I’m a research scientist in the Riffell Lab at University of Washington. When I’m not in the lab my interests including both photography and bird watching

I’m interested in insect sensory systems (especially the visual system), how these sensory systems affect the behavioral choices of insects, and how these choices structure the distribution of these insects in space and time. Much of my earlier research focused on the Western Canadian Canola agro-ecosystem and its pests. More recently I’ve worked on aspects of visual ecology in several insects including cabbage white butterflies, stable flies and mosquitos.

My current project investigates how olfactory cues can shape the visual preferences of mosquitos resulting in different visual preferences during nectar-seeking, host-seeking and oviposition behaviors.