I am a chemical oceanographer interested in the interactions between metals and planktonic organisms in marine and aquatic environments. Plankton play important roles in the global carbon cycle and form the base of most aquatic food webs.

In many systems, the physiology and ecology of plankton are influenced by the concentration, chemical speciation, and resulting bioavailability of trace metals such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd and Hg. Conversely, biological processes such as cellular uptake and the production of organic ligands influence the geochemistry and fate of metals in these systems. I utilize state-of-the-art analytical tools such as synchrotron x-ray fluorescence microscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and voltammetry to address questions of metal speciation, bioavailability, accumulation, trophic transfer, recycling and biogeochemistry in varied aquatic and marine systems.