I am an Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution specializing in tropical forest ecology, plant phenology, and climate-biodiversity interactions. My lab operates sensor and remote sensing networks in tropical forests to generate the fine-scale microclimate and phenology data needed to understand how these ecosystems respond to climate change - data largely absent from global models. I combine sensors with long-term biodiversity monitoring to produce actionable insights on forest health, carbon cycling, and species dynamics relevant to industries investing in conservation, carbon markets, and climate resilience. We work primarily in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, a hyper-diverse UNESCO World Heritage site in Costa Rica.