My research interests are in coastal marine ecology, particularly spatial and temporal patterns in marine communities and the processes that create them. I lead the Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research (SBC LTER) program, a highly interdisciplinary effort to understand the dynamics of giant kelp forest ecosystems, and one of 28 NSF-supported LTER sites across the nation. I also lead the Southern California Bight Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (SCB MBON), funded by NASA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and NOAA, part of a national and global MBON network seeking a better understanding of marine biodiversity from microbes to whales.