Her research focuses on evaluating intertidal oyster reef conditions at five sites throughout Apalachicola Bay by characterizing their sediments' physical and chemical properties and relating them to the abundance and spatial density of oyster shell clusters at the surface. Oyster reefs function as biogeochemical hotspots, filtering particulate organic matter from the water column and sequestering a portion into the sediments below as feces and pseudo-feces. Dead reefs have different sediment compositions relative to live and restored reefs, so documenting the reefs in Apalachicola Bay can give us another way to evaluate reef conditions and identify sites for prioritized restoration.