My research spans a range of topics centered around functional morphology, ecomorphology, and behavior. Most of my work has focused on elasmobranch fishes (shark, skates, and rays), though I have also worked with species from invertebrates through marine mammals. I have conducted research in marine labs around the US and abroad including Shoals Marine Laboratory (Appledore Island, Maine), Wrigley Marine Science Center (Santa Catalina Island, CA), Bodega Marine Lab (Bodega Bay, CA), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (La Jolla, CA), and the Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.). I enjoy collaborative projects and the many opportunities for problem solving and creativity that come along with field work. I have worked in a variety of ecosystems, from intertidal areas to coral reefs and kelp forests and have studied a range of organisms using underwater research skills, laboratory experiments, and video/image analysis techniques. I have presented the results of my research to scientific audiences at international conferences in the US and abroad inclduding the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), American Elasmobranch Society (AES), the Society of Western Naturalists (WSN), and the Oceania Chondrichthyan Society (OCS). Learn more about my research here: Research Adventures
Links to Publications:
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Comparative morphology of stingray lateral line canal and electrosensory systems.
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Behavioral responses to weak electric fields and a lanthanide metal in two shark species.
My Research in the Media:
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How stingrays sense their surroundings. Inside JEB. Knight K. 2009: jeb.biologists.org/content/212/19/i.full
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Ray-dar: Scientists explore rays' sensory abilities. Natural History Magazine Samplings. Reebs, S. 2010: business.highbeam.com/61985/article-1G1-218450030/raydar
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Bat rays in San Francisco Bay. Bay Nature Magazine. Eaton, J. 2012: baynature.org/articles/apr-jun-2012/bat-rays-in-san-francisco-bay