I’m a Research Scientist at the National Wildlife Research Centre in Ottawa (Environment and Climate Change Canada) and currently an adjunct professor at Carleton University, Acadia University, and the University of Windsor. Early in my career I was influenced and inspired by several long-term ecological studies lead by Jamie Smith (song sparrows, University of British Columbia), Tony Gaston (seabirds, Environment Canada), and Ian Stirling (Polar Bears, Environment Canada). These studies not only quantified environmental change over time, but also the often complex responses of wildlife to these changes. These rare studies were instrumental when detecting ecological change driven by extreme weather events, diet shifts, the emergence of diseases, and climate change; all issues that might otherwise have gone undetected.
After joining Environment Canada in 1995, I worked to emulate these studies when designing my own research program to address Federal priorities to conserve Arctic birds and ecosystems. I now lead multidisciplinary research programs in the field to provide insights into the underlying processes of Arctic seabird ecology. These include foraging behaviour, reproduction, migration, winter distribution, and how seabirds are affected by changing climate and emerging diseases in the north. Most studies are very collaborative and multidisciplinary in nature; linking academia, government, industry, and Indigenous organizations. I also take a particular interest in supporting early career scientists.
Publications
Full index at Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=Sode31MAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
