Research Interests

My research interests center around plant community and population biology.  I am interested in the evolution of weedy characteristics in plants.  These include dispersal ability, selfing capability and the ability to survive in xeric environments.  I would like to study the flora of rock outcrops in the Piedmont region, testing the hypothesis that they are the center of origin for some weedy species of the coastal plain.  I hope to be based out of Highlands Biological Station, a UNC field station in the Southern Appalachians.

Another interest of mine is the use of GIS technologies to map plant communities and populations.  Specifically I would like to create a GIS for the region around Highlands for use by educators and developers.  Also I would like to use a GIS to map gene flow between populations.  This would require genetic mapping of populations, as well as comparisons between them, with algorithms that will quantify relatedness and diversity. 

And even though I like to pick on David Vandermast, I think he is really cool.