My Research

I am a postdoctoral researcher in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. I am involved in a project that studies the impacts of climate change on livestock production in the U.S. Great Plains. In collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we use future projections of potential natural vegetation to estimate how native grasslands, a major source of forage for beef cattle in the Great Plains, will shift, expand, or contract in the 21st century due to climate change. We also explore adaptation and mitigation techniques that can reduce the impacts of these changes. Our results are relevant for the ranching community, for policy makers, and for educators, and help preserve an industry and a way of life that is inseparable from the Great Plains.

​In February of 2018, I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Ph.D. in Geography. In my dissertation I took a multidisciplinary, user-driven approach to improve seasonal climate forecasts for agricultural producers. My goals were to better warn winter wheat farmers of unseasonal conditions, like drought or heat, that can cause considerable crop losses. I conducted an online survey to study decision timing and seasonal climate forecast needs in the south-central U.S. (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado) where winter wheat is the dominant grain crop. Through statistical analysis I then quantified the accuracy of the most requested forecast elements across the region.

​My results inform model developers and operational forecasters about seasonal forecast needs and forecast accuracy and ultimately help winter wheat farmers improve critical decision-making. As a consequence, my research can help reduce crop losses due to heat, drought, or extreme rainfall, which can stabilize food prices and increase food security.

Research Poster (September 2018)

My Research Interests

During my dissertation and now as a postdoc, I have become familiar with work in between disciplines that focuses on advancing science but also benefiting the general public. As a geographer with training in meteorology, social science, journalism, and cartography, I thrive in collaborative work environments while conducting user-driven, applied climate research. I believe that climate science is most valuable when it leads to decision tools that are co-developed by both researchers and users.