Research Interests
My research interests are motivated by my curiosity of what factors contribute to population's persistence or demise over time. The research in my lab encompasses the evolution and maintenance of mating and breeding systems, plant-pollinator interactions, the dynamic interplay between invasive and native species, the context in which a plant-animal interaction can be mutualistic vs. parasitic, the importance of long distance gene flow and investigating how connectivity between overwintering grounds and breeding grounds influences individual reproductive success for migratory song bird species. In this framework, the basic research conducted in my lab has direct implications for conservation and restoration strategies of threatened and endangered species. I am interested in sponsoring graduate students in all aspects of evolutionary ecology. The questions addressed in my research program often require field experiments, complimented by greenhouse and laboratory studies.
Education
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, 1987. Plant population biology; inbreeding depression; mating system evolution.
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto, 1987-1989
Full Professor, Department of Botany, Norwegian University of Science and Technology