I am an wildlife ecologist with interests in freshwater vertebrate ecology and biogeography. I also conduct research on the impact of renewable energy on terrestrial vertebrates.  I have worked with several threatened and endangered turtle species and continue to conduct conservation research on turtle and tortoise species in the United States. I am currently working on a project to determine the distribution and abundance of Alligator Snapping Turtles in west Tennessee. At the global scale, I am interested in understanding the "where" and "why" of turtle distributions and am working to delineate unique turtle communities (e.g., ecoregions).  My salamander research uses mesocosms to conduct manipulative experiments to understand how climate change will impact species interactions in headwater streams. I am also an co-editor for Chelonian Conservation and Biology.