Research

My research focuses on paleoclimate dynamics, using statistical and numerical techniques alongside field and lab work to explore the causes and patterns of climate change over past centuries and millennia. This work is inherently collaborative, involving partnerships with researchers worldwide to tackle complex questions about Earth’s climate system.

Research Areas

Paleoclimate Synthesis

Understanding large-scale changes in past climate dynamics requires synthesizing evidence from across the globe. Our research group contributes to developing global and regional reconstructions of climate over the past 12,000 years, comparing these reconstructions with climate model outputs to uncover the underlying dynamics of natural climate variability. Through international collaborations, particularly with the Past Global Changes (PAGES) organization, we work to advance our understanding of how climate systems have evolved and what this means for future changes.

Paleoclimate Informatics

The paleoclimate community faces significant challenges in data discovery, access, and standardization. To address these issues, our team develops data services, analysis and visualization tools, and training resources that streamline paleoclimate research workflows. These tools help researchers spend less time on data wrangling and more time on scientific discovery. This work bridges computer science and paleoclimatology to create open-source solutions that benefit the broader scientific community.

Paleoclimate Record Development

High-resolution paleoclimate records from lake sediments provide crucial insights into past climate and environmental changes. Our field and laboratory work focuses on lakes in Colorado, Alaska, and New Zealand, developing records that reveal patterns of past climate variability, freshwater ecosystem health, and dust deposition dynamics. These studies, conducted in close collaboration with graduate students and international partners, help us understand how natural systems respond to climate change over timescales from years to millennia.