throughout Costa Rica, teaching wildlife conservation and ecology in the tropics. Managed the logistics of student travel and fundraising in order to make travel affordable for students.