Overview

Gender

male

Growing up in the sparsely populated prairies, with nothing between myself and grassland fields and aspen bluffs but a rusty barbed-wire fence, I developed a strong interest in nature and the intricate interactions within natural systems – ecology. And so, it is that initial passion for nature that guides my career objectives towards, both, the pursuit of understanding human-nature interactions and the education of people and human systems on environmental change and sustainability.

My extensive research and professional experience has crossed various fields of ecology, within several different systems, and it is a major career objective of mine to maintain this trend. My ultimate ambitions include the integration of ecological study with the realm of humanities and technology (e.g., social, political-policy, and community science), as I believe it is essential to understand the social and political context in which conservation and sustainability objectives exist if they are to be successful ones.

Hand in hand with my passion for ecology is my interest in technology and art. As much as I enjoy experiencing and viewing the natural world, I equally enjoy capturing images of it. I am an avid conservation/nature photographer and aim to integrate photography with my professional career. I have recently embarked on a start-up project involving building and employing unmanned aerial vehicles for close-range imaging.

I try to present my research and topics using a highly visual approach. We live in a visual age, and communicating science to people outside academia will more and more demand visual presentation skills and creativity to capture interest and understanding.

Specialties: Solid interdisciplinary background in ecology, biology, geography, and geology. Specialized knowledge in landscape and spatial ecology, GIS, conservation biology, forest ecology and disturbance dynamics, community ecology, biological effects of climate change, botany, and paleoecology.