I am a plant systematist at the Field Museum in Chicago. I have studied the floras of Colorado and Alaska and been exposed to the flora of the Peruvian Amazon. My research is primarily based on generating and analyzing genetic and leaf spectral reflectance datasets to better understand species boundaries and diversification. I am a taxonomic expert in the Coca family (Erythroxylaceae) and also working on Alaskan Dryas (Rosaceae).