As a marine ecologist for the US Geological Survey, I support the research needs of the Department of Interior specifically and the federal government in general. I also mentor several PhD students and postdoctoral students. My main line of research is on the ecology of parasites. In this capacity, I am a member of the ecological parasitology group at UC Santa Barbara (http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/eemb/labs/kuris/). I work on conservation biology issues, including research to guide the protection and recovery of the endangered tidewater goby, black abalone, southern sea otter, and western snowy plover. In addition, I study the effect of fishing on marine communities. I use a variety of approaches, including field surveys, lab and field experiments, meta-analysis, mathematical modeling, and network (foodweb) analysis. Common systems of study are local estuaries, beaches, and kelp forests but include coral reefs and arctic lakes.