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Ph.D., OCFThesis TopicFrom Ecosystem Abundance to the City of Vancouver: A Story of Stewardship and Colonization on Canada’s West Coast SupervisorDr. Villy Christensen |
Degrees
M.A. Anthropology (Zooarchaeology), University of Victoria
B.A. Honours, Anthropology (Forensic Archaeology), University of Victoria
Research Unit
Global Oceans Modelling
Biography
I am a PhD student at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Canada. My interest in coastal ecology and archaeology started when I lived at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre for a summer while working at the local community school. My MA research was based at BMSC in the Broken Group Islands in Barkley Sounds, BC, and included research performed over the past 30 years throughout Nuu-chah-nulth territories.
My PhD research is in service to Tsleil-Waututh Nation: my project is designed based on the needs and questions of the community. I am using Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) to create a pre-contact (AD 1792) food web baseline model of Burrard Inlet, BC. I am using archaeological material, including shellfish and fish remains, along with historical and archival data. I am also looking at sustainable fisheries and pre-contact diet reconstructions to inform the model.
The needs, questions, and priorities of Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) are foremost in the development and organization of this project. The TWN community and consultants will provide expert advice, information, and data. The project is founded in the needs of TWN from the present day going forward, while honouring the past. My role is to work in service to the Nation and the Cumulative Effects Monitoring Initiative. Two knowledgeable TWN consultants, Michelle George and Michael George, have joined the team as contributing authors and their expertise helps shape the path of the project.
My background is in zooarchaeology, invertebrate archaeology, historical ecology, community engagement, and science communication. In my spare time I am a West Coast Swing dancer and instructor, and you can see me competing, learning, and dancing with dancers in Canada and the USA.
See my website for a complete CV, including presentations, posters, papers, certifications, and work experience. Please get in touch with me, I look forward to hearing from you!
Research interests
Ecological modelling; zooarchaeology; faunal analysis; fisheries; community engagement; Indigenous sovereignty; science communication.
Awards
Mitacs Accelerate Internship: September 2019-September 2023
Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF): September 2019 – undetermined (on hold while a Mitacs Intern)
President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award: Awarded May 2020
Ocean Leaders Fellowship: 2020/2021 Academic Year, Awarded May 2020
UVIC Graduate Award: July 2018
Contact Information
Email: m.efford@oceans.ubc.ca
Website: https://meaghanefford.com/
Social Media
Twitter: @megefford
Selected Publications
Efford, Meaghan, Spencer Taft, Jesse Morin, Micheal George, Michelle George, Hannah Cavers, Jay Hilsden, Lindsey Paskulin, Doris Loewen, Jennifer Zhu, Villy Christensen, and Camilla Speller. 2023. Archaeology demonstrates sustainable ancestral Coast Salish salmon stewardship over thousands of years. PloS one 18(8): e0289797
Efford, Meaghan. 2023. Grand Challenges in Ocean Leadership: Course Handbook. Pressbooks.
Morin, Jesse; Evans, Aaron Blake; Efford, Meaghan. (2023). The Rise of Vancouver and the Collapse of Forage Fish: A Story of Urbanization and the Destruction of an Aquatic Ecosystem on the Salish Sea (1885-1920 CE). Human Ecology.
Sumaila, UR et al. 2021. WTO must ban harmful fisheries subsidies. Science 374(6567): 544.
Efford, Meaghan. September 17, 2020. Destruction in your background: why we need to keep industry accountable. Guest Post published by OceanBites.
Couture, Fanny; Efford, Meaghan; Mangar, Roshni; Oddo, Matias. April 8, 2020. Habitat Change in Burrard Inlet: Mapping the Evolution of Coastal Waters in Metro Vancouver. StoryMap published through ESRI StoryMaps.
Efford, Meaghan; Hicks, Adam; Mejaes, Annie; Oddo, Matias. Hidden Consequences. 2020. Video.
Efford, Meaghan. 2017. An Archaeological Assessment of Rare Shellfish at Two Nuu-chah-nulth Sites: Kakmakimilh (306T) and Huu7ii (DfSh-7). A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Historical Ecology and Coastal Archaeology at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Instructor: Iain McKechnie.
Efford, Meaghan. 2016. The Implications of Thermogenic Modification for Anthropological Recovery of Burned Bone. Arbutus Review. 7(1): 20-37.