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Core Faculty

Marie Auger-Méthé

Associate Professor

Canada Research Chair (Tier II, Statistical Ecology)

Email: m.auger-methe@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-1658

Dr. Auger-Méthé’s 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. Read More

Research Area

Ecology, movement, statistics, Arctic, marine mammals, seabirds


William Cheung, FRSC

Director and Professor

Canada Research Chair (Tier II, Ocean Sustainability and Global Change)

Email: w.cheung@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-827-3756

Dr. William Cheung is Professor and Director of UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. 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 Read More

Research Area

Nexus of food-climate-biodiversity in the ocean, pathways to sustainable ocean futures

Villy Christensen, FRSC

Professor

Email: v.christensen@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-5751

Dr Christensen is a professor specialising in ecosystem modelling - in particular data-driven ecosystem model construction. He is known for his work as a leader and developer of Ecopath, an open source ecosystem modelling software system widely used for ecosystem based management and increasingly for environmental impact assessment Read More


Simon Donner

Professor

Email: simon.donner@ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-6959

Dr. Donner is a climate scientist whose work lies at the intersection of climate science, marine science, and policy. He was a lead author on the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment and serves as a member of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body, which advises the federal government on pathways to net-zero emissions. Read More

Research Area

climate science; marine heat waves; coral reefs; sea-level rise; El Nino; equatorial Pacific; Small Island Developing States; climate change adaptation; kelp systems; numerical modelling


Christopher Harley

Professor

Email: c.harley@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-827-3431

Dr. Harley studies patterns and processes in intertidal and nearshore ecosystems. He and his students are interested in how the environment (temperature, salinity, ocean acidification) and interactions among species (predation, competition, facilitation) interact to determine community structure. Ongoing work incorporates tipping points associated with environmental extremes, such as heatwaves, and changes in community composition, including species introductions and biodiversity loss... Read More

Research Area

community ecology, marine invertebrates, algae, species interactions, climate change, global warming, ocean acidification, multiple stressors, environmental variability


Brian Hunt

Associate Professor

On leave: January 2025-6

Email: b.hunt@oceans.ubc.ca

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. Read More


Murdoch McAllister

Associate Professor

Email: m.mcallister@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-3693

Dr. McAllister's research focuses on developing decision support tools for fisheries management including the development of data-intensive modeling approaches for fisheries stock assessment and management strategy evaluation. Teaching focuses on providing instruction and training in interdisciplinary and quantitative approaches to fisheries policy analysis... Read More


Evgeny Pakhomov

Professor

Email: e.pakhomov@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-827-5564

Dr. Pakhomov is a biological oceanographer focusing on species ecology ranging from zooplankton to fish, incorporating ecosystem structure, physical-biological and biochemical coupling. More recently he has dabbled in stable isotope ecology as well as the variability and responses of marine ecosystems to climate change.


Daniel Pauly, FRSC

University Killam Professor

Email: d.pauly@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-1201

Dr. Daniel Pauly is an exceptional scholar whose work has fundamentally impacted the fields of fisheries science, and biodiversity research. His creation of extensive approaches, knowledge infrastructures, and tools, are used extensively by scientists and experts in fisheries and aquatic biodiversity around the world. Read More


Andrea Reid

Assistant Professor

Canada Research Chair (Tier II, Indigenous Fisheries Science)

On leave July 25, 2025-2026

Email: cif@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Reid is a proud citizen and member of the sovereign Nisg̱a’a Nation, and she is the Principal Investigator of the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries. Her collaborative and collective research and teaching program focuses on culturally-significant fish and fisheries, such as Pacific salmon (‘hoon’ in Nisg̱a’a; Oncorhynchus spp.), centring Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing, and connecting... Read More

Research Area

Indigenous fisheries; fisheries science; Indigenous rights; community-based research; Indigenous knowledge systems; fish ecology; freshwater systems; Indigenous research methodologies; land-based learning

David Rosen

Assistant Professor

IOF Graduate Advisor

Email: d.rosen@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-8184

Dr. Rosen's current research primarily investigates the bioenergetics (energy requirements and expenditures) of marine mammals. Its focus is to understand the root causes of population changes by investigating the interactions between the physiology of individual animals and biotic and abiotic environmental changes. Read More


Rashid Sumaila, FRSC

University Killam Professor

Canada Research Chair (Tier I, Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics)

Email: r.sumaila@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-0224

Rashid Sumaila's research focuses on bioeconomics, marine ecosystem valuation and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, marine protected areas, illegal fishing, climate change, marine plastic pollution, and oil spills. Read More

Research Area

ocean, fisheries, economics, bioeconomic modeling, subsidies, high seas, valuation, infinity fish, climate change, discounting


Curtis Suttle, FRSC CM OC

Distinguished University Professor

Email: suttle@science.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-8610

Dr Suttle is primarily focussed on viruses and their role in the environment. His current work examines viruses and their roles in the oceans, high Arctic, deep mines, aeolian dust, lakes, and migratory-bird ponds. Read More

Research Area

microbial diversity, marine microbiology, biological oceanography, marine viruses, virus diversity, zooplankton, phytoplankton, bacterioplankton, virioplankton


Andrew Trites

Professor

Email: a.trites@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-8182

Dr Trites oversees the Marine Mammal Research Unit and a research program that involves captive and field studies of seals, sea lions, whales and dolphins. Read More


Amanda Vincent, FRSC

Professor

Email: a.vincent@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-827-5137

Dr. Amanda Vincent is driven by a determination to protect our oceans. As well as tackling research on pressing problems, Dr. Vincent also mobilizes conservation action to improve the status of marine species and habitats. Read More


Emeritus

Dianne Newell

Professor Emerita

Email: d.newell@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-9890

Dr. Newell is a historian of technology and society who has spent her career examining the diffusion of knowledge in disciplines across the social sciences and humanities. Appointed Professor Emerita in 2014. She is the Interim Director of the IOF’s Centre for Indigenous Fisheries. Read More

Research Area

Indigenous fisheries of BC, fishing and fish processing history, interdisciplinary research; small-scale fisheries, marine coastal fisheries; women & fisheries, industrial archaeology; Canadian Northwest Coast Indigenous fisheries case law; Pacific salmon canning industry. white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) fisheries

Tony Pitcher

Professor Emeritus

Dr. Pitcher’s research addressed the impacts of fishing on aquatic ecosystems, the development of quantitative, multi-criteria evaluation frameworks and rapid appraisal techniques for evidence-based assessment of fisheries, management instruments and management goals, and a predictive understanding of how fish shoaling behaviour impacts fisheries.


Carl Walters, FRSC OBC

Professor Emeritus

Email: c.walters@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-6320

Dr Walters’ areas of research include the development of rapid techniques for teaching systems analysis and mathematical modeling to biologists and resource managers. His primary foci are fish population dynamics, fisheries assessment and sustainable management.


Honorary

George Rose

Professor and Fisheries Conservation Chair

Email: g.rose@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Rose's research focuses on the history, ecology and management of fisheries. Being a Newfoundlander, his main area of study has been the Northwest Atlantic cod stocks, their spatial ecology and historic productivity. He has a particular interest in survey methods, especially those involving acoustic technology.


Jordan Rosenfeld

Aquatic Scientist, Applied Freshwater Research Unit, BC Ministry of Environment

Email: j.rosenfeld@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-827-5137

Research Area


Associate

Kai Chan

Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability

Kai Chan is a professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, and Canada Research Chair Tier 1 in Re-Wilding and Social-Ecological Transformation. Kai is an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented sustainability scientist, trained in ecology, policy, and ethics. He strives to understand how social-ecological systems can be transformed to be both better and wilder.


Andrea Frommel

Assistant Professor, UBC Land and Food Systems & Chair in Sustainable Aquaculture

Dr. Frommel's research bridges climate change, fisheries and sustainable aquaculture, with a focus on environmental physiology of early life stages of commercial fish species.


Philippe Le Billon

Professor, Department of Geography and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs

Philippe Le Billon is a Professor at the Department of Geography and the School for Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC, who works at the nexus of environment, development, and security. Most of his work engage with resource governance and conflicts around natural resources. His current projects are on the blue economy, green transition, and environmental defenders.


Charles Menzies

Professor, Department of Anthropology

Professor hagwil hayetsk’s (Charles Menzies) primary research interests are the production of anthropological films, natural resource management (primarily fisheries related), political economy, contemporary First Nations’ issues, maritime anthropology and the archaeology of north coast BC. He has conducted field research in, and has produced films concerning, north coastal BC, Canada (including archaeological research); Brittany, France; and Donegal, Ireland. Hagwil hayetsk is a member of Gitxaała Nation on BC’s north coast and an enrolled member of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska.


Camilla Speller

Associate Professor

Dr. Speller's major research focus is ‘Molecular Environmental Archaeology’ – the application of biomolecular techniques to a broad range of environmental issues and human-environment interactions in the past and in the present. Currently, she is working on three areas: Marine Ecosystems; Human-Animal Interactions; and Ancient Microbiomes.


Affiliate

Megan Bailey

Affiliate Associate Professor, Dalhousie University

Email: Megan.Bailey@dal.ca

Research Area


Andrés Cisneros-Montemayor

Assistant Professor, Simon Fraser University

Research Area


Claudia J. Hernández-Camacho

Affiliate Professor, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas-IPN: La Paz, Baja California Sur, MX

Research Area


Mimi Lam

Affiliate Assistant Professor, Bergen University

Email: m.lam@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Jessica Meeuwig

Professor, Marine Futures Lab, University of Western Australia

Email: jessica.meeuwig@uwa.edu.au

Research Area


Evelyn Pinkerton (RIP)

(1943–2024)


Gerald Singh

Affiliate Professor, Memorial University

Email: geralds@mun.ca

Research Area


Dirk Zeller

Affiliate Professor; Sea Around Us, University of Western Australia

Email: d.zeller@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Adjunct

Jacquline Alder

Adjunct Professor, FAO

Research Area


Nathan Bennett

Adjunct Professor

Research Area


Tom Carruthers

Adjunct Professor, Blue Matter Science Ltd.

Research Area


Ilyass Dahmouni

Adjunct Professor, Fisheries Economics Research Unit

Climate change issues and their impacts on the ocean and resource sustainability.


Robyn Forrest

Adjunct Professor; Fisheries & Oceans Canada

Research Area


Alyssa Gehman

Adjunct Professor, Hakai Institute

I am a marine disease ecologist at the Hakai Institute, an adjunct professor in the UBC Institute of Oceans and Fisheries and a member of the Biodiversity Research Centre. I am particularly interested in the interactions between infected hosts and their communities, as well as the impact of temperature on host-parasite interactions.


Martin Haulena

Adjunct Professor, Vancouver Aquarium

Research Area

Marine mammals, necroscopy

Douglas E. Hay

Adjunct Professor, Pacific Biological Station (Scientist Emeritus)

Research Area


Margot Hessing-Lewis

Adjunct Professor, Hakai Institute

Research Area

ecological dynamics, changing coastal environments, seagrass, kelp

Colleen Kellogg

Adjunct Professor, Hakai Institute

Research Area


Josh Korman

Adjunct Professor; Ecometric Research

Research Area


Steve McAdam

Adjunct Professor; BC Ministry of Environment

Research Area


Fraser McDonald

Adjunct Professor

Research Area


Jesse Morin

Adjunct Professor; practicing archeologist

Email: j.morin@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area

Archeology, lithic analysis, Coast Salish peoples, stone tools

Eric Parkinson

Adjunct Professor; BC Ministry of Environment

Research Area


Isobel Pearsall

Adjunct Professor; Strait of Georgia Data Centre

Research Area


R. Ian Perry

Adjunct Professor; Fisheries & Oceans Canada

Research Area


Stephen Raverty

Adjunct Professor, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Animal Health Centre

Research Area


Laura Richards

Adjunct Professor; Fisheries & Oceans Canada (Scientist Emerita)

Research Area


Eric Wickham

Adjunct Professor

Fisher

Research Area

fishing

Ḵii’iljuus Barbara Wilson

Adjunct Professor, Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Haida Matriarch

Email: cif@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area

Indigenous fisheries

Research Associates

Lubna Alam

Research Associate; Fisheries Economics Research Unit

Email: lubna.alam@ubc.ca

Dr. Lubna Alam is a dedicated interdisciplinary ocean and fisheries scientist, deeply committed to the health of our oceans and the sustainability of global fisheries. Her academic journey and research contributions reflect her passion for protecting marine resources while addressing critical challenges such as deep-sea mining, pollution, seafood safety, climate change, and vulnerability.


Miguel Correia

Research Associate

Email: m.correia@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Correia has studied several aspects of European seahorse biology, ecology and conservation. He has worked closely with stakeholders to implement mitigation tools for seahorse conservation and was actively involved in the creation of new marine protected areas (MPAs). He also acts as Focal Point for Europe in the IUCN Seahorse, Pipefish and Seadragon Specialist Group. Read More


Sarah Foster

Program Leader

Email: s.foster@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-827-5139

Dr. Foster is a conservation scientist dedicated to finding pragmatic solutions for the many problems facing the oceans and the animals that call them home – solutions that work for both fish and the people that depend on them. She is the Program Lead for Project Seahorse. Read More


Vicky Lam

Research Associate, Sea Around Us

Email: v.lam@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Vicky Wing Yee Lam is a fisheries economist and Research Associate at the Sea Around Us, University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the economic impacts of climate change on global fisheries, with expertise in fisheries data reconstruction, spatial analysis, and sustainable marine conservation. Read More


Anna McLaskey

Research Associate; Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Email: a.mclaskey@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. McLaskey is a zooplankton ecologist and biological oceanographer who researches the lower trophic levels of marine food webs — from phytoplankton, through zooplankton, to fish. Much of their work focuses on how nutritional quality intersects with food web structure, and how that can impact higher trophic levels.


Carol Meirelles

Research Associate, MMRU

Email: c.meirelles@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Meirelles is a conservation biologist focusing on manatee and dolphin spatial ecology, behaviour, extinction risk assessment, and conservation planning. She was actively involved in the elaboration and monitoring of conservation plans in Brazil and is a member of the IUCN Sirenia Specialist Group. Read More


Dr. Mordecai’s research explores the diversity of viruses which infect Pacific salmon, and applies genetic sequencing to study their transmission dynamics. He is part of a collaboration with Dr Kristi Miller (Fisheries & Oceans Canada) and the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Salmon Health Program, which researches the combined impacts of disease and environmental stress. Read More

Research Area

Pacific salmon, viruses, viral ecology, conservation biology, genomics, molecular epidemiology

Maria Lourdes 'Deng' Palomares

Senior Scientist and Project Manager

Email: m.palomares@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-0218

Dr. Palomares has been the Sea Around Us' Project Manager since June 2017. Her research focus has been on the application of well-known theories in fish and fisheries biology as tools to test hypotheses and/or generate knowledge from ‘big data’ repositories. Read More


Louise Teh

Research Associate

Email: l.teh@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-827-5137

Dr. Louise Teh's research focuses on how interactions between humans and marine ecosystems impact fisheries sustainability. She has a particular interest is in small-scale fisheries of developing countries, and has been involved in marine conservation projects on valuing marine turtle conservation, marine protected area management, and climate change adaptation. Read More


Lydia Teh

Research Associate

Email: lydia.teh@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-1636

Dr Lydia Teh’s research examines the social, economic, and ecological dynamics of marine fisheries, with a special focus on small-scale fisheries. Her inter-disciplinary research cuts across fields from human ecology to biodiversity conservation, and has taken her to work with fishing communities in Sabah, Malaysia and Fiji.... Read More


Colette Wabnitz

Research Associate

Email: c.wabnitz@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Wabnitz is a marine scientist interested in understanding the functioning of ecosystems, how these may respond to human pressures and natural forcing, and the design - together with government, industry, NGOs and local communities - of appropriate measures for the sustainable use of their resources and the long term conservation of their services. Read More


Honorary Research Associates

Lucas Brotz

Honorary Research Associate

Email: l.brotz@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Russ Jones

Honorary Research Associate

Research Area


Michael Melnychuk

Honorary Research Associate; Quantitative Modeling Group [University of Washington]

Research Area


Postdoctoral Fellows

Sara Cannon

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Email: s.cannon@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Mairin Deith

Postdoctoral Fellow; SEARUN

Email: m.deith@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Mairin Deith is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia, Canada, working with the US Army Corps of Engineers to assess the impacts of dam operations and hatchery practices on wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest. She specializes in simulation modelling, decision analysis, data-limited statistical techniques, and creating software that connects decision makers with scientific tools.


Lauren Eckert

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Email: l.eckert@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Lauren Eckert is a Conservation Scientist, storyteller, and postdoctoral fellow in the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries. Her work centers equitable approaches to conservation and research, and bridges social and ecological systems, marine and terrestrial systems, and Indigenous knowledge and Western science.


Meaghan Efford

Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellow; Pelagic Ecosystems Lab, IOF Extended Learning

Email: m.efford@oceans.ubc.ca

Meaghan is an archaeologist and historical ecologist. Her postdoctoral research focuses on on developing three stackable micMeaghan is an archaeologist and historical ecologist. Her postdoctoral research focuses on on developing three stackable micro-credential courses on the Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) with the SOI Foundation.


Ibrahim Issifu

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Fisheries Economics Research Unit

Email: i.issifu@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-649-6335

Dr. Ibrahim Issifu is an accomplished interdisciplinary fisheries economist, specializing in the complex nexus of marine resource management, food systems, sustainable blue economy, and marine plastic pollution. With a deep understanding of the economic drivers and ecological implications of fisheries, Ibrahim employs a holistic approach to inform policy decisions and promote the long-term viability of frontline coastal communities and marine ecosystems. Read More

Research Area

Economic valuation of marine resources, Fisheries governance and policy, Climate change impacts on fisheries, Seafood trade flow, Bioeconomic modeling

Loic Jacquemot

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Email: loic.jacquemot42@gmail.com

Dr. Jacquemot is an oceanographer and marine ecologist who specializes in the use of molecular techniques (DNA/RNA metabarcoding and omics) to investigate the diversity and distribution of marine communities and their interactions within marine ecosystems Read More


Jacob Lerner

Postdoctoral Fellow; Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

j.lerner@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Lerner is a biological oceanographer interested in the trophic ecology of pelagic food webs. Specifically, his research centres on the marine life history of Pacific salmon, carry-over effects of marine foraging on their reproductive success, and the relationship between this and the structure of pelagic ecosystems.


Muhammed Oyinlola

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Changing Oceans Research Unit

Email: m.oyinlola@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Juliano Palacios Abrantes

Postdoctoral Fellow; Changing Oceans Research Unit

Email: j.palacios@oceans.ubc.ca

Juliano Palacios Abrantes' work looks at how climate change is shifting the distribution of marine species generating uncertain feedbacks on marine ecosystems and dependent fishing communities. Specifically, he looks at how such shifts affect shared stocks (e.g., stocks that are... Read More


Anna Schuhbauer

Postdoctoral Fellow; Fisheries Economics Research Unit

Email: a.schuhbauer@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Schuhbauer has been part of the Fisheries Economic Research Unit since 2012. Her expertise in the field of fisheries spans from transdisciplinary research approaches, such as working with small-scale fisheries at a local scale, to developing high-level theoretical research frameworks at the global scale. Her work predominantly focuses on socio-economics and social-ecology, addressing both practical and theoretical aspects of fisheries.


Kristen Sora

Postdoctoral Fellow, Changing Oceans Research Unit

Email: k.sora@oceans.ubc.ca

Kristen's (she/her) PhD research topic encompasses multi-stressor impacts on the Canadian Beaufort Sea marine ecosystem at various biological scales. Specifically, she will develop and apply food web models and associated indices using the platform Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) to understand system dynamics. The food web models will investigate possible changes in the Beaufort Sea ecosystem structure and function under changing environmental and human... Read More


Rhea Storlund

Postdoctoral Fellow,Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Email: r.storlund@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Storlund is a comparative ecophysiologist and ocean science communicator. She studies the physiological adaptations that enable marine mammals to dive and hold their breath for extraordinary periods, while also training others to share ocean science effectively with diverse audiences.


Genyffer Troina

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Email: g.troina@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Troina investigates the trophic and spatial ecology of marine top predators. She has been applying natural chemical tracers to learn about the foraging ecology and habitat use by marine mammals, how sympatric cetacean species compete for available resources, and how human-induced changes can affect the structure and dynamics of marine pelagic ecosystems. Read More


Beth Volpov

Postdoctoral Fellow; Marine Mammal Research Unit

Email: b.volpov@oceans.ubc.ca


Administrative Staff

Jennifer Douglas

Manager, Administration & Operations , Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: jennifer.douglas@ubc.ca

Responsibilities
Advancing department goals and initiatives, supporting the students, faculty, and staff who shape the university’s vibrant academic community. Human Resources; IT; and General Operations

Ariel Yu

HR & Operations Assistant, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: ariel.yu@ubc.ca

Responsibilities
Ariel supports all aspects of the HR cycle for Faculty, Research Associates, PDFs, staff, and students.

Scott Finestone

Manager, Finance & Facilities, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: s.finestone@oceans.ubc.ca

Currently on leave

Responsibilities:
Facilities (Space and equipment); Finance; Grant Support; and AERL Health and Safety

Caroline Wong

Acting Manager, Finance and Facilities, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: caroline.wong@ubc.ca

Responsibilities:
Full-cycle financial management for IOF, overseeing all operating and research accounts including budget forecasting, variance analysis and support Manager, Administration & Operations on all aspect of ad hoc projects.

Katherine Came

Communications Manager, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: k.came@oceans.ubc.ca

Communications; Turning research papers into media releases/stories; IOF website and social media; Organizing and promoting IOF events, webinars and seminars; media relations; internal communications; and disseminating treats to IOF puppies.

Vicente Regis

Program Specialist, Extracurricular and Extended Learning

Email: v.regis@oceans.ubc.ca

Responsible for overseeing the extracurricular activities offered by the Institute. Currently, these offerings include the Vancouver Summer Program (VSP) and micro-credential courses.

Eden Raines

Graduate Program Coordinator, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: e.raines@oceans.ubc.ca

Taking care of all aspects of the Oceans and Fisheries graduate program.

Rebecca Smith

Senior Finance Specialist, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: r.smith@oceans.ubc.ca

Accounting, budgeting and supporting the Finance Manager for a portfolio of various projects, services and departments within IOF and related entities.

Research Staff

Md Azizul Bari

Research Assistant, Fisheries Economics Research Unit

Email: m.bari@oceans.ubc.ca

Md Azizul Bari is a Research Assistant at the Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British Columbia. He specializes in fisheries subsidies, ocean sustainability, and climate vulnerability, with a strong background in Environment and development.


Syd Ascione

Research Assistant, Project Seahorse

Email: s.ascione@oceans.ubc.ca

Syd provides support on wide variety of Project Seahorse's research projects, primarily working with Dr. Sarah Foster. Her work focuses on the illegal wildlife trade of seahorses, bottom trawl fishing, and the biology and ecology of Syngnathoidei fishes.

Nicolas Bailly

Database Manager, Sea Around Us

Email: n.bailly@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Regina Bestbier

Research Coordinator, Project Seahorse

Email: r.bestbier@oceans.ubc.ca

Gina coordinates lab operations for Project Seahorse and supports research, communications, ethics, education, and administration across the team.


Emily Brown

Research Assistant, Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Email: e.brown@oceans.ubc.ca

Emily's work is focused on land-sea connectivity, based in the Fraser River and the downstream ecosystems that it connects to. She is currently investigating the nutritional quality of intertidal biofilm in the Fraser River estuary for migratory shorebirds, which feed at the tidal flats in this region.


Duncan Burnside

Web/Data Manager, Fisheries Economics Research Unit (FERU), Changing Oceans Research Unit (CORU), The OceanCanada Partnership & Solving-FCB Partnership

Email: d.burnside@oceans.ubc.ca


Ki Chung Cho

Research Assistant, Project Seahorse

Email: k.cho@oceans.ubc.ca

Ki is a research assistant providing support to Project Seahorse’s research projects, mainly focusing on the impacts of bottom trawl fisheries. He mainly works with Dr. Sarah Foster and is now collecting data on bottom trawlers and mapping the trawl effort across South Asia, South East Asia and China.


Elaine Chu

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: e.chu@oceans.ubc.ca

At the Sea Around Us, Elaine is in charge of updating catch reconstructions, with a particular focus on automation and optimizing the ex-vessel fish price database, in close collaboration with the Fisheries Economics Research Unit. She is also a proficient coder and the go-to person when it comes to designing scientific graphs and figures.


Allison Cutting

Research Analyst, Women in Fisheries (Colette Wabnitz)

Email: a.cutting@oceans.ubc.ca

Kahsennarò:roks Maddy Deom

Program Assistant, Centre for Indigenous Fisheries


Brittany Derrick

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: b.derrick@oceans.ubc.ca

At the Sea Around Us, Brittany leads the catch reconstruction team. She is in charge of executing and verifying the annual updates to the catch reconstruction data of all sectors in all Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) or EEZ-equivalent waters of the world (247), plus the catch of tuna and other large pelagic fishes in the High Seas. She also authors or co-authors papers documenting these reconstructions.


Jill Dwyer

Solving FCB Program Coordinator

Email: j.dwyer@oceans.ubc.ca


Peggy Homan

Administrative Coordinator, Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Email: p.homan@oceans.ubc.ca


Leah Isfeld

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: l.isfeld@oceans.ubc.ca

Leah is a research assistant supporting the unit's work on global marine catch reconstruction updates.


Vicky Lee

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: v.lee@oceans.ubc.ca

Vicky is a Research Assistant with the Sea Around Us lab. She is in charge of the reconstruction of freshwater fishery catches.


Roshni Mangar

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: r.mangar@oceans.ubc.ca

Roshni is a Researcher at the Sea Around Us, where she focuses on fisheries catch reconstruction in the Western Indian Ocean. Her work covers Mauritius (including the Chagos Archipelago), Madagascar, Comoros, Réunion, and Mayotte.


Elsa Camins Martinez

Research Assistant

Project Seahorse

Elsa is a Research Assistant with Project Seahorse working with Miguel Correia. She is conducting Red List assessments for syngnathid species and providing valuable support to the community science iSeahorse project. She is also part of the IUCN Seahorse, Pipefish & Seadragon Specialist Group.


Gretchen MacNaughton

Support Staff, Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Email: gmacnaug@mail.ubc.ca


Jana McPherson

Project Manager - National Wildlife Trade, Project Seahorse

Email: j.mcpherson@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. McPherson is motivated by a desire to balance the needs of humans and the rest of nature. Her work in conservation has focused on terrestrial as well as marine systems at local to global scales. It has involved scientific fieldwork, traditional knowledge, species distribution models, remote sensing, sustainable development initiatives, and building large collaborations for mutual learning, data compilation, and analysis. As Project Manager – National Wildlife Trade at Project Seahorse, she works with governments in Asia and elsewhere on the creation and implementation of national management plans to ensure the sustainability of trade in seahorses.

Rabia Mushtaq

Communications Manager, Project Seahorse

Email: r.mushtaq@oceans.ubc.ca


Martin Paulo Nevado

Database Software Engineer, Sea Around Us

Manages the Sea Around Us database, which means updating the Sea Around Us website. Also responsible for extracting catch data for CMSY assessments.


Miel Ortiz

Website Manager, Sea Around Us

Website: Sea Around Us

Miel is a Software Engineer responsible for developing and maintaining the Sea Around Us website and system infrastructure. He also helps with database management, data integration and taxon distribution.


Pamela Rosenbaum

Manager, Marine Mammal Research Unit

Email: p.rosenbaum@oceans.ubc.ca


Valentina Ruiz Leotaud

Communications Officer, Sea Around Us Program

Email: v.ruizleotaud@oceans.ubc.ca

At the Sea Around Us, Valentina is in charge of the media outreach to bring public attention to the project’s research and her job involves several tasks, from writing press releases and reports to organizing events and producing video stories, among other things. She’s also proficient in all things social media.

Chloe Ruiz

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: c.ruiz@oceans.ubc.ca

Chloe supports the marine catch reconstruction work for Spanish speaking countries.


Taryn Scarff

Research Assistant; Marine Mammal Research Unit

Email: t.scarff@oceans.ubc.ca

Taryn is a Research Assistant in the Marine Mammal Research Unit. Her research focuses on analyzing seasonal and decadal trends in killer whale populations in BC.


Alara Sever

Salmon Dialogues Community Meeting Coordinator/Project Contact

Email: alara.sever@ubc.ca

As the main contact for the Salmon Dialogues project, Alara manages communications, responds to inquiries, and oversees the collection and organization of project data

Patricia Tipay

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: p.tipay@oceans.ubc.ca

At the Sea Around Us, Patricia is in charge of conducting freshwater fisheries catch reconstructions, with an initial emphasis on Canada and the United States of America.


Vaniartha Vaniartha

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: v.vaniartha@oceans.ubc.ca

Vania is a research assistant supporting the unit's work on global marine catch reconstruction updates.


Students

Ruth Arnold

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Natasha Buckiewicz

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Email: n.buckiewicz@oceans.ubc.ca

As part of the Urban Oceans project, Natasha's PhD research focuses on the impacts of urbanization on phytoplankton dynamics in the Salish Sea. The aim is to understand how freshwater and material flows from the urban environment impact primary producers and their fatty acid profiles, with implications on essential nutrients available to higher trophic levels including culturally and economically important fish. Read More


Salome Buglass

Student

Program: PhD, Geography

Supervisor: Simon Donner

Email: s.buglass@oceans.ubc.ca

Salome Buglass is a marine scientist with a strong interest in deep-water ecosystems, marine conservation, marine management, and the intersection between people and the ocean. Her PhD research explores novel mesophotic kelp forests in the Galápagos Marine Reserve.


Yixuan Chen

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

y.chen@oceans.ubc.ca

Yixuan is investigating the bottom trawl fishery and its management in China, hoping to use her interdisciplinary research to advance marine conservation and fishery management.


Jared Connoy

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Dr. Andrea Reid

Email: j.connoy@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area

Outcomes of Indigenous fishing methods for fish health and fisheries sustainability in a changing world

Research Unit

Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Deniz Coskuner

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Email: d.coskuner@oceans.ubc.ca

My thesis work focuses on zooplankton assemblage dynamics in the Strait of Georgia and their function as a crucial prey resource for juvenile salmon and other forage fish.

Victor Cuq

Visiting International Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Daniel Pauly

Research Area


Santiago De la Puente Jeri

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisors: Villy Christensen

Email: s.delapuente@oceans.ubc.ca

I am a Peruvian researcher that has been studying the ecological and human dimensions of the Humboldt Current, with emphasis on fisheries economics and governance.

Thesis Topic

Can integrated ecological-economic models help operationalize ecosystem-based fisheries management?

Kahsennarò:roks Maddy Deom

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Andrea Reid

Research Area


Alexander Duncan

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisors: Dr. Andrea Reid

Email: a.duncan@oceans.ubc.ca

Aanii, Alexander Duncan ndizhnikaaz, Niigaanweywidan nindigoo ojibwemong, Waabizheshii ndoodem, Neyaashiinigmiing ndoonjbaa. Alexander Duncan (Niigaanweywidan - spirit name), a member of the Marten clan, is from the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and the larger Saugeen Ojibway Nation, Ontario. Coming from a fishing nation where water and fish remain a vital component of culture and life, Alexander has committed his academic career to meaningfully contribute and support Indigenous fisheries across Turtle Island, especially given... Read More

Thesis Topic

Sea lamprey research and management – Indigenous input and inclusion (3I project)

Joana Dutilh De Capitani

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Ema Fatima

Student

Program: PhD, IOF

Supervisors: Dr. Rashid Sumaila and Dr. Tara Martin

Email:e.fatima@oceans.ubc.ca

I am a PhD student at the Institute of Ocean and Fisheries of University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. I come from India, a nation with over 7500 Km coastline that inhabits around 170 million people threatened with an increasing risk to shifting climate, sea-level rise, and natural disasters. Of these, approximately 4 million constitute of marine fisher population, dependent on ocean resources while 60% of them are subsistence fishers.


Marta Flotats Aviles

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Kathleen Gill

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor:

Email: k.gill@oceans.ubc.ca


Avijot Grewal

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Research Area


Delaney Hicks

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Research Area


Hanbyeol Jang

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Research Area


Rhys Jensen

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: David Rosen / Juan Jose Alava

Research Area


Nicole Jung

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Andrea Reid

Thesis Topic

Crabs and Community: Relational Visions of Á,ĆEX (Dungeness Crab, Metacarcinus magister) Stewardship in Tsawout First Nation’s QEN,T Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area

Carolina Lang Abarzúa

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Research Area


Vicky Lee

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Daniel Pauly

Research Area


Binyue Lue

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor:

Research Area


Julia Mayer

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: William Cheung

Email: j.mayer@oceans.ubc.ca

Julia has a strong interest in climate science and coastal ecosystems. Her research focuses on assessing the vulnerability of British Columbia’s kelp habitat to climatic hazards, thereby enhancing the public understanding of how restoring kelp can address critical issues such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, and food security.


Tess McRae

Student

Program: MSc, IOF

Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Trites

Email: t.mcrae@oceans.ubc.ca

Tess grew up in Vancouver, BC where she became fascinated by marine life, especially marine mammals. Tess attended UBC to complete her undergraduate degree and specialized in biology where she became passionate about marine ecology and conservation science.


Annie Mejaes

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Rashid Sumaila

Research Area


Grace Melchers

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Email: g.melchers@oceans.ubc.ca

My research, in partnership with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, focuses on employing emerging, non-invasive methods (environmental DNA, or eDNA) to study marine biodiversity and community interactions in urban and non-urban nearshore ecosystems, with a focus on Pacific salmon.


Soleil Michaud

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor:

Research Area


Max Miner

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisors: Dr. Brian Hunt and Dr. Camilla Speller

Email: m.miner@oceans.ubc.ca

My work at IOF uses environmental DNA (eDNA) and ancient DNA (aDNA) methodologies to examine harmful algal bloom dynamics along the Pacific Northwest coast. For my thesis, I will be using DNA extracted from nearshore marine sediment core samples to reconstruct past HAB events at a clam garden site in the traditional territory of the Gitga’at Nation.


Stephanie Moore

Stephanie Moore

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

s.moore@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Isabelle Morgante

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: William Cheung

Research Area


Benia Nowak

Student

PhD, OCF

Supervisors: Dr. Andrew Trites, Dr. Kit Kovacs, Dr. Christian Lydersen

b.nowak@oceans.ubc.ca

I am interested in the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the movement patterns and foraging behaviours of large marine predators.


Greig Oldford

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Villy Christensen

Email:g.oldford@oceans.ubc.ca

Greig is an environmental scientist and ecosystem modeler. Greig has skill sets in ecosystem science, data science, geographic information systems, and computer programming.

Research Area

ecosystems, models, fisheries, Salish Sea, end-to-end, Ecopath, NEMO

Haley Oleynik

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Email:h.oleynik@oceans.ubc.ca

My interest in fisheries science began in my undergraduate degree where my thesis research focused on how environmental change and management have influenced the social structure and dynamics of the Lobster fishing industry in Maine.


Ayodele Oloko

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Rashid Sumaila

a.oloko@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Interests

Gender and Fisheries, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Climate Change Adaptations, and Fisheries sustainability.

Jade Owen

Student

Program: PhD, ISP

Supervisor: Rashid Sumaila

Research Area


Samara Polwatta

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Dana Price

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Juan Jose Alava

Research Area


Anna Luna Rossi

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Daniel Pauly

Email: a.rossi@oceans.ubc.ca

I am an MSc student at the IOF under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Pauly. My current project focuses on catch reconstruction and ecosystem modelling in the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Eastern Canada). I am interested in the impacts of fisheries on the different trophic levels and structures, and how to implement sustainable fisheries.


Mahynour Saleh

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: William Cheung

Email: m.saleh@oceans.ubc.ca

My interest in marine issues began when I started scuba diving in high school in Cairo, Egypt, which led me to major in Oceanography and biology at UBC. My passion for oceans and fisheries science only grew over the years throughout my undergraduate degree.


Jessica Schaub

Student

Program: PhD, EOAS

Supervisor: Dr. Brian Hunt

Email: j.schaub@oceans.ubc.ca

I am an oceanographer with a special interest in jellyfish ecology. I am also passionate about Indigenous representation in science and related outreach.


Shabnam Shadloo

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Marie Auger-Méthé

s.shadloo@oceans.ubc.ca

I'm studying the glaucous-winged gulls to determine if human activities are influencing their behaviour and their health status. I'm using GPS and acceleration data to monitor them. My goal is to gain a deeper understanding of these birds and to ensure we coexist harmoniously on this planet.

Alex (Alejandro) Schmill

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisors: William Cheung & Margot Hessing-Lewis

Research Area


Emma Shuparski

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor:

Research Area


Ambre Soszynski

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Dr. William Cheung

Email: a.soszynski@oceans.ubc.ca

Her research aims at understanding the functioning of ecosystems and their response to anthropogenic pressures in a changing world. The use of marine ecosystem models (Ecopath with Ecosim, OSMOSE) allows to study the marine environments from the individual to ecosystem levels and to forecast the future of biodiversity under fishing and climate change scenarios.

Research Area

ecological modelling; impact assessment; biodiversity; fisheries; climate change; marine ecosystem; marine governance; Ecopath with Ecosim and Ecospace; OSMOSE

Kasey Stirling

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Dr. Andrea Reid

Email: k.stirling@oceans.ubc.ca

ʔéx kʷ n̓ & pusu’l (hello), my name is Kasey Stirling and I am Nlaka’pamux, Mi’kmaq, and Acadienne. I am a status member of the Lower Nicola Indian Band in Merritt, BC. I am from Williams Lake, the traditional territory of the T’exelcemc Nation (Williams Lake First Nation, Secwepemc Peoples). Throughout my life, I have walked between both worlds: Western and academic science, and Indigenous traditional knowledge.


Guilherme Suzano Coqueiro

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Dilan Sunthareswaran

Student

Program: MSc, EOAS

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Email: d.sunthareswaran@oceans.ubc.ca

I am interested in how urbanization impacts the land-sea connections, including the nature of organic matter inputs and health of coastal marine food webs.


Colton Van Der Minne

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Andrea Reid

Research Area


Aleah Wong

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: William Cheung

Research Area


Alexander Yanez

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Research Area