Dr. Anderson's projects are often broad in scope and typically grapple with evolving or novel environmental challenges. Examples of his wide-ranging work include: wetland restoration in Turkey and New Orleans, Cook Islands coral reef monitoring, ecotoxicological and socioeconomic impact of major oil spills such as the 2010 "Deepwater Horizon" and 2015 Refugio spills, and quantification of microplastic pollution across the planet. Anderson frequently leverages bleeding edge technologies including novel environmental sensors, modified commercial hardware, and open-source software in various Remotely Piloted Systems (drones and ROVs) that are effective tools for both conservation and education. This passion for technology-infused field science and conservation birthed a new interdisciplinary research group at CSUCI in 2012. Anderson co-directs this Aerial and Aquatic Robot Research (AARR) team which has now grown into a large group of multidisciplinary faculty and students working on various coastal efforts from over the horizon monitoring of Marine Protected Areas to long-term oil seep impacts from wildfires.