My professional interests are focused on merging research and education in an academic setting with the ultimate goal of addressing applied management issues. My broad research interests lie at the interface between the basic fields of ecology (e.g., population, community, behavioral) and the applied fields of fisheries and aquatic natural resource management. Toward this end, I use concepts and approaches from ecology to address management problems. More specifically I am interested in:

• the roles of species interactions (including direct and indirect effects, ontogenetic niche shifts, complex interactions) in determining the eventual community structure of aquatic systems (including both managed and natural systems)
• how ecological principles can be used in the study and eventual restoration of rare and endangered species.

I have worked in all forms of aquatic systems, including ponds, reservoirs, streams, rivers, estuaries, and the northern Gulf of Mexico with a diverse array of taxa including fishes, snails, mussels, and crayfishes. Both graduate students and undergraduate students are integrated in these activities to provide them with an overall mentoring experience.

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