My research addresses questions in paleoecology involving the interplay between climate, vegetation and faunal evolution through major geologic events. My approach is multi-disciplinary and includes the study of fossil and modern phytoliths, leaves and pollen along with geochronology to reconstruct ancient ecosystems. I am also interested in studying cell characteristics in modern plants to better understand how cell morphology is influenced by the environment and phylogeny. I earned my PhD in Biology from the University of Washington in 2013, and am currently an Assistant Curator at La Brea Tar Pits & Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Please find me on Google Scholar and on ResearchGate where my publications are downloadable.