Carl Walters, FRSC, OBC

Associate Professor

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Department of Statistics

Canada Research Chair

Tier 2, Statistical Ecology

Research Unit

Statistical Ecology Research Group

Contact Information

Email: m.auger-methe@oceans.ubc.ca
Office phone: 604-822-1658
Office location: Room 241, 2202 Main Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia
Website: Statistical Ecology Research Group

Social Media

Twitter: @AugerMethe

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.

Research Interests

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.

Degrees

BSc (Hons); MSc; PhD

Awards

Teaching

• FISH 506H/STAT 547N Statistics in Ecology and Marine Sciences
• STAT 300 Intermediate Statistics for Applications

Related stories:

When used habitat is not always good habitat

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When knowledge systems meet on the ice and in models

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.

Seals risk death by polar bear for a varied meal, UBC study finds

Arctic tracking shows ringed seals trade safety for food variety—evidence that conservation plans must factor in both food and fear.

Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé wins Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship

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

Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé selected as a Science meets Parliament delegate

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 invaluable in identifying important habitats

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.

Student Profile: Shabnam Shadloo

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.

Marie Auger-Méthé & Andrea Reid inducted into RSC’s College

Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé & Dr. Andrea Reid inducted into RSC's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists on November 8, 2024

RSC College induction ceremony

Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé inducted into the RSC College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Nov. 2024.

RSC College induction ceremony

Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé inducted into the RSC College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Nov. 2024.

Professor Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Research Unit Changing Oceans Research Unit Solving FCB Director and Principal Investigator Changing Ocean Research Unit (CORU) Solving the Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus (Solving-FCB) Partnership (www.solvingfcb.org)

Canada Research Chair

Tier 2, Ocean Sustainability and Global Change

Royal Society of Canada

Fellow
College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists

Advisory Board and Scientific Committee Member

Sea Around Us, Ocean Decade Regional Collaborative Center for the Northeast Pacific, Pacific Salmon Foundation, Ocean & Climate Platform

Editorship

Editor-in-chief: Discover Oceans
Associate Editor: Global Change Biology
Editorial board: Fish and Fisheries, Frontier in Ecology and the Environment, Fisheries Oceanography

Contact Information

Email: w.cheung@oceans.ubc.ca
Office phone: 604-827-3756
Websites: Changing Ocean Research Unit, Solving FCB

Biography

Dr. William Cheung is a Professor in the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, the University of British Columbia. He is a Canada Research Chair in Ocean Sustainability and Global Change. He studies the nexus of food-climate-biodiversity in the ocean. He is the Principal Investigator of the Changing Ocean Research Unit at UBC. He serves as Director for a 6-year SSHRC Partnership “Solving the Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus”. He is an international leader in developing and using scenarios and models to explore solution options and pathways to desirable and sustainable ocean futures. His work addresses policy-relevant research questions and cuts across multiple disciplines, from oceanography to ecology, economics and social sciences. His research ranges from local to global scales.

William has published over 220 peer-reviewed papers and more than 50 book chapters and reports. He is actively involved in international and regional initiatives that bridge science and policy. For instance, he was a Coordinating Lead Author in the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in the Changing Climate and core author of the Synthesis Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment. He has received multiple international and national awards and recognitions, including the Prix d’Excellence Award of the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, the E. R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, and named by Reuter as the top 20 world’s most influential climate scientists. William obtained his BSc and M.Phil. from the University of Hong Kong and completed his PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Studies at the University of British Columbia.

William obtained his BSc in Biology and M.Phil. from the University of Hong Kong. He worked for WWF Hong Kong for two years, after which he completed his PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Studies at UBC. From 2009 to 2011, he was Lecturer in Marine Ecosystem Services in the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia.

Research Interests

Dr. William Cheung is the Principal Investigator of the Changing Ocean Research Unit at UBC. He serves as Director for a 6-year SSHRC Partnership Solving-FCB (Solving the Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus). His research topics include (1) assessing the responses and vulnerabilities of marine ecosystems, fisheries and dependent human communities to global change, (2) examining trade-offs in managing and conserving living marine resources, (3) aquaculture development in a changing ocean; (4) developing and using scenarios and models to explore solution options and pathways to desirable and sustainable ocean futures. His work addresses policy-relevant research questions, cut across multiple disciplines, from oceanography to ecology, economics and social sciences, and range from local to global scales.

Degrees

BSc (Hons); MPhil; PhD

Teaching

• EOSC 478 – Introduction to Fisheries Science
• FISH 520 – Fisheries Conservation, Governance, and Evaluation

Google Scholar

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Ocean temperature shapes how changes at the base of the food web affect fisheries catch potential

Climate-driven changes are reshaping our ocean’s environments; how will this affect the maximum catch potential of global fisheries?

Extreme Ocean Events Put Global Fisheries at Growing Risk

Global study reveals how extreme marine heat, very low primary productivity, especially when they occur together or in sequence — are associated with sharply higher odds of very low fisheries catches.

Climate change is supercharging marine invasions, global study finds

Global review reveals warming oceans are making marine invasive species more successful — and highlights critical blind spots that could leave many regions unprepared.

Second cohort of Africa-UBC Oceans and Fisheries Visiting Fellows selected

Congratulations to laureates: Dr. Rael Adhiambo (Kenya) and Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Talba (Nigeria)

Starfish Barometer 2026 warns that accelerating ocean change is outpacing global response

Dr. William Cheung contributed to the Starfish Barometer 2026 as the lead of the Human Pressures branch.

Aquaculture is shifting toward less sustainable species: new UBC study

Aquaculture relying on species that are less beneficial for food security, climate mitigation, and biodiversity

[Internal] Call for Applications – Director Search – Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF)

Internal UBC search for new Director of the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. Deadline is March 27, 2026

Opportunities exist for Canada’s mariculture industry despite climate change, UBC study says

In 2022, the industry contributed around $1.2 billion to the Canadian economy and employed 3,900 full-time individuals, many in remote coastal regions.

Marine heatwaves quietly rewire ocean food webs

These bursts of extreme ocean heat are also reshaping the entire structure and function of marine food webs, with consequences that can last years after the water cools

Dr. William Cheung inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

On Friday, November 14, 2025, Dr. William Cheung, professor and Director of the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, was inducted into the 2025 cohort of Royal Society of Canada (RSC) Fellows.

Professor Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability Department of Geography Research Unit Climate and Coastal Ecosystem Lab

Contact Information

Email: simon.donner@ubc.ca
Office phone: 604-822-6959
Office location: Department of Geography, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia
Website: Simon Donner

Social Media

LinkedIn: @simondonner
Bluesky: @simondonner
Threads: @simondonner
YouTube: @simondonner1199
Twitter: @simondonner

Biography

I grew up in the diverse city of Toronto where even in the dead of winter, I was often packed in a baby carriage and left outside to sleep. Since then, I have been interested in the human, societal, and environmental impacts of climate and climate change. Today, I am an interdisciplinary climate scientist that teaches and conduct research at the intersection of climate science, marine science, and policy. I hold appointments in UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Geography Department, and Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. I also direct the university’s Climate Solutions Research Collective, which catalyses solutions-oriented climate research.

Being a scientist and a professor at a public institution, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to engage my curiosity about the world for a living. With that opportunity, comes responsibility. I regularly volunteer to translate climate change science for the public and policymakers via government hearings, community events, radio and television appearances, and sometimes, by filming videos about climate change while cycling to work.

Due to a lifelong love of watersports, my spouse says I’m like an aquatic plant – I need sun and water to thrive. After the start of the pandemic, we dipped into the cold ocean near our Vancouver home every day for over a year.

Research Interests

Climate Science, Marine Heat Waves, Coral Reefs, Sea-Level Rise, El Niño, Equatorial Pacific, Small Island Developing States, Climate Change Adaptation, Kelp Systems, Numerical Modelling

Degrees

PhD – Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences – University of Wisconsin

MEM – Water and Air Resources – Duke University

Teaching

GEOG 312: Climate Change Science and Society
GEOG 314: Analysing Enivonrmental Problems
ENVR 440: Analytical Methods in Sustainability Science

Google Scholar

Publications

Scott TJ, White R, Donner SD (2026). Summers over land and ocean are becoming longer, transitioning faster, and accumulating more heat. Environmental Research Letters, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ae5724

Spencer T, Magnan AK, Donner SD, Garschagen M, Ford J, Duvat VK, Wabnitz CC (2024). Habitability of low-lying socio-ecological systems under a changing climate. Climatic Change, 177(1)

Li, X, Donner SD (2023) Assessing future projections of warm-season marine heatwave characteristics with three CMIP6 models. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, doi.org/10.1029/2022JC019253
Cornwall C, Comeau S, Donner SD et al. (2023) Coral adaptive capacity insufficient to halt global transition of coral reefs into net erosion under climate change. Global Change Biology, doi: 10.1111/gcb.16647

Virgen-Urcelay A, Donner SD (2023). Increase in the extent of mass coral bleaching over the past half-century, based on an updated global database. PLoS-One, 18(23), p.e0281719

González-Espinosa PC, Donner SD (2023) Cloudiness delays projected impact of climate change on coral reefs. PLoS Climate, 2(2), e0000090.

Summers S, Donner SD (2022). Investigating the ability of coral reefs to protect shorelines in the Republic of Kiribati. Coral Reefs, 41(2), 369-82

Findlater K, Webber S, Kandlikar M, Donner SD (2021) Climate services promise better decisions but mainly focus on better data, Nature Climate Change doi.org:10.1038/s41558-021-01125-3

Logan C, Dunne J, Ryan JS, Baskett ML, Donner SD (2021) Quantifying global potential for coral evolutionary response to climate change. Nature Climate Change, 11, 537–542

Donner SD, Carilli J (2019) Resilience of Central Pacific coral reefs subject to frequent heat stress and human disturbance. Scientific Reports, 9 (3484), DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40150-3

Donner SD (2017) Publicity or Perish: Finding the balance in science communication. Biogeochemistry, DOI 10.1007/s10533-017-0344-7

Donner SD, Kandlikar M, Webber S (2016) Measuring and tracking the flow of climate change adaptation aid to the developing world. Environmental Research Letters, 11 (5), 054006, DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/054006

Donner SD (2015) The legacy of migration in response to climate stress: learning from the Gilbertese resettlement in the Solomon Islands. Natural Resources Forum, 39, 191-201, DOI: 10.1111/1477-8947.12082

Donner SD (2014) Finding your place on the Science-Advocacy continuum. Climatic Change, 124 (1-2), 1–8, DOI: 10.1007/s10584-014-1108-1

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IOF Members Receive SSHRC Discovery Grants

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Not all waves are created equal

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IOF delegation going to COP27

PhD candidate Veronica Relano and Dr. Simon Donner, professor in IOF, IRES and Geography, are among the 10 members of UBC’s delegation travelling to Egypt to attend the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27)

Dr. Simon Donner is appointed to Net-Zero Advisory Body

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‘Sticky questions’ raised by study on coral reefs

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Record-breaking heatwaves, aquatic biodiversity, and human communities: BC and beyond

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PROFILE: Ocean Leaders step outside the lab to connect with communities and solve ocean problems

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UBC experts share views on global action on climate change

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New coral bleaching database to help predict fate of global reefs

A UBC-led research team has developed a new global coral bleaching database that could help scientists predict future bleaching events.

Associate Professor Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Research Unit Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Contact Information

Email: b.hunt@oceans.ubc.ca
Website: Pelagic Ecosystems Lab
Twitter: @UBCpelagic

Biography

Dr. Hunt grew up next to and in the oceans around Durban, South Africa. Fascinated with fish, he planned to become an Ichthyologist, however, an unexpected voyage to the Antarctic open his eyes to the world of ocean science. Brian went on to complete his PhD at the University of Tasmania, researching zooplankton biogeography in the Southern Ocean using the Continuous Plankton recorder. Following that, he moved to the University of British Columbia where he researches the connectivity between the component parts of marine ecosystems, mostly from the perspective of food webs. Brian’s research has and continues to be been wide ranging, spanning interests in the Antarctic, tropical South Pacific, New Zealand, Mediterranean and Arctic, though his primary focus is currently on British Columbia coastal ecosystems and the North Pacific. Here he connects ecosystem oceanography with his first love of fish, through research into how ocean health effects salmon. Brian is a strong believer in collaboration and has extensive partnerships with the Hakai Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Pacific Salmon Foundation, and many academic colleagues at UBC and beyond.

Research Interests

Dr Hunt is an ecosystem oceanographer who researches the structure and function of pelagic marine ecosystems and their response to climate forcing and anthropogenic impacts. His Pelagic Ecosystem Lab conducts their research through the lens of marine food web dynamics, applying biogeochemical (stable isotopes and fatty acids) and molecular approaches to resolve food web response to environment, food web linkages, energy transfer efficiencies, and the emergent nutritional health of biota.

Teaching

SCIE 113 – First-Year Seminar in Science
EOSC 270 – Marine Biodiversity
EOSC 473 / 573 – Methods in Oceanography
EOSC 575 – The Biology and Ecology of Marine Zooplanktonic Organisms
FISH 520 – Fisheries Oceanography

Publications

View Here

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Protecting British Columbia’s threatened Deep-Water Fjords

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UN releases Third World Ocean Assessment

IOF researchers, including Rashid Sumaila, Brian Hunt, Ibrahim Issifu, Louise Teh, Colette Wabnitz, and Nathan Bennett participated in the writing of this Assessment.

When the ocean changes the rules for Wild Salmon

One of the threats salmon face has a deceptively gentle name: thiamine deficiency complex.

Pacific salmon are highly sensitive to ocean acidification – regardless of how much they eat

Climate change is driven in part by excess carbon dioxide emissions, much of which is absorbed by the ocean, a process known as ocean acidification.

IOF researchers receive federal research funding

Congratulations to Drs. Brian Hunt, Murdoch McAllister, Evgeny Pakhomov, and Camilla Speller who received funding.

Wildfires could be harming our oceans and disrupting their carbon storage

Wildfires pollute waterways and could affect their ability to sequester carbon, recent University of British Columbia research shows.

Using environmental DNA to map biodiversity across Canada’s three oceans

The ability to detect the distribution of not only widespread, but also rare and endangered, species using eDNA allows researchers to identify critical habitats and biodiverse areas requiring protection.

IOF faculty and students win awards from the Peter Wall Legacy Awards program

These awards are one of the largest internal award programs at any university in North America. The suite of awards will support the research activities of tenure-track faculty members at all stages of their career, and those of Master’s and doctoral students.

Why what happens on the land is critical to the health of our oceans

What is the significance of these myriad small streams to the surrounding ocean, so important to people’s livelihoods, culture, and well-being in British Columbia?

UBC researchers investigate thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in BC Chinook salmon for the first time

Since the 1990’s, TDC has been associated with fish and seabird declines in the Great Lakes and the Baltic Sea. In addition to direct mortality, TDC includes sublethal effects across all salmon life stages, including reduced visual acuity and feeding rates, reduced migration performance, and impaired immune response.