I am an Adjunct Assistant Professor in The Geography Department at the University of Victoria and a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus. I am of European descent, born in the Ottawa area (Algonquin Territory), and now based in Wágḷísḷa, Wáxv:w̓uísax̌vs Haíɫzaqv (Bella Bella, Heiltsuk First Nation Territory).
My research focuses on conservation in support of people and places, including dimensions of human-wildlife coexistence, ecology, wildlife management and conservation, and biodiversity-supporting food production systems. I am interested in a range of systems from intertidal organisms to terrestrial carnivores at scales ranging from British Columbia to the Central Coast, with much of my research occurring at smaller scales such as in the territories of, and in partnership with, the Haíɫzaqv, Wuikinuxv, Kitasoo/Xai’xais, and Nuxalk First Nations.
My colleagues and I also investigate natural resource management more broadly, assessing the rigour of management systems themselves, the inclusion of scientific principles in wildlife management across North America, the role of values in environmental management, and the nascent potential of supporting resurgent Indigenous-led governance for just and effective conservation approaches.
Much of my work occurs in collaboration with the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department, Spirit Bear Research Foundation, and the Central Coast Bear Working Group (see Raincoast Heiltsuk Territory Project Background and 2013 Updates, www.bearsforever.ca, and coastalfirstnations.ca). Please consider visiting the links above to see what my colleagues are up to, or follow the #WFellows hashtag on twitter for a stream of wisdom from inspiring scientists across North America.
I completed my PhD as a Hakai Scholar with the Tula Foundation, a Vanier Scholar, and a Wilburforce Fellow, co-supervised by Dr. John Reynolds of the Earth2Ocean group at Simon Fraser University and Chris Darimont at the University of Victoria. A semester of this degree was also spent in Aotearoa (New Zealand) as a visiting student, working with Dr. Janet Stephenson at the University of Otago’s Centre for Sustainability.
I have taught Geography 353, “Coastal and Marine Resources”, at the University of Victoria in 2018 and 2019, HGSE 357, “Ecology & Management of Island Wildlife” at the Haida Gwaii Institute in 2019 and 2022, and Geography 304, “Coastal Conservation” at the University of Victoria in 2021 and 2022.