Sam's Cerebrum

My Research

My work investigates how ecological dynamics and human decisions shape the resilience of freshwater ecosystems in the American West. I integrate experimental ecology—studying invasive-native fish competition, ecotoxicology, and climate stressors—with social science approaches like stakeholder interviews and mental modeling. This interdisciplinary approach reveals how environmental change alters aquatic communities while identifying governance pathways for sustainable water use.

PhD Research (Colorado State University | 2023–Present)

1. USGS Flow-Fish Response Analysis (2025–Present)
   Collaboration: Powell Center for Analysis & Synthesis
   • Analyzing 40 years of USGS gauge data paired with fish population turnover across U.S. rivers to quantify how high/low flow extremes impact resilience of native fisheries.
2. Mental Models for Adaptive River Governance (2024-2025)
   • Interviewing water users/managers in eastern Colorado to map decision-making processes and identify barriers to sustainable river management.
3. Salmonid Habitat Preference Synthesis (2025–Present)
   • Literature review of snorkel-survey derived depth/velocity data to identify age-specific, seasonal, and species-specific habitat preferences in salmonids across life stages.
4. Native Fish Habitat Synthesis (Spring/Summer 2023)
   • Literature review of depth/velocity preferences for 25 Colorado stream fish species (139 studies analyzed), guiding Instream Flow Program conservation.
5. Salinity Impacts on Mosquitofish/Topminnow Coexistence (Fall 2021/Fall 2023)
   • Experimental tests revealing native Plains Topminnow’s vulnerability to salinity vs. invasive Mosquitofish’s resilience.

Master’s Research (CSU | 2021–2022)

1. Density-Dependent Competition in Native/Invasive Fish (Summer 2021)
   • Manipulated temperature/density to identify coexistence mechanisms between Plains Topminnow and Mosquitofish.
2. Additional Collaborations:
   • Fish Movement in Experimental Streams (2021-2022)
     • Quantified how body condition (fat/muscle reserves) drives Creek Chub movement in artificial streams using PIT telemetry and GLMMs.
   • Thermal Competition Dynamics (2020-2021)
     • Examined native Northern Redbelly Dace response in thermal preference to introduced invasive Western Mosquitofish in a thermally heterogenous experimental chamber.

Undergraduate Research (UCSB & Australia | 2016–2018)

1. Australian Marine Conservation Projects (Fall 2017)
   • Artificial Seagrass for Syngnathids: Tested habitat restoration efficacy at Stradbroke Island (seagrass beds).
   • Holothurian Predator Defenses: Documented sea cucumber responses at Heron Island (coral reefs).
2. Arctic Lake Biogeochemistry (Spring 2017)
   • Analyzed nutrient availability and ecological drivers in MATLAB using polar lake datasets.
3. Temperate Reef Monitoring (Summer 2016)
   • NSF REU, Santa Barbara Coastal LTER
   • SCUBA surveys of macroalgae/fish; deployed sensors for pH/temperature/wave energy.

Early Scientific Work

1. Everglades Sea-Level Rise Project (Middle School)
   Modeled ice-cap melt impacts on Florida’s wetlands—sparking lifelong dedication to aquatic conservation.