Big Marsh Park, Chicago IL

I am an urban ecologist. As a scientist, educator, & adviser broadly trained in ecology and evolutionary biology, my research and pedagogical interests include the Calumet region, novel ecosystems, spontaneous urban vegetation, benefits of urban greenspace, plant diversity and local adaptation, environmental justice, and Indigenous land management practices and traditions.

I support and lead physician scientists in training at University of Chicago in the dual-degree (MD/PhD) Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

I am an advocate for greenspace in the Calumet region and advise organizations on environmental research, ecosystem services, and community engagement. My small research program is focused on spontaneous plant communities that develop and persist despite the harsh conditions of post-industrial urban landscapes. I live to tromp through the hidden places between railroads and steel mills and am inspired by the tough flora that thrive in novel ecosystems. The history of land use in this region tells the story of humans, industries, and cultures -- teaching in the Calumet Quarter at UChicago was a true joy across almost ten years.

Click below to see a recent feature in Medicine on the Midway about 

Chicago's urban ecology, plus my own teaching and research!


NEWS AND EVENTS

September 2022: Started a new position as Associate Dean of Students and Executive Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program at UChicago.
August 2022: Lauren Umek presented pilot data from our slag research at the Natural Areas Conference.
August 2022: Check out this great article about 2022's Calumet Quarter, by Lily Levine! featuring photos and quotes from students and professors.
August 2022: Presented pilot data from our slag research with Laura Merwin at Ecological Society of America - in Montreal!
July 2022: Appointed to the Committee on Environment, Geography, and Urbanization at UChicago
February 2022: Spoke to UChicago's Environmental Research Group about urban greenspace.
February 2022:  Published in Restoration Ecology with collaborators Lauren Umek and Laura Merwin: slag is cool!
January 2022: Interviewed by PGE student Hannah Wilson-Black about the Calumet Quarter.
January 2022: Named a Fellow in the inaugural Faculty Pedagogy Fellows program at UChicago. 
December 2021: Taught Urban Ecology in the Great Nearby and students made badass final projects
October 2021: Collaborator Maddie McLeester presented pilot results of Wisconsin fields research at the Midwest Archaeology Conference.
October 2021: Led Chicago Studies Urban Hike to Beaubien Woods.
August 2021: Fieldwork on the Wisconsin fields project with collaborators Maddie McLeester, Jeff Grignon and Pete Geraci. Honored to visit and hold space in sacred places on Menominee land. 
June-August 2021: Mentored student research assistants for tree ecosystem services project for EF Campus.
--More news and events--