Email: jonathan.babyn@mi.mun.ca

Dr. Jinwoo Gim is a postdoctoral researcher at CFER working under the supervision of Drs. Noel Cadigan and Matthew Robertson.

Jinwoo received his PhD and MSc. in Marine Biology from Pukyong National University, South Korea, and his BSc. in Oceanography from Inha University, South Korea.

His research focuses on stock assessment models and quantitative fisheries management. He has experience in developing and applying state-space age-structured models and length-based models to assess fish stocks.

Email: Jinwoo.Gim@mi.mun.ca

Andrea Perreault is a PhD candidate with CFER. She completed her undergraduate degree in mathematics and physics at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and her master’s degree in fisheries science at the Marine Institute (CFER) under the supervision of Dr. Noel Cadigan.

Andrea has worked on a broad range of topics in fisheries science, including growth modeling, state-space stock assessment models, and management strategy evaluation. She is currently completing her PhD with Dr. Noel Cadigan, where her most recent work has focused on improving model diagnostics for fisheries state-space models. Andrea is finishing her PhD while working as a stock assessment biologist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Email: Andrea.Perreault@mi.mun.ca

Andrea Bryndum-Buchholz is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University, working under the supervision of Drs. Jonathan Fisher and Tyler Eddy.

For her Postdoctoral Fellowship, Andrea is evaluating how ecosystems protected by marine conservation areas in Newfoundland and Labrador will respond to climate change.

Overall, Andrea’s research interests lie in understanding potential future changes in marine ecosystems due to intensifying climate change, and in assessing consequences as well as solutions for fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation in a changing ocean.

Andrea is the Science Outreach Coordinator for the Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Intercomparison Project (FishMIP). She is interested in science communication, is a passionate writer, and is an academic writing advisor.

Andrea has a PhD in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University, Canada, an MSc. in Aquatic Ecology from Lund University, Sweden, and an Honours BSc. in Biology from the University of Tübingen, Germany.

Email: andrea.buchholz@mi.mun.ca

Google Scholar Website

Gordon is a PhD student co-supervised by Drs. Jonathan Fisher and David Côté (DFO) at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University. For his PhD research, Gordon is investigating the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) for monitoring marine conservation areas and offshore environments in the Northwest Atlantic. Gordon’s research interests involve using genetic techniques to answer ecological questions, specifically on ecosystem ecology, fisheries ecology, and conservation biology.

Before starting his PhD, Gordon completed an Honours BSc in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Guelph, Canada. His Honours focused on methods to successfully barcode freshwater microalgae to build a reference genetic database. Also, Gordon has held positions as an aquaculture research technician (Ontario Aquaculture Research Centre), fisheries technician (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources) and laboratory assistant (University of Guelph), providing him with a broad range of skills and experiences.

Rachel is an MSc. student in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University. For her MSc. research, Rachel is studying Greenland sharks in the eastern Canadian Arctic and Subarctic Ocean using baited remote underwater video systems under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Fisher.

Rachel’s research interests include population distribution and dynamics of marine megafauna species. She has participated in research expeditions in the Canadian Arctic Ocean, such as the ArcticNet Network aboard the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen, and collaborative ecosystem and fisheries surveys aboard the fishing vessel Kiviuq II with the Arctic Fishery Alliance.

Prior to her MSc. research, Rachel investigated North Atlantic right whale distribution patterns through the use of stable isotope analysis. She has also assisted in basking shark research in the Bay of Fundy with the Grand Manan Whale & Seabird Research Station, and numerous freshwater research projects in New Brunswick with the Canadian Rivers Institute.

Rachel received an Honours BSc. in Biology, concentrating in Marine Biology, at the University of New Brunswick, Canada.

Sebastian Glindtvad is a PhD student in CFER studying the trophic ecology and reproductive biology of Atlantic Halibut under the supervision of Jonathan Fisher and Arnault LeBris. Sebastian was born in Denmark and completed his undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Aarhus where he studied the effect of protein and sugar rich diets on Australian weaver ant workers.

He also travelled to Fiji and Thailand to volunteer and helped with underwater surveys and mangrove restoration.  Sebastian then completed his Master of Science degree in Biology at the University of Aarhus where he spent time in Norway and Greenland as part of his Master’s thesis.

Email: sebastian.glindtvad@mi.mun.ca

Simon-Pierre Hamel is originally from Québec City and is currently an MSc. student in fisheries science working under the supervision of Drs. Jonathan Fisher and Maxime Geoffroy. His research focuses on the connectivity between the seabed and the water column in the marine conservation areas of northern Newfoundland and southern Labrador and on the efficiency of those areas.

Simon-Pierre has a bachelor's degree in marine biology from the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR). He worked for five years as a student for the Ministry of the Forest, Fauna and Parc of Québec (MFFP) and participated in various projects related to forestry and aquatic wildlife across the province. During this time, he developed many skills in fish collection, processing, acoustic telemetry, electrofishing and fisheries management.

Email: Shamel@mun.ca

Elise is a PhD Student in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University. Elise is developing an ecosystem model of the Central Arctic Ocean to assess the impacts of climate change and fishing, as part of the SEDNA Project (Assess Seasonality in Pelagic Diversity and Carbon Export within the Central Arctic Ocean). Elise is co-supervised by Dr. Maxime Geoffroy, Memorial University.

Elise’s research interests centre on the intersection of ecosystem modelling, trophic ecology, and climate change. She is particularly motivated by mechanistic approaches that integrate biological and physical data to project future ecosystem dynamics.

Before beginning her PhD, Elise completed an internship at James Cook University, Australia, where she developed a Lagrangian-based biophysical model to investigate coral larvae connectivity across the Western Pacific and its potential responses to climate change.

Elise has an MSc (Honours) in Ocean Functioning and Management of Marine Ecosystems from the University of Lille, France and a BSc in Life Sciences from the Université d'Artois, France.

GitHub LinkedIn

Simon-Pierre Hamel is originally from Québec City and is currently an MSc. student in fisheries science working under the supervision of Drs. Jonathan Fisher and Maxime Geoffroy. His research focuses on the connectivity between the seabed and the water column in the marine conservation areas of northern Newfoundland and southern Labrador and on the efficiency of those areas.

Simon-Pierre has a bachelor's degree in marine biology from the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR). He worked for five years as a student for the Ministry of the Forest, Fauna and Parc of Québec (MFFP) and participated in various projects related to forestry and aquatic wildlife across the province. During this time, he developed many skills in fish collection, processing, acoustic telemetry, electrofishing and fisheries management.

Email: Shamel@mun.ca

Jennifer Herbig (she/her) has a BSc in marine biology from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and an MSc in fisheries from Auburn University. Prior to starting her PhD, she worked as a biologist for the State of Mississippi and the State of Florida assessing the effects of artificial habitat and MPAs on important fisheries species.

Currently, she is a PhD candidate in the Fisheries Science and Technology program at the Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland in the Center for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER) under the supervision of Dr. Maxime Geoffroy and Dr. Jonathan Fisher.

Her research focuses on the effects of environmental variation and bottom-up processes on the abundance, distribution, and movement of Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida) in the Canadian Arctic.

Eugenie Jacobsen (she/her) is a PhD student who studies contaminants (mercury and organochloride pesticides) in demersal and pelagic fish from the Labrador Sea and the Canadian Arctic.

One of her study fish includes myctophids (or lantern fish) which are one the most abundant pelagic fish found worldwide yet their ecology remains poorly studied.  Alongside her passion for contributing to innovative research, Eugenie is also passionate about science communication and its role in inspiring the public to become stewards for our natural world.

Charlotte Matthews (she/her) completed her BSc. in biology at the University of British Columbia and Master’s in Resource Management at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Iceland. In partnership with the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute of Iceland, her master’s research focused on mesopelagic fish biology in Icelandic waters.

Between degrees, Charlotte has worked in several technician positions in British Columbia, including monitoring coastal habitats and illegal fishing.

Currently, Charlotte is a PhD student under the supervision of Maxime Geoffroy and Mathieu Ardyna, studying the role of mesopelagic organisms in the biological carbon pump in the eastern Canadian Arctic and Labrador Sea. She will be looking at the effect of seasonality on the behaviour of these organisms across different latitudes and investigating what factors may affect their ecology and, consequently, their contribution to carbon sequestration.

You can reach Charlotte by email at Charlotte.Matthews@mi.mun.ca.

Originally from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, Ashley Oates is an MSc student in fisheries science working under the supervision of Dr. Maxime Geoffroy. Ashley received her bachelor’s degree from Dalhousie Agricultural campus with a major in animal science and minor in aquaculture. Since graduating in 2018, Ashley has worked at three different Aquaculture companies located in PEI: AquaBounty, Halibut PEI and Ocean Trout Inc.

Ashley’s research focuses on northern and striped shrimp in the high Canadian Arctic with the estimation if shrimp fisheries could extend northward.

Gabrielle Perugini is entering her first year as a Fisheries Science and Technology Masters student.

Gabrielle earned her Bachelor of Science, Honours, in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Guelph. She successfully completed an undergraduate thesis in fish toxicology, specifically, the effects of diluted bitumen on early life stages of Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). For four years she worked at the Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (GLLFAS) as a Summer Research Technician and Aquatic Science Technician. Here she developed many skills in fish collection, processing, acoustic telemetry, water sampling, electrofishing and freshwater fisheries science. Her interests align with fisheries, larval fish, ecology, and marine biology.

For her thesis she will be working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to investigate top-down (predation) drivers of larval capelin survival in the North Atlantic. She will be co-supervised by Dr. Maxime Geoffroy (CFER) and Dr. Hannah Murphy (DFO).

Einat Sandbank (She/Her) is a PhD student with CFER working under the supervision of Dr. Maxime Geoffroy and Dr. Malin Daase (UiT, The Arctic University of Norway). Einat received her undergraduate degree in aquatic and fisheries science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a master’s degree in ecosystem management from the University of Miami RSMAS.

Prior to pursuing her PhD, Einat worked in benthic ecology research and restoration in the Florida Keys as well as in Massachusetts. Her PhD research focuses on the spatio-temporal patterns of the diet and distribution of pelagic fish and zooplankton across the Barents Sea polar front.

Dr. Marine Ballutaud, is a Postdoctoral Fellow who has joined CFER to work with Dr. Tyler Eddy. Marine is modelling biogeochemical and ecosystem processes to reduce uncertainty in the carbon cycle and biological carbon pump as part of the Transforming Climate Action Project.

Marine is interested in the use of trophic metrics and food-web models to better understand ecosystem changes, and the development of simulation frameworks and mechanistic approaches to improve trophic inferences and their representativeness of ocean life.

Andrea Bryndum-Buchholz is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University, working under the supervision of Drs. Jonathan Fisher and Tyler Eddy.

For her Postdoctoral Fellowship, Andrea is evaluating how ecosystems protected by marine conservation areas in Newfoundland and Labrador will respond to climate change.

Overall, Andrea’s research interests lie in understanding potential future changes in marine ecosystems due to intensifying climate change, and in assessing consequences as well as solutions for fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation in a changing ocean.

Andrea is the Science Outreach Coordinator for the Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Intercomparison Project (FishMIP). She is interested in science communication, is a passionate writer, and is an academic writing advisor.

Andrea has a PhD in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University, Canada, an MSc. in Aquatic Ecology from Lund University, Sweden, and an Honours BSc. in Biology from the University of Tübingen, Germany.

Email: andrea.buchholz@mi.mun.ca

Google Scholar Website

Jiaying is a PhD Student in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University. For her PhD research, Jiaying is incorporating predictions from nonlinear forecasting models and geostatistical spatiotemporal models to improve representation of spatial processes in fisheries stock assessments of North Atlantic species.

Jiaying’s research interests include integrating fishing effort, fish habitat, and climate change data in fisheries stock assessments to identify management strategies.

Jiaying attended the 152nd American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting in Spokane, US presenting an improvement to stock assessment of witch flounder in NAFO Division 3NO.

Jiaying received an MSc in Fisheries Science (stock assessment) at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and a BSc in Marine Fisheries Science and Technology at Zhejiang Ocean University, China.

https://github.com/ppc0311

https://scholar.google.ca/citations?hl=en&user=_pycQe4AAAAJ

https://twitter.com/JiayingChen12

Elise is a PhD Student in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University. Elise is developing an ecosystem model of the Central Arctic Ocean to assess the impacts of climate change and fishing, as part of the SEDNA Project (Assess Seasonality in Pelagic Diversity and Carbon Export within the Central Arctic Ocean). Elise is co-supervised by Dr. Maxime Geoffroy, Memorial University.

Elise’s research interests centre on the intersection of ecosystem modelling, trophic ecology, and climate change. She is particularly motivated by mechanistic approaches that integrate biological and physical data to project future ecosystem dynamics.

Before beginning her PhD, Elise completed an internship at James Cook University, Australia, where she developed a Lagrangian-based biophysical model to investigate coral larvae connectivity across the Western Pacific and its potential responses to climate change.

Elise has an MSc (Honours) in Ocean Functioning and Management of Marine Ecosystems from the University of Lille, France and a BSc in Life Sciences from the Université d'Artois, France.

GitHub LinkedIn

Ana Julia Alves de Lima has joined CFER as a PhD candidate in Fisheries Science.  Ana is investigating the role of trophic transfer efficiency in the carbon cycle and the biological carbon pump in the Northwest Atlantic as part of the Transforming Climate Action Project working with Dr. Tyler Eddy.

Ana Júlia is interested in trophic dynamics, ecosystem modelling, bycatch reduction, and data-driven approaches to sustainable fisheries and ecosystem management.

Ana Júlia also brings international training and collaborative experience through the Nippon Foundation Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean Centre of Excellence, where she gained hands-on expertise with oceanographic instruments, data analysis, and interdisciplinary teamwork.

Jamseena is a PhD Student in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University. Jamseena is researching carbon flow through Northwest Atlantic ecosystems to quantify the biological carbon pump and the role of the ocean in carbon storage as part of the Transforming Climate Action Project.

Jamseena’s research interests include physical-biological coupling, trophic transfer efficiency, and modelling carbon dynamics in marine ecosystems.

Jamseena has a foundation in ocean modelling and physical oceanography. She previously studied the effects of wind, waves, and currents on iceberg and surface float drift in the Labrador Sea, with findings published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering.

Jamseena has an MSc in Physical Oceanography from Memorial University, Canada, an MSc in Oceanography from Cochin University of Science and Technology, India, and a BSc in Physics from Calicut University, India.

GitHub LinkedIn

Logan is an MSc. student in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University, working under the supervision of Dr. Tyler Eddy. For his MSc. research, Logan is investigating DFO structure and function for fisheries management decision-making.

Logan’s research interests include understanding human impacts on marine ecosystems, community-driven conservation initiatives, and exploring how traditional ecological knowledge can enrich scientific understanding.

Prior to starting his MSc., Logan investigated optimal algal bloom tracking methods for non-profit watershed groups. He participated in an International Exchange Program at the University of Kent, England and a Galápagos Field School. He has held positions as a post-graduate research assistant and lab manager.

Logan has an Honours BSc. in Biology from Mount Allison University, Canada.

Danielle is an MSc. student at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University, working under the supervision of Dr. Tyler Eddy.

Danielle’s research interests include understanding the effects of historical groundfishing on marine carbon storage and how climate change impacts marine ecosystems.

Prior to working as a Research Assistant, Danielle investigated vocal variation in Savannah Sparrows. She has also studied the vocal behaviour of tropical wrens in Costa Rica. She participated in research-based study abroad programs in Paris, France, and Costa Rica.

Danielle has an Honours BSc in Biology from the University of Windsor, Canada.

Abe is a PhD Candidate in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland. For his PhD research, Abe is working on ecosystem model development for the Newfoundland and Labrador shelf and developing methods to incorporate fisher’s and Indigenous ecological knowledge.

Abe's primary research interests are integrating non-traditional information sources, such as fisher's and Indigenous ecological knowledge, into ecosystem models and single-species population models.

Prior to starting his PhD, Abe worked as a data scientist for Displacement Prevention and Public Housing in New York City. Abe has developed a Shiny app for FishBase and an R package to query the IUCN information for species listed in the Seabird Mapping and Information for Fisheries Database by the American Bird Conservancy.

Abe completed an MA in Geography, with a Specialization in Natural Resource Management, at McGill University, Canada, and an Honours BA in Geography at the University of Colorado, US.

https://github.com/abesolberg

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abe_Solberg

https://twitter.com/abesolberg

Hannah is an MSc student in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries and Marine Institute, Memorial University. For her MSc research, Hannah is investigating the ecosystem role of harp seals in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Hannah’s research interests include understanding trophic ecology in marine food webs and how it can be applied to fisheries management plans.

Prior to starting her MSc, Hannah was involved in researching the use of microalgal biofilms in municipal waste water treatment systems. She has also worked on investigating virulence factors in bacterial and fungal pathogens.

Hannah received an Honours BSc in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Guelph, Canada.

Alannah is an MSc Student in Fisheries Science at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland. For her MSc research, Alannah is adding spatial and temporal resolution to ecosystem models for the Newfoundland and Labrador shelf and Grand Banks.

Alannah’s research interests include using models to project ecosystem responses to climate change to help inform fisheries management policies.

Alannah has published a technical report based on work she did with the Benthic Ecology Division of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The report describes the benthic communities observed during the 2010 ROPOS video transects of Orphan Knoll and Orphan Seamount, off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Alannah completed an Honours BSc in Marine Biology at Dalhousie University, Canada.

https://github.com/Alannah-W

For his Postdoctoral Fellowship, Gustavo is assessing spatial and temporal variability in the prey and predators of northern shrimp to quantify their food web role and inform sustainable fisheries management. Gustavo is supervised by Dr. Jonathan Fisher and Dr. Tyler Eddy in the Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research (CFER) and is collaborating with scientists at Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Canadian Association of Prawn Producers & Northern Coalition.

Gustavo’s research interests focus on understanding how food webs, trophic interactions, and organisms respond to changes in environmental conditions and organic carbon supply in a changing Arctic Ocean. Using multiple trophic biomarkers and Bayesian statistical models, Gustavo has studied changes in consumers’ diets and food web structure of deep-sea benthic environments. He is also interested in the taxonomy of benthic fauna and drivers of benthic composition and biodiversity.

Gustavo is a member of the research groups Québec Océan and Takuvik. He has participated in research expeditions in the Canadian Arctic Ocean, such as the GreenEdge project and ArcticNet Network aboard the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen.

Gustavo received a PhD in Oceanography from Laval University, Canada, an MSc in Tropical Marine Science from Ceará Federal University, Brazil, and a BSc in Marine Biology from Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, Colombia.

See Gustavo’s publications on his Google Scholar page.

Zeyu is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Fisheries & Marine Institute, Memorial University. Zeyu is working on historical ecosystem reconstruction and climate change projections for the Newfoundland & Labrador Shelf and Grand Banks.

Zeyu is interested in employing EcoState, Ecopath with Ecosim ecosystem modelling, and fuzzy logic methodologies to deepen understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics under climate change.

Zeyu engages in teaching and mentoring, contributing to undergraduate instruction and professional development workshops. Her research includes international collaborations, such as World Bank funded projects examining the impacts of climate change on fisheries and coastal ecosystems in Africa and Asia.

Zeyu was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Zeyu has a PhD in Environmental Science from Sun Yat-sen University, China, an MEng in Environmental Engineering from Sichuan Agricultural University, China, and a BEng in Environmental Engineering from Sichuan Agricultural University, China.

GitHub ResearchGate

Andi is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Robertson. She is currently studying the effects of environmental factors on fish body condition across the northwest Atlantic, which will aid in the understanding of how climate change affects food security & provide an easy-to-derive indicator of community productivity.

Andi comes from a background in ecological physiology, having studied intertidal mussel responses to environmental stress during her BA at Carleton College in Minnesota & at Washington State University for her MSc.

“I look forward to learning more about the complex interactions that connect climate & fish communities to help make the future seem less scary, be it from the looming threat of loss of biodiversity or from food insecurity.”

Dr. Jinwoo Gim is a postdoctoral researcher at CFER working under the supervision of Drs. Noel Cadigan and Matthew Robertson.

Jinwoo received his PhD and MSc. in Marine Biology from Pukyong National University, South Korea, and his BSc. in Oceanography from Inha University, South Korea.

His research focuses on stock assessment models and quantitative fisheries management. He has experience in developing and applying state-space age-structured models and length-based models to assess fish stocks.

Email: Jinwoo.Gim@mi.mun.ca

Éamonn is a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Robertson. He is investigating the population dynamics of capelin in Newfoundland by creating a state-space population dynamics model, which will implement environmental and ecosystem factors. This model will help with our understanding of how bottom-up and top-down processes may affect the capelin population.

Éamonn completed a BSc (Hons) in Ecology and Environmental Biology, and an MSc in Marine Biology, both at University College Cork in Ireland. His BSc (Hons) thesis used image analysis to investigate the spatial patterns of chthamalid barnacles along the Irish coast. Éamonn’s MSc thesis examined the benthic communities present in the Irish Sea near an offshore windfarm using baited remote underwater video systems.

Email: eamonn.macdonnacha@mi.mun.ca

Kerri Lynch is an MSc. student in the Fisheries Science program under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Robertson. Kerri's interest in graduate research started with a deep passion to protect and integrate human activities within the natural function of the environment. She grew up spending summers playing on the North shore of Lake Erie and in Georgian Bay and spent a summer working with the NGO group Georgian Bay Forever doing public outreach to inform the community about the harm of plastic in our waterways. She also worked on partnered research projects that turned into local policy change in protecting the environment. Kerri completed her biology degree focusing on aquatic ecology at Queen's University and then decided to journey away from freshwater biology to study the marine ecosystem here at MI.

"I am excited to learn about the complexities of the Atlantic Ocean's complex ecosystem as I develop a model to estimate capelin abundance based on predator stomach contents. I hope my research will aid in developing future policies surrounding the protection of this integral fish species. When I'm not at school, you can find me out in nature, snowboarding, hiking, biking, climbing or lost in thought looking for whales".

Erin Miller is a PhD student working with Dr. Matthew Robertson on investigating the trophic drivers of habitat use of highly mobile marine predators, such as sharks and groundfish in the Northwest Atlantic and how to use interspecies relationships to predict when and where they will be. This research will contribute to our ability to manage these species through an enhanced understanding of how they may respond to anthropogenic changes to their environment such as climate change and overfishing.

Erin has a MSc. (hons) from UNB where she tested the ability of temperature-dependent embryo development functions to make predictions about timing of larval release in nature. After that, she worked with Fisheries and Oceans Canada as a research technician, where she worked on a wide range of topics such as the effect of climate change on lobster reproduction, scallop larval development, and most recently basking shark habitat suitability.

Michael Soares is a Masters student in the Food and Environment Safety Analytical (FESA) Lab studying the body condition of Atlantic cod and other groundfish species. His passion for biology inspired him to get a BS with honors in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Bioinformatics at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Michael’s advisors are Dr. Matthew Robertson and Dr. Noel Cadigan. Dr. Paul Regular is also on Michael’s committee, supporting this research. Michael’s research on body condition will help create new insights about the bottom-up processes involved in the stock collapse of Atlantic cod. After the collapse of the cod stock, recovery has been minimal, and this study will help explain what is stalling recovery.

“One of my goals in academia is to propel sustainability practices to help create a more eco-conscious collective. As overpopulation takes its toll on the ecosystems of the world, preserving diversity while supporting the needs of many people will continue to be a major topic of conversation. With good research, implementation of new practices, and indigenous knowledge I believe that we can start living with nature instead of living off it.”

Email: Michael.Soares@wave.mi.mun.ca