I'm a research assistant with the Insect Biodiversity & Biogeography Lab at the University of Hong Kong. In this role, I serve as the creator & curator of displays showcasing the biodiversity of Hong Kong's insects for the museum-retail destination K11 Musea (Victoria Dockside, HK).

 

Apart from the collection, display, and representation of arthropods, I am particularly interested in plant-insect interactions, induced plant defenses, and resource use by invasive insects. For my master’s degree in ecology at the University of Dayton (OH, USA), I examined interactions between two invaders of the US Gulf Coast – the extrafloral nectar-producing Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) and the destructive tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) – as mediated by a tallow-specific adventive moth.

 

Prior to moving to Ohio, I conducted host range assessments on potential insect biological control agents (moths and thrips) for invasive weeds with the USDA-ARS Invasive Plant Research Lab in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I have a BA in Sociology-Anthropology from Lewis & Clark College in Oregon.