Performing independent and collaborative scientific research in the areas of animal bioacoustics, animal communication, and bioengineering; in addition, participating in ongoing grant writing efforts by the group. Working on algorithm and software development related to research into novel signal processing and other methodologies for sound analysis, including quantitative sound comparison, feature extraction and classification.
My research interests lay primarily at the interface of engineering and biology. An overarching motivation is in exploring what the application of basic engineering principles and approaches can bring to the study and understanding of animal sensory systems, communication, and bioacoustics. My graduate and undergraduate education included coursework in both electrical engineering and integrative biology, with special emphasis in neuroscience, linear systems theory, and vertebrate evolution. My thesis work specifically explored the evolutionary forces that sculpted signal processing in the vertebrate inner ear, combining methodologies from neurophysiology and engineering dynamic systems, and using the bullfrog lagena, with its dual acoustic and equilibrium sensitivity, as a model. To follow, my postdoctoral work examined vocal diversity and communication in a small neotropical parakeet. These studies integrated field observation and sound recording with digital signal processing and measurement to perform a quantitative analysis and comparison of vocal signals. In all cases, a quantitative perspective combined with implementation of custom computer code for non-standard data analysis has been crucial to the progress of my research. I am currently interested in algorithm and software development focused on novel signal processing and other methodologies for sound analysis, including quantitative sound comparison, feature extraction and classification. Via a suite of collaborative interactions, this research proceeds in combination with both theoretical research into animal communication and behavior, and applied research into wildlife conservation and biology.
