People

Principal Investigator

Kai Chan

I do modeling and empirical research in sustainability science. I have special interest in ecosystem services; the ecological and evolutionary underpinnings of invasions and infestations; applied environmental ethics; ecosystem-based management; social-ecological systems and resilience; and environmental assessment (e.g., LCA).

Postdoctoral Research Associates

Rebecca Goldman Martone

I am a marine ecologist with a focus in interdisciplinary approaches to ecosystem-based management. My past and current research interests center on social-ecological systems in diverse marine and coastal settings.

Russell Markel

I am a marine ecologist broadly interested in how human activities impact marine populations, communities, and ecosystems.

Megan Mach

I investigate the response of Salish Sea estuaries to the stressors of exotic species through field-based analyses and theoretical models.

Cathryn Clarke Murray

I am a marine ecologist broadly interested in the interaction of human and natural systems. My research follows two major themes: ecosystem -based management and ecology of invasive species.

Graduate Students

Mollie Chapman

I am interested in how communities can make just and inclusive decisions regarding their resource use.

Edward Gregr

My work combines spatially explicit models of key ecosystem services to examine the ecological, and socio-economic impacts of various management scenarios.

Sarah Klain

I am interested in ecological and social dimensions of marine conservation and marine spatial planning.

Jordan Levine

I’m a PhD student interested in a range of interconnected issues revolving around sustainability and justice. These include social-ecological systems, the role of science in policy, community consultation, and global-local linkages, broadly conceived.

Paige Olmsted

I am interested in assessing the ecological impact of various combinations of ecosystem service based management techniques to support improved models for decision-making.

Gerald Singh

I study how cumulative human impacts stress coastal ecosystems and their ability to provide ecosystem services. I also study how the reintroduction of sea otters on Vancouver Island affect intertidal productivity and diversity.

Jordan Tam

I study how social learning strategies and the adoption of various norms, beliefs and behaviours explain the ability of human societies to adapt or not (by diffusing useful information and practices and creating cooperation) to ecological change and their consequences for resource sustainability. I also study how social-ecological contexts promote the use of particular learning strategies and the development of particular norms.

Ally Thompson

I am performing a spatial analysis of the movement of 32 collared buffalo in the Caprivi strip, Namibia, whose movements have been measured since 2007.

Research Technicians

Theraesa Coyle

I am interested in how uncertainty affects management decision-making and the role that ecosystem-based approaches can play in mitigating the impact of manager’s imperfect knowledge of natural resources.

Lab Alumni

Maria Espinosa Romero (MSc, 2008 – 2010)

Espinosa-Romero, M. J., K. M. A. Chan, T. McDaniels and D. M. Dalmer (2011). “Structuring decision-making for ecosystem-based management.” Marine Policy 35(5): 575-583. url

Espinosa-Romero, M. J., E. J. Gregr, C. Walters, V. Christensen and K. M. A. Chan (2011). “Representing mediating effects and species reintroductions in Ecopath with Ecosim.” Ecological Modelling 222(9): 1569-1579. url

Currently: Coordinator of the Midriff Islands Program, Community and Biodiversity (COBI)

Lara Hoshizaki (MSc, 2006 – 2009)

Currently: Organic Farming

Veronica Lo (MSc, 2006 – 2009)

Lo, V., K. M. A. Chan, C. Levings. In Press. Potential propagule pressure from commercial shipping. Marine Pollution Bulletin.

Currently: Programme Assistant, Biodiversity and Climate Change Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Environment Programme

Penny White (MSc, 2006 – 2009)

Currently: Project leader for the Metlakatla First Nations, consultant and photographer