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I received my PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo in 1997 and my MSc in Geological Sciences from the University of Manitoba in 1993. Prior to joining 51本色 in 2002, I was a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council postdoctoral fellow and research associate in earth sciences at the University of Waterloo.
In partnership with organizations that include northern First Nation communities, educational institutions, government agencies and industry, my research program (formerly supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Northern Research Chair Program in Northern Hydroecology from 2002-2012) targets critical water-related issues in the Peace-Athabasca-Slave River Corridor (Alberta-Northwest Territories), the Old Crow Flats (Yukon) and the Hudson Bay Lowlands (Manitoba).
My research focuses on assessing the impact of changing climatic conditions and industrial development on northern boreal-tundra freshwater landscapes in Canada. Water in these regions plays a central role in maintaining the ecological integrity of ecosystems, economic development and prosperity, and traditional use of the land and its resources by indigenous communities. However, insufficient knowledge of hydrological and ecological variability over space and time has historically impeded informed stewardship of water resources in these remote landscapes.
To fill this knowledge gap, my research integrates contemporary hydroecological studies spearheaded by the use of water isotope tracers with quantitative long-term (past centuries to millennia) records of hydroecological changes derived from analyses of lake sediment cores using state-of-the-art analytical techniques. The spatial and temporal insight gained from these approaches has been critical to inform stewardship of these important landscapes.
- Premier’s Award for Collaboration – Team Category (“Slave River and Delta Partnership”), Government of the Northwest Territories (2012).
- Premier’s Research Excellence Award, Ontario Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation (2003).
- Northern Research Chair, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (2002-2012).
My research program provides exceptional northern field- and laboratory-based research opportunities for students in geography, biology and earth sciences programs. Research is strongly multidisciplinary and collaborative, and conducted at the interface of hydrology, limnology and ecology at contemporary and paleoenvironmental timescales using a wide array of analytical approaches and methods.
All students interact with stakeholder and research partner organizations. Recent graduates have benefited from a rich atmosphere for training and have readily found employment in various sectors. For current student research opportunities, please contact me for more information.
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