My research focuses on the spatial and temporal evolution of patterns that emerge at the interface of fluid and sediment on Earth and planetary surfaces. Scales of interest range from ripples and dunes evolving over minutes in sandy rivers, to the preserved record of millions of years of coastal evolution on the continental shelf. I iterate between mathematical modeling, laboratory experiments and field observations in order to elucidate the minimum number of ingredients that are required to explain physical phenomena. While my interests are wide ranging, they share a common theme: to understand the internally-generated dynamics of sedimentary systems, to characterize the response of these complex systems to changes in boundary conditions such as climate, and to develop methods for accurately separating the two signals.