I am generally interested in controls over structure and function in terrestrial ecosystems. I am most excited by those controls that interact with plant structure, function, diversity…I simply love plants most of all.
As a result, my lab group is plant-focused. If you are most interested in microbes, elements, energy, animals and consider plant form and function a messy detail, then this lab is probably not for you.

Please read some of my publications (e.g., Mack and D’Antonio 2003, Mack et al. 2004) to get a sense of my approach to science. If, after reading these, you are still interested, please contact me and tell me about what type of science makes you most excited, what types of research questions you are interested in, and what experiences have prepared you for graduate school.

I take Master’s and Doctoral students through either the Department of Botany or the School for Natural Resources and the Environment (SNRE).
There are two main differences between these programs:

i ) Course requirements for the Department of Botany are determined by your graduate advisory committee and as a result, they are tailored to your needs and interests. SNRE course requirements are broader and reflect the expectation that you will need coursework substantially outside your field to interact in the interdisciplinary realm of environmental sciences.

ii ) Funding for both programs comes in three forms:
        Teaching Assistantships
        Research Assistantships and
        Fellowships
Most students in Botany are funded through teaching assistantships, while most students in SNRE are funded through research assistantships.

If you are interested in applying to work with me, please contemplate these two programs and consider which one might better fit your interests.

I work in Alaska, Florida, and Costa Rica. Having small children currently limits my ability to travel very easily, so I have focused most of my research efforts in Alaska, where my family spends summers. Students who work in Alaska get to spend the most quality field time with me. This is neither because I am only interested in high latitudes nor because I do not want to continue research in the tropics, but simply because of the current constraint of caring for two small humans.