Michelle’s research and teaching take place at the intersection of the environmental humanities, empire studies, and Anglophone literature of the long nineteenth century. Taking a comparative and transnational approach, her work explores the relationship between horticulture, ecological aesthetics, and literary form in the writing of British, Indo-Anglian, and Australian Aboriginal authors. At LENS, she has worked on various projects, including most recently one on how environmental and socioeconomic factors influence plant biodiversity in Los Angeles residential areas and community gardens.