I am interested in the taxonomy, ecology, and systematics of algae, and conduct work in freshwater lakes and rivers as well as subaerial habitats such as wet rock walls and soils. Although I work and publish on all algal phyla, my primary expertise and interest lie in the cyanobacteria and diatoms. With regards to cyanobacteria, I have been a part of the discovery and naming of several new genera and species, and my work is both in microscopical examination and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and the associated 16S-23S ITS region. I have also described new genera and species of diatoms, as well as published some diatom floras. My floristic survey work takes me and my students to many interesting places, such as Acadia National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and the Atacama Desert in Chile. All of my work is collaborative in nature, and I enjoy working with students and faculty at John Carroll University as well as faculty and students at other universities in the USA and around the world.