I am engaged in questions of applied landscape ecology in rural and agricultural landscapes, including changes in landscape patterns and the consequences of those changes on biodiversity, water quality, and culture.
Studying the behavioural biology of cattle sheds light on how they see and experience the world, and ultimately offers us insight into their feelings. What drives their behaviour? How do the ways that we interact with them, house them, and manage them, impact their well-being? In our lab, answering these questions are fundamental to ensuring that the animals we farm, in this case cattle, live a good life.
We are interested in structure-function relationships of enzymes and enzyme evolution. We are studying steroid degrading enzymes from the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other related bacteria. We are also interested in enzymes that can be used to detoxify environmental pollutants.
I conduct research in Computer Security and Computer Systems domains. I am interested in using cross-domain tools and techniques to understand and improve the security and usability aspects of existing security systems, often involving human subjects.
My current research explores the role of rural governance, place-based development, philanthropy, rural policy, community economic development, and rural immigration and mobility.
