About Me

Photo by Brianna Carleton

I am an ecosystem ecologist studying primary producers, principally phytoplankton, in lakes, rivers and estuaries. I am interested in how primary producers affect biogeochemical cycles and their role in food webs. This subject area allows me to pursue my interests in hydrology, underwater optics, phytoplankton physiology, nutrient cycling and consumer energetics. Currently I am studying the factors which control algal blooms in the tidal freshwater segment of the James River and the role of algae in influencing water clarity of lakes, rivers and estuaries (see Research).

I received my PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Indiana University in 1989 working with Dr. Don Whitehead. I trained as a post-doctoral associate with Dr. Gene Likens at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies. In 1993, I obtained a faculty position at the University of Louisville where I was promoted and given tenure. In 2004 I joined the faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University where I was promoted to Professor with appointments in the Department of Biology and Center for Environmental Studies. I am currently affiliated with the new School of Life Sciences & Sustainability. My recruitment at VCU is part of the effort to build a program in River Science at the VCU Rice Center.

I am a two-time Fulbright recipient; these provided an opportunity to work with colleagues at the Coastal Research and Planning Institute at Klaipeda University in Lithuania. I also received a Gledden Fellowship from the Government of Australia which allowed me to spend a sabbatical with the Centre for Water Research at the University of Western Australia.