Research Interests and History
PhD Research - Trent University (2013 - Present)
The Arctic Archipelago is comprised of over 36,000 islands situated at the most northern reaches of Canada and support both sympatric and allopatric populations of Peary caribou and muskoxen, but also Barrenground caribou. The islands, with their harsh climate and unique association with sea ice, provide an invaluable opportunity to explore questions about species-area relationships, species isolation, factors and processes that limit species distributions and how these factors and their influences vary across space. I am motivated by the potential for natural experiments given the geophysical and biological variation in island environments and by the potentially significant implications of climate change.
Wildlife Biologist - Baffin Region, Nunavut (2006 - 2013)
For 7 years I worked as a Wildlife Research Biologist in the Canadian High Arctic where my primary research involved community-based monitoring, population sampling, and estimating wildlife abundance, distribution, and demographics with a particular emphasis on rare and endangered species. As the Regional Biologist, my study area spanned over 20 degrees latitude and a terrestrial area of approximately 1 million square kilometers.
For 7 years I worked as a Wildlife Research Biologist in the Canadian High Arctic where my primary research involved community-based monitoring, population sampling, and estimating wildlife abundance, distribution, and demographics with a particular emphasis on rare and endangered species. As the Regional Biologist, my study area spanned over 20 degrees latitude and a terrestrial area of approximately 1 million square kilometers.
MSc Research - Trent University (2000 - 2004)
Understanding limiting factors and interspecific interactions is fundamental to wildlife management and can be inferred from multi-scaled patterns of resource selection. Using a combination of remotely sensed data and field observations I conducted a detailed analysis of habitat selection and overlap for white-tailed deer and reintroduced elk at multiple spatial scales in northeastern Ontario. In it’s entirety the study spanned seven levels of observation from population range to diet. The study confirmed that patterns of selection can change across spatial scales and illustrated the utility of a multi-scaled, organism-centred approach for cross-species comparisons.
Understanding limiting factors and interspecific interactions is fundamental to wildlife management and can be inferred from multi-scaled patterns of resource selection. Using a combination of remotely sensed data and field observations I conducted a detailed analysis of habitat selection and overlap for white-tailed deer and reintroduced elk at multiple spatial scales in northeastern Ontario. In it’s entirety the study spanned seven levels of observation from population range to diet. The study confirmed that patterns of selection can change across spatial scales and illustrated the utility of a multi-scaled, organism-centred approach for cross-species comparisons.