I’m Andy, nice to meet you!
I study evolution and ecology, but most of all I tell the stories of the science happening around me.
Ph.D. in Disease Ecology
Scientific Coordinator, Vanderbilt University
I earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Minnesota State University, with minors in math and Spanish. I spent time studying field ecology in the Big Horn Mountains and abroad in Ecuador. My undergraduate research used mathematical models to describe immigration patterns of island populations.
I completed my Ph.D. in disease ecology in Bret Eldred’s lab at Louisiana State University, studying predators and viruses that attack the same hosts. I also spent time in Costa Rica for a tropical ecology course. I later did a postdoc with the USDA in Madison, WI under Johanne Brunet, traveling across the country to study wild carrot and feral alfalfa.
In my current role, I write and lead research grants, tell science stories, coordinate outreach events, lead recruiting efforts, and help organize international conferences.
Explore My Research!
I study the ecology of transgenic alfalfa—especially how it spreads and persists in the wild. Understanding the ecology of transgenic alfalfa has been a passion of mine for about half a decade. Even though I’ve moved on from my postdoc, I still work on research with my former advisor and never pass up a chance to collect roadside alfalfa!
One of my favorite pieces:
This piece tells the story of a 150-year-old plesiosaur skeleton cast at Vanderbilt, lost in the 1990s and rediscovered decades later. Originally purchased around 1875 by James Safford from fossil distributor Henry Ward, the cast has a surprisingly winding history. The rediscovery drew attention beyond campus, with coverage in the Vanderbilt Hustler and Vanderbilt Magazine, and even led to a guest lecture in a museum practice course.
Eco Flick Lab 