I am interested in health at the human-wildlife interface, particularly where it pertains to conservation biology. I use methods in landscape ecology (GIS, remote sensing, spatial analyses), quantitative ecology and disease ecology to analyze landscape change, health outcomes and the impacts of anthropogenic change, including climate change, in African parks landscapes. I also use theoretical and statistical models to explore questions in disease ecology, community ecology and population biology, to augment field-based research.

   I tend to work on charismatic megavertebrates, and am fortunate to collaborate with many different people working on many aspects of zoology, ecology and management.

My doctoral research focused on the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in and around Kruger National Park, South Africa.
An epidemic of Bovine Tuberculosis has been progressing northward through the park since the 1960s, with buffalo appearing to be the major animal reservoir. This prompted research interest into the mechanisms by which the disease was spreading, and whether there were appropriate management interventions that could be undertaken. My part of the project involved quantifying the movement and habitat selection of buffalo in their savanna ecosystem, and using spatial models to describe the resources in the ecosystem in ways useful to managers.

My interests in the spatial relationships of savanna animal-resource interactions has led to additional work on  community structure of the savanna herbivores, and the statistical analysis of community structure at a broad level. Much of this work is still underway in collaboration with other researchers.