I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation Management and Policy at the University of New Hampshire. Over the last several years I have evoloved my research program into one that is both applied and interdisciplinary. My research, broadly speaking, examines the connection between human health and nature through ecosystem services and sustainable protected area conservation and management. One line of research that I am particularly proud of involves the relationship between human health and wellbeing and natural sounds. This research agenda began in 2014 with an experimentally designed lab-based study that examined the influence of natural sounds on human cognitive restoration. More recently, I have worked with national parks to help identify methods for measuring visitor perceptions of transportation noise and how to best identify thresholds for noise for management policy. My goal is to expand my line of research related to ecosystem services and further explore the relationship between recreation experiences, sustainability, and human health and wellness.

My teaching, broadly speaking, focuses on experiential learning and human dimensions of natural resources, with additional expertise in nonprofit organizations, grantsmanship, research design, and law. My approach to teaching emphasizes using hands on learning experiences that are applied, to teach students content and skills which translate into their professional careers.