My research has emphasized improving methodological and theoretical inquiry. For the bachelor's, I investigated music as a pedagogical tool to learn foreign languages in Ecuador. For the master's, I used photographs taken by residents to help assess the impact of ecotourism as a path for socially just, environmentally sustainable, and locally crafted development in the Dominican Republic. For the doctorate, I employed  visual techniques (including cognitive methods [or visually mapping conceptions], photography, videography, and sound recordings) to study the meanings and applications of development, conservation, and nature of Yoruba-derived ecological knowledges in Cuba.

I am developing three research projects. One is on water in Florida, one is on envisioning development and the future in Cuba, and one is on documenting the people and beliefs involved with Ecadorian textile and tagua fair trade markets. In Florida, I propose to make a documentary for residents and homeowners to better grasp the connections between their individual practices and the Floridan aquifer.

I have been employed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the InterAmerican Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). For these organizations, I conducted ethnographic research, co-authored and edited papers that dealt with the interplay of ecology and anthropology, including issues of climate change, livelihoods, gender, indigenous rights (legislation and land) and collaborative management of natural resources.