About Me

Me as an academic

I first fell in love with the field of psychology after taking AP psych in high school. When I later attended St. Lawerence University (in way, way, WAY upstate New York, practically Canada) I set my sights on majoring in psychology and picked up a minor in statistics along the way. As an undergrad I dabbled in both cognitive psychology and social psychology where I conducted some research on ADHD and defensive self-esteem, respectively. These early research experiences cemented my passion for empirical psychological science and set me on my path toward academia.

However, at no point had it occurred to me that I could combine my love for psychology with my love for nature. It wasn’t until I was hiking in Montana’s Glacier National Park when I was struck, yet again, by one of the many gorgeous views offered by the Highline Trail. Overlooking this gorgeous glacial valley like nothing else on the planet, I found myself wondering, “How on earth could anyone not want to protect this?” But then it occurred to me that there were people who would look at the same thing I was gazing at and think “I could make a fortune, if only I could sell real estate here”. I realized that there were people out there who had a vastly different relationship with nature than I did…and I wanted to study that.

I went on to get my PhD from Penn State where I was trained as a social and environmental psychologist (with a sub-focus in recreation, parks, and tourism management).

I have since begun a position as an assistant professor at Durham University in England.

Me as a person

I was born and raised in the north eastern United States. I have always been a lover of the outdoors (although this relationship with nature has evolved over time). I love fly fishing, hiking, and—when I actually manage to plan far enough in advance—camping as well.

I have had the good fortune of being able to travel all over the world and have visited many (US) national parks and beautiful landscapes. Of the places I’ve been my favorite would have to be Montana (three of the pictures below were ones I took on my trips there). Still, there will always be a special place in my heart for a good ole New England autumn.

Not just an outdoorsman, but a foodie too, I love food. The spicier the better. And I also love to cook, almost as much as I like to eat. For as long as I can remember, I have been concocting my own recipes (and I currently have no less than 5 separate BBQ sauce recipes) trying to get that “perfect flavor”.

I am a proper geek, through and through. In addition to food and the outdoors, I love playing video games and finding new excuses to somehow force programming in R into my “home” life.