Research Interests : I am interested in marine invertebrate larval dispersal and its effects on population dynamics. During my dissertation, I estimated the larval dispersal of polychaete species using available life-history traits and related that to their abundance and distribution in southern California soft-sediment habitats. I also measured the local population connectivity of the Olympia Oyster (Ostrea conchaphila) by using trace-elemental “fingerprints” recorded in their larval shells during brooding. Lastly, I explored the use of trace-elemental fingerprints to study larval dispersal in species that lack permanent calcified structures, using the porcelain crab (Petrolisthes cinctipes) as a model. In my post-doctoral research I will combine the dispersal information gained through trace-elemental fingerprinting techniques with information on growth, mortality, and fecundity to gain a more complete picture of the metapopulation dynamics of the mussels Mytilus californianus and Mytilus galloprovincialis.