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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

On leave: September 2023-2024

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

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

Professor

Email: v.christensen@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-5751

On leave: July 1, 2023-2024

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

IOF Graduate Advisor

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

IOF Graduate Advisor

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

On leave: January, 2024-2025

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

University Killam Professor

Email: d.pauly@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-822-1201

On leave: January-June 2024

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)

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

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

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

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

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 addressedthe 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.

Research Area


Carl Walters

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.

Research Area


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

Research Area


Philippe Le Billon

Professor

Research Area


Charles Menzies

Professor

Research Area


Camilla Speller

Assistant Professor

Research Area


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


Evelyn Pinkerton

Affiliate Professor, Simon Fraser University

Email: evelyn_pinkerton@sfu.ca

Research Area


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


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


Kii’iljuus Barbara Wilson

Adjunct Professor

Haida Matriarch

Research Area

Indigenous fisheries


Research Faculty

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

Research Area


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

Research Area


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 my work focuses on how nutritional quality intersects with food web structure, and how that can impact higher trophic levels. Read More

Research Area

Zooplankton, Salmon, Climate change, Marine ecosystems, Food webs, Nutrition, Fatty acids


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

Research Area


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

Research Area


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

Research Area


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

Research Area


Honorary Research Faculty

Juan José Alava

Research Associate

Email: j.alava@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-291-0019

Dr. Juan José Alava is a marine eco-toxicologist/environmental toxicologist and conservation biologist and his current research envisions the assessment of the pollution footprint and hazard risk of plastics and microplastic in the global oceans and food-web bioaccumulation modelling of microplastics in marine and coastal food webs. He also conducts food-web modelling of pollutants’ bioaccumulation... Read More

Research Area


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

Joanne Breckenbridge

Postdoctoral Fellow, Marine Zooplankton and Micronekton Laboratory

Research Area


Sara Cannon

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Centre for Indigenous Fisheries

Email: s.cannon@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Mairin Deith

Postdoctoral Fellow; McAllister Lab

Email: m.deith@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Iria Garcia

Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow; Fisheries Economic Research Unit

Email: i.garcia@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Aaron Greenberg

Postdoctoral Fellow, McAllister Lab

Email: a.greenberg@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


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: l.jacquemot@oceans.ubc.ca

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


Roberto Licandeo

Postdoctoral Fellow, McAllister Lab

Email: r.licandeo@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Jacqueline Maud

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Email: j.maud@oceans.ubc.ca

Office phone: 604-816-2557

I'm a late returner to science research! After my undergraduate studies I worked for the UK Environment Agency for ~10 years (as Pesticides Scientist, Human Health Scientist, Marine Scientist, Climate Change Scientist), but I felt very far away from real science and so I followed my heart and went back to university to do a Masters in Marine Biology from Bangor University, Wales. Before I started my PhD I worked as a research assistant in the... Read More

Research Area


Andreas Novotny

Postdoctoral Fellow; Pelagic Ecosystems Lab

Email: a.novotny@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

Research Area


Daomin Peng

Postdoctoral Fellow; Fisheries Economics Research Unit

d.peng@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Anna Schuhbauer

Postdoctoral Fellow; Fisheries Economics Research Unit

Email: a.schuhbauer@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Szymon Surma

Postdoctoral Research Fellow; Marine Zooplankton and Micronekton Laboratory

Email: s.surma@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Surma completed his PhD at the UBC IOF in 2019. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow with the International Year of the Salmon Project at the IOF and the UBC Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences... Read More

Research Area

marine ecology, fisheries ecology, biological oceanography, fisheries oceanography, ecosystem-based fisheries management, ecosystem modelling, management strategy evaluation, salmon, forage fish, marine mammals


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

Research Area


Zeyu Zeng

Postdoctoral Fellow; Changing Oceans Research Unit

Email: z.zeng@oceans.ubc.ca

Dr. Zhang studies the effect of climate change on global marine social-ecological systems. Using ecosystem modelling tools, she will identify possible social, economic and ecological targets for fisheries management and conservation, assess the risk and projected impacts of climate change for fisheries to achieve these targets, and potential adaptation options to these risks and impacts. Read More

Research Area


Administrative Staff

Neil Maclean

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

Email: n.maclean@oceans.ubc.ca

Responsibilities
Human Resources; IT; and General Operations


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

Currently acting for Scott Finestone

Responsibilities:
Finance; Grant Support; Facilities


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 Officer / Administrative Assistant, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: e.raines@oceans.ubc.ca

I can help you with HR, AERL access, keys, graduate program planning, and other questions.


Rebecca Smith

Senior Finance Specialist, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Email: finance@oceans.ubc.ca

Accounting, budgeting and supporting the Finance Manager for a portfolio of various projects, services and departments within IOF and related entities. Also assist with hiring all new students in the IOF.


Research Staff

Syd Ascione

Research Assistant, Project Seahorse

Email: s.ascione@oceans.ubc.ca

Syd provides support on Project Seahorse's research projects, primarily with data collection, management, and analysis, among other things. She mainly works with Dr. Sarah Foster on projects concerning the illegal wildlife trade and the unsustainable practice of bottom-trawl fishing.


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

Research Area


Duncan Burnside

Web/Data Manager, OceanCanada & Solving FCB

Email: d.burnside@oceans.ubc.ca


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.


Deniz Coskuner

Research Assistant, Pelagic Ecosystems Lab


Allison Cutting

Research Analyst, Women in Fisheries (Colette Wabnitz)

Email: a.cutting@oceans.ubc.ca


Kahsennaroroks 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


Roshni Mangar

Research Assistant, Project Seahorse

Email: r.mangar@oceans.ubc.ca

I just completed my MSc in the Institute for Oceans and Fisheries. I I was born in Mauritius and grew up in both India and Mauritius. I have carried out research in multiple locations such as Mauritius, Seychelles, Florida, California, New Zealand, and Maine. My previous work has focused on the conservation of marine mammals, coral... Read More

Research Area


Martin Paulo Nevado

Database Software Engineer, Sea Around Us

Research Area


Miel Ortiz

Website Manager, Sea Around Us

Research Area


Lauren Portner

Research Assistant/Technician, Pelagic Ecosystems Laboratory

Email: l.portner@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


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.


Mica Smith

Research Assistant, Sea Around Us

Email: m.smith@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


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.


Students

Julia Adelsheim

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: David Rosen

Research Area


Alexis Bahl

Student

Program: PhD, EOAS

Supervisor: Evgeny Pakhomov

Research Area


Virginie Bornarel

Student

Program: PhD, Zoology

Supervisor: William Cheung

Research Area


Emily Brown

Student

Program: MSc, EOAS

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Email: e.brown@oceans.ubc.ca

I am interested in land-sea connections. My research focuses on the impacts of wildfires on coastal ocean biogeochemistry. Using the Fraser River and the Strait of Georgia as a model system, I work to identify impacts of runoff from burned forest areas on our coastal oceans. Read More


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

Research Area


Elsa Camins Martinez

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Yixuan Chen

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

y.chen@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Interests

marine conservation, fishery management, socio-ecological system, science communication, citizen science


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


Fanny Couture

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisors: Villy Christensen

Email: f.couture@oceans.ubc.ca

After moving to Canada in June 2017, I started volunteering for Dr.Lance Barrett-Lennard at Marine Mammal Research Institute (Ocean Wise). After contacting Professor Villy Christensen, we all together developed a PhD research project aiming at assessing the historical levels of key prey salmon species from California to Alaska in order to estimate the carrying capacity of the area for killer whale populations along with potential competitive effects of other marine top predators.... Read More

Thesis Topic

Connecting preys and specialized predator population dynamics: The case of Southern Resident Killer whales


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. Before joining the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia as a graduate student, I worked as associate researcher at Centre for Environmental Sustainability of the Cayetano Heredia University in Peru (2010-2015), and at Inteligencia Financiera SAC (2014-2015); as consultant for OCEANA-Peru (2016), the GEF-UNDP Project: “Towards the ecosystem based management of... Read More

Thesis Topic

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


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


Meaghan Efford

Student

Program: Ph.D., OCF

Supervisor: Dr. Villy Christensen

Email: m.efford@oceans.ubc.ca

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 while working at the local community school. My background is in zooarchaeology, invertebrate archaeology, historical ecology, community engagement, and science communication. Read More

Thesis Topic

From Ecosystem Abundance to the City of Vancouver: A Story of Stewardship and Colonization on Canada’s West Coast


Yulia Egorova

Student

Program: PhD, EOAS

Supervisor: Evgeny Pakhomov

Thesis Topic

Global distribution and biomass of the mesopelagic Mesozooplankton and Micronekton community


Julia Fast

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

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. I was born in a landlocked state and spent most of my schooldays along the eastern Himalayan range... Read More

Thesis Topic

My research work broadly focuses on understanding the economics of fishing industry in India. I use trawl fisheries as case study: a sector reported most profitable by the nation’s government. I will be investigating the economic impact based on empirical analysis of what is perceived as profitable and what are the other unaccounted hidden cost. The second part of my thesis aims at identifying who bears the financial burden. The outcome of my study envisages to have a better understanding of government resource use and distribution for improving fisheries management effectiveness.


Katie Florko

Student

Program: Ph.D., OCF

Supervisors: Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé

My research focuses on Arctic marine mammal space-use, predator-prey dynamics, and fitness under changing seascapes. I am developing models to test the landscape of fear hypothesis, which predicts that predator (polar bear) space-use will indirectly influence prey (ringed seal) space-use, where prey avoid predator distribution on the seascape. I will model the space-use of polar bear and ringed seal, and how the predator-prey relationship is affected by shifts in sea ice regime, and also investigate the temporal effects of a poor-ice-year on the fitness... Read More

Thesis Topic

Effects of trophic interactions and climate change on the space use of an Arctic marine mesopredator


Marta Flotats Aviles

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Kathleen Gill

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisors: Dr. David Rosen

Email: k.gill@oceans.ubc.ca

Kathleen is analyzing datasets from pinniped telemetry studies to investigate factors such as environmental cues, anatomical mechanisms, and innate versus learned abilities that pinnipeds use to navigate during long-distance migrations. She hopes to contribute new knowledge to a relatively unexplored field and understand how these findings impact the level of behavioral adaptability pinnipeds have when facing environmental changes.

Thesis Topic

Exploring pinniped navigation methods for long-distance migrations


Heather Gordon

Student

Program: MSc, EOAS

Supervisor: Evgeny Pakhomov

Research Area


Rowenna Gryba

Student

Program: PhD, ISGP

Supervisors: Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé and Dr. Greg Henry

Email: r.gryba@stat.ubc.ca

Rowenna's PhD is on developing methods to quantitatively include Indigenous Knowledge (IK) into animal movement and habitat models. To address this she is focusing on ringed seals, spotted seals and bearded seals and their behaviour and habitat use in the Beaufort, Chukchi and Bering Seas. Rowenna will be conducting IK interviews in Arctic communities in Alaska to document the vast IK that exists in this region. She will then use a Bayesian statistical framework to equally include the IK and satellite movement data for these species to identify behaviour, such... Read More

Thesis Topic

Integration of Indigenous knowledge and western science using a Bayesian approach for fully informed models.


Vianney Guibourd de Luzinais

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: William Cheung

Research Area


Dana Halay

Student

Program: MSc, EOAS

Supervisor: Evgeny Pakhomov

Research Area


Sarah Hawkshaw

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Research Area


Vania Henriquez-Tribinos

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisors: Dr. Murdoch McAllister

Email: v.henriquez@oceans.ubc.ca

Vania is a marine biologist interested in stock assessment, harvest control rules, and mixed fisheries. Currently, I am working on designing multi-species harvest control rules under non-stationary natural mortality of harvested species in mixed-stock fisheries. Read More

Research Area

Stock assessment, harvest control, fish stocks


Delaney Hicks

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Research Area


Sarah Hnytka

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Jordan Rosenfeld

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

Research Area


HongSik Kim

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Rashid Sumaila

Research Area


Yuliya Kuzmenko

Student

Program: PhD, EOAS

Supervisor: Evgeny Pakhomov

Research Area


Breanna Lambert

Student

Program: MSc, EOAS

Supervisor: Evgeny Pakhomov

Research Area


Carolina Lang Abarzúa

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Research Area


Jacob Lerner

Student

Program: PhD, EOAS

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Research Area


Sadie Lye

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Dr. Brian Hunt

Research Area


Julia Mayer

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: William Cheung

Research Area


Josh McInnes

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Trites

Email: j.mcinnes@oceans.ubc.ca

Josh is a new IOF MSc student interested in the ecology, foraging behaviour and spatial ecology of marine mammals. In particular killer whales. Josh grew up on Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada where he has been studying and working with transient (Bigg's) killer whales for over a decade. Josh is fascinated by the cultural and behavioural dynamics between and within populations and how these behaviours are utilized for hunting different... Read More

Research Area


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. She volunteered and worked for various IOF research units such as the Sea Around Us and the Marine Mammal Research Unit during her undergraduate degree and looks forward to completing her Master's... Read More

Research Area


Annie Mejaes

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Rashid Sumaila

Research Area


Grace Melchers

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Research Area


Max Miner

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisors: Dr. Brian Hunt and Dr. Camilla Speller

Email: m.miner@oceans.ubc.ca

I am an M.Sc. student interested in the impacts of anthropogenic change on coastal marine ecosystems. 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... Read More

Research Area


Zana Mody

Student

Program: PhD, RES

Supervisor: Simon Donner

Research Area


Joan Moreaux

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Dr. Villy Christensen

Thesis Topic

Humpback whale prey consumption in British Columbia and the effects of a growing population on the food web in the Strait of Georgia


Isabella Morgante

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: William Cheung

Research Area


Bernadette Nowak

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Andrew Trites

Research Area


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 skillsets in ecosystem science, data science, geographic information systems, and computer programming. At UBC he was a teaching assistant for the Master of Data Science program ‘Supervised Machine Learning’ and ‘Data Visualization’ courses. Read More

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. Through this research, I became fascinated by how fishing industries support coastal communities and I was eager to learn more about how fisheries are monitored and managed. I crossed North America to work in some... Read More

Research Area


Ayodele Oloko

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Rashid Sumaila

Research Area


Jade Owen

Student

Program: PhD, ISP

Supervisor: Rashid Sumaila

Research Area


Patrick Pata

Student

Program: PhD, EOAS

Supervisor: Brian Hunt

Research Area


Dana Price

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Juan Jose Alava

Research Area


Samara Polwatta

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Margaryta Pustova

Student

Program: MSc, Geography

Supervisor: Simon Donner

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. Read More


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. Read More


Taryn Scarff

Student

Program: MSc, Zoology

Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Trites

Email: t.scarff@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


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.

Research Area


Shabnam Shadloo

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Marie Auger-Méthé

s.shadloo@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area

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.


Lauren Shea

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Rashid Sumaila

Research Area

Marine Resource Management; Marine Policy; Marine Protected Areas; Ocean-based Climate Solutions; Regenerative Ocean Farming; Small-scale Fisheries; Food Security; Community-based Management; Marine Tenure


Kristen Sora

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Dr. William Cheung

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

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. Read More

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. Balancing these pedagogies and developing... Read More

Research Area


Rhea Storlund

Student

Program: PhD, Zoology

Supervisors: Dr. David Rosen and Dr. Andrew Trites

Email: r.storlund@oceans.ubc.ca

Rhea's Ph.D. explores cardiovascular adaptations in diving mammals. She looks at this from two perspectives, anatomy and physiology. Anatomically, the aorta of marine mammals is intriguing as it has been reported to be enlarged in some species, but not others, and it is suspected to contribute to the ability to breathhold dive for long durations. Physiologically, marine mammals are known for their extreme cardiovascular adjustments to diving... Read More

Research Area


Guilherme Suzano Coqueiro

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Pax Templeton

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Amanda Vincent

Research Area


Colton Van Der Minne

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Andrea Reid

Research Area


Zac Warham

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: Dr. David Rosen

Email: z.warham@oceans.ubc.ca

Research Area


Aleah Wong

Student

Program: MSc, OCF

Supervisor: William Cheung

Research Area


Alexander Yanez

Student

Program: PhD, OCF

Supervisor: Murdoch McAllister

Research Area