I am a marine biologist in general, but more specifically, a chemo- and mechano-sensory ecologist. I like to study the environmental factors (chemicals, physical movement) that influence plankton behaviors at the small scales at which plankton live (micrometers to meters).

My current research projects investigate the role of chemical and fluid mechanical signals in mediating zooplankton behavior. I am interested in the fine scale structure of signals, how signals are detected, zooplankton behavioral responses to fluid signals, and how zooplankton behavior is manifested in their local and global distribution. This work combines small-scale fluid mechanics, neurophysiology and animal behavior and information derived from examining small-scale interactions is then applied towards understanding plankton large-scale distribution patterns.