My research focuses on the causes and consequences of complexity in nature. I am interested in how humans alter the diversity and interconnectedness of life on earth. Understanding how these changes alter the services that nature provides is a critical need as we watch ecosystem after ecosystem collapse. I study these questions in the ocean because, let's face it, the sheer number and diversity of species in the oceans is astounding.

News

3/6/13
The Byrnes lab is looking for a postdoc!

2/6/13
You can hear me talk more about Science crowdfunding in this AAAS webinar.

1/9/13
Very excited to be conveening the first meeting of an NCEAS working group on global impacts of climate change on kelp forests.

9/20/12
Scott Chamberlain has posted an interview he did with me about #SciFund and Science Crowdfunding over at the Journal of Ecology Blog

9/1/12
Excited to be starting up the Byrnes Lab today here at UMass Boston!

8/11/12
I've posted my slides from my ESA talk Taking the Ecological Conversation Online over at slideshare. Also, it's my birthday.

5/2/12
Our new paper from the diversity-function working group at NCEAS is out today in Nature. This work highlights that diversity loss can have as severe an impact on productivity as many other sources of environmental change. If you want the story behind the paper, check out my blog post.

5/1/12
#SciFund round 2 has launched! We have 75 scientists participating in this round, so it's going to be spectacular!

4/23/12
Allrighty then! I've just send in my acceptance to join the faculty in the Biology Department at UMass Boston! The Byrnes lab will be open for business starting September 1st 2012.