I am a population and community ecologist with additional expertise in fisheries ecology. My most recent work focuses on the relationship between reef fish communities and habitat diversity in coral reef ecosystems and the ecological roles that reef fishes play in enhancing reef resilience. I also have extensive experience working in estuarine and temperate, rocky reef ecosystems as well as with the unique fish assemblages found in association with offshore oil and gas platforms. I received my B.A. in Biology with honors and distinction from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, a certificate in Fisheries Biology and Management from the University College of North Wales in Bangor, Wales, U.K. where I was a Rotary International Scholar and my M.A. and PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from the University of California, in Santa Barbara, California. Currently, I am the Director of the University of California Natural Reserve System's Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve and the Deputy Director of the Moorea Coral Reef Long-Term Ecological Research site.