I am interested in understanding how ecological communities function and how they are influenced by the traits of species. Species display substantial flexibility in their rates of energy intake and expenditure - how does the environment mediate plasticity in energy use and how does it scale up to affect community function?

I approach these questions by interfacing physiology and ecology. Specifically, I combine physiological measurements of energy flux with experimental manipulations of individuals, populations and communities, using marine invertebrates and phytoplankton as model systems. This approach allows me to investigate the interactions between the environment, the traits of species, and the functioning of their communities.