Associate Professor
Credentials
PhD Geography, Arizona State University
MA Geography, Arizona State University
BA Geography, California State University, Fullerton
Research Keywords
Deserts & Arid Lands; Plant-Climate Interactions; Disturbance & Invasion; Biogeography.

Contact Information
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
416 736 2100
Research Interests
I am a physical geographer with a specialty in plants, plant-climate interactions, and facilitation (where a plant benefits from being located near another plant, such as under its canopy). My primary expertise is in desert ecosystems, though I also work in the Great Lakes region (among other places). I am currently working on several projects, including one with an endangered species of cactus at Point Pelee National Park (Ontario) to assist management with understanding its ecological limits, and aiding the Park’s conservation efforts. I study everything from its interactions with and dependence on other species, to microsite variations across its range. I also have active research in the Desert Southwest (Arizona, USA) looking at cactus demographics, facilitation, and responses to climate. Past work includes discovering that cacti may have greater establishment after volcanic eruptions, due to the temporary changes in climate that occur globally. For example, some Arizona cactus populations have many cacti that established around 1883 when Krakatau erupted in Indonesia.
In 2015, I was honoured to receive the Department's UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING AWARD, as selected by students. I teach a variety of classes, including -Physical Geography (1400) -Intro to Statistics (2420) -Disaster! The Earth's Extreme Natural Events (3700) -Desert Ecosystems (4410) -Seminar in Physical Geography (graduate class, 5600) and irregularly -Biogeography (3500) -Physical Geography of the City (3900).
Research Output
Recognition & Awards
- Undergraduate Teaching Award, York LA&PS Department of Geography
Courses
Course Code | Title |
---|---|
Winter 2021 EU/GEOG3700 3.0 | Disaster! Earth's Extreme Events |
Winter 2021 EU/GEOG2420 3.0 | Intro. Stats Analysis in Geography |
Fall/Winter 2020 EU/GEOG1400 6.0 | Physical Geography |