Dr. Auger-Méthé is broadly interested in developing and applying statistical tools to infer behavioural and population processes from empirical data. While she is mostly interested in marine and polar species (e.g. narwhals and polar bears), the methods she develops are usually applicable to a wide range of species and ecosystems. Her current work centres on modelling animal behaviour using movement data. In addition, she is interested in the conservation and management of marine and polar ecosystems.
Biography
Dr. Auger-Méthé is an Associate Professor at the Institute for the Oceans & Fisheries and in the Department of Statistics. Most of her work is interdisciplinary in nature and at the intersection between ecology, statistics, and marine sciences. Her recent focus has been on developing and applying statistical models to understand the movement and space use of marine species. Prior to starting at UBC, She did her PhD at the University of Alberta, and a BSC, MSc, and Postdoctoral fellowship at Dalhousie University.
Degrees
BSc (Hons); MSc; PhD
Awards
Teaching
FISH 506H/STAT 547N Statistics in Ecology and Marine Sciences
As humans continue to alter and encroach on wildlife habitat, a basic conservation question becomes more urgent: which places do animals truly need in order to survive and thrive?
Indigenous Knowledge can offer deep, place-based understanding of how animals use their environment, yet it is still rarely included directly in the same habitat models as satellite telemetry and other Western scientific data.
The Killam Accelerator Research Fellowships (KARF) promote research excellence and support early-career scholars by providing time and resources for them to focus on their research
As part of the Science meets Parliament program, she will spend time in Victoria, working with provincial leadership on on environment and ecology issues.
Indigenous Knowledge can provide a holistic understanding of species’ habitat use given that it contains observations of multiple species across seasons and includes animals' complex relationships with other species and habitats.
Shabnam is a third-year PhD student at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) under the supervision of Marie Auger-Méthé. Her research focuses on the movement ecology, behaviour, and disease dynamics of Larus glaucescens (glaucous-winged gulls) within coastal and urban environments.
