Specifically, I study how agriculture affects biota and water quality of freshwater ecosystems, in order to inform the development of sustainable practices. My studies have addressed the benefits of riparian forest buffers for stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes, the effects of local agricultural practices on tropical Andean streams, and the complex interactions among multiple ecological stressors associated to agricultural land use.

I am also interested in learning about functioning of tropical stream ecosystems, particularly in the Andean region, a world's biodiversity hot-spot that has received little attention from researchers. There, I have explored macroinvertebrate communities to document their role in organic matter processing, dietary habits, and distribution patterns.

My other big interest is collaborating with other scientists to address large scale questions related to these topics. Currently, I am involved in two research networks: the Global Stream Decomposition Network, which seeks to document and understand diversity patterns of leaf litter detritivores, and the Stream Resiliency Research Coordination Network, with the objective of synthetizing existing information to better understand the implications of changing nutrient dynamics and biological diversity in lotic food webs.