He has an extensive background in sustainable development and works at the intersection of development economics, public health and the environment. His research often employs spatial data and spatial analysis to explore topics such as the evolving role of geography in economic development, the burden of infectious diseases such as malaria and hookworm in a changing climate, the impact of agricultural technology diffusion, and the spatial patterns of violent conflict. In public health, his research includes financial modeling of primary health care systems in rural sub-Saharan Africa as well as creating ecology-based models to estimate infectious disease burden in populations lacking accurate health data collection systems.