I am a postdoctoral research fellow studying the interactions between cattle pest and parasite management, beneficial insect biodiversity and pasture ecosystem function in livestock systems. I was at the University of Bristol in the UK for 11 years before moving to Vermont with my 4-year-old daughter Ayana in October 2021. My research integrates agroecology, entomology, and veterinary parasitology, and broadly seeks to understand the impacts of agricultural activities on insect biodiversity, ecosystem function and pest and parasite populations. My work has focused on the environmental impacts of agricultural parasiticides on functionally important insect decomposer communities, and consideration of novel, environmentally sensitive approaches to parasite control.

For my current postdoctoral position with the FSRC I am investigating forage management in northeastern dairy farms to maximize economic and environmental gains. This is specifically focusing on quantifying the nutritional profile and phytocompound content (e.g., hydrolysable and condensed tannins) of certain forages and their suitability for growing in the northeast. This data will be used alongside above- and below-ground soil invertebrate monitoring, soil health outcomes, and cattle pest and parasite burdens, to assess the economic, environmental, and animal-health co-benefits of forage management for dairy farms.

Advisor: Heather Darby