I am a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Iowa State University.

Generally, I am interested in the evolution, ecology and diversity of phenotypes and their effects on population dynamics. I focus on the co-evolution between survival and reproductive trade-offs and foraging strategies in the genus Homo. I also have “working” interests and often collaborate in topics such as morphological evolution, non-human primate ecology and evolution, cultural transmission, statistical methods, design and analysis of experiments, spatial modeling, paleoecological modeling, zooarchaeology/taphonomy, and cultural resource management.

In particular, my research hones in on the effects of variation in resource availability and distribution on the foraging behavior and habitat choice of organisms in the genus Homo. I integrate behavioral data from modern and prehistoric Homo populations, statistical methods, and optimization theory to answer evolutionary questions regarding behavior as a response to ecological change.

My dissertation project revolves around the ecology of Homo sapiens groups living during the Paleoindian period of the North American Great Plains, some 12-8 thousand years ago. I am applying Optimal Foraging models and spatially explicit paleoenvironmental reconstructions of the Great Plains, to generate predictions of modern and prehistoric Homo sapiens' foraging and habitat selection strategies, to be assesed using empirical archaeological data.

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