Research
I am a quantitative ecologist with a background in mathematics and biology, combining mathematical and statistical models with data to answer questions about ecology, conservation, and evolution. My current work, as part of the Pacific Salmon Foundation‘s Strategic Salmon Health Initiative, focuses on the epidemiology of infectious disease on Atlantic salmon farms in BC. Using high-throughput genetic-screening data from Kristi Miller’s lab at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, I investigate disease progression in salmon farms and associated risks to nearby populations of wild Pacific salmon. I collaborate with a number of researchers to investigate demography, evolution, spatial patterns, and behaviour in species ranging from copepods to bears. Ongoing projects include the demography and population biology of social mammals (killer whales and meerkats) and population biology of wild salmon on the BC coast. I am pleased to work with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and with Salmon Coast Field Station, where I have collaborated for a number of years with UofT’s Krkosek Lab.