Our research in the Chicago Region documents the diversity of macro-fungi in NE Illinois and NW Indiana through the use of quantitative plot sampling over multiple years at target sites and visits to additional sites around the region. Long term research sites in Cook County and at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore track changes in relation to nitrogen addition. Past studies have looked at the effect of restoration via controlled burns in oak woodland and compared diversity for woodland, savanna, and prairie sites.

I serve as a scientific advisor for the Illinois Mycological Association whose forays provide us with valuable fungal specimens for the region. I work with the North American Mycological Association to preserve voucher specimens of fungi from their national forays.