I am currently a post-doctoral researcher with Dr. Bill Bateman at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, where I am working on the effects of 'bobtail flu' in bobtail skinks (Tiliqua rugosa; alternatively known as shinglebacks or sleepy lizards, among other names). I recently completed my dissertation work in the lab of Dr. Stephan Schoech at the University of Memphis, where research focuses broadly on stress (by measuring corticosterone, or CORT) and the behavior and ecology of the Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) at Archbold Biological Station. Vocal communication plays a significant role in territory defense in scrub-jays, as in most songbirds, and I incorporate call playback in my studies to manipulate social interactions. I am especially interested in the role and behavior of females, which are unusually vocal and aggressive for a temperate zone passerine. My research has also taken me beyond Archbold to investigate geographic variation among scrub-jay populations. In the past, I have worked with captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows (Ammodramus caudacutus), and captive Gouldian finches (Erythrura gouldiae). My work has been funded by organizations such as NSF, the Australian Dept. of Education, Animal Behavior Society, and the British Ornithologists' Union, among others. |