Technically a member of the Anvil Mage's Guild, he lives in Stirk so that he can practice his alchemical experiments with little interruption and also because it allows him a place to set up his own special "garden" spread across a number of rooms in his basement and aided by a customized miniature Dwemer Weather Machine, which unfortunately is in need of repair, requiring special parts.
He has sent a number of letters to the Anvil Mages Guild requesting these parts, however he has yet to receive any response and has come to believe that they simply can't be bothered with the task-especially considering how difficult it is to get a hold of such things in the first place. "If it were a part for the orrery they're trying to reconstruct at the Arcane University, I'm sure it would be a different matter," he tells the player.
In the quest he gives the player, he asks for the parts he needs and later for the player to collect various samples from Morrowind and possibly elsewhere around Tamriel to help expand his collection of plants.
As far as his personality is concerned, he might be considered a bit eccentric, but he is really just focused on his hobby of collecting plants from around Tamriel and studying their alchemical properties. As such, he prefers to live on his own to avoid interruptions-he dislikes having to rely on others but realizes it is necessary since there is no other way to secure the things he needs without leaving his home and temporarily abandoning his research. The Anvil Mages Guild puts up with him because his research often enough produces some useful results.