About me

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My past research has involved field and laboratory work to assess the ecological impacts, economic viability, social justice implications of alternative agricultural practices. I have had the opportunity to research potential solutions to a wide variety of fascinating problems at the University of Florida (U.S.A.), EARTH University (Costa Rica), and the Federal Universities of Rio Grade do Sul and Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil). At these institutions, prior to coming to UTAS, I studied integrated crop pollination strategies to mitigate the impacts of honey bee colony collapse disorder, plant breeding techniques to create viable biofuel cropping systems in tropical regions, and market guarantee programs for certified smallholder farmers that incentivise more ecologically-sound farming practices. I joined the DEEP group in late 2017 to apply what I learned studying specific agronomic challenges to researching the broader problems of reconciling development and conservation goals. Specifically, I am motivated to provide insights on the dynamics of land-use changes associated with the Anthropocene and their role in driving the current mass extinction event, with the hope of contributing to viable solutions for biodiversity conservation.

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Key interests

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• biodiversity conservation

• land-use change

• systematic conservation planning

• environmental impact assessment

• tropical deforestation