Core Faculty
Dr. Simon Donner
Director, Ocean Leaders
Simon is a Professor in the Department of Geography. His current research includes climate change and coral reefs, ocean warming and El Nino, climate change adaptation in the developing world, Canadian and international climate policy, and public engagement on climate change. Visit Dr. Donner’s site to learn more.
Dr. Natasha Affolder
Natasha is an Associate Professor in the Allard School of Law. Her work explores broad topics in transnational environmental law. Her research examines the cross-cutting nature of environmental issues that transcend state borders but are not limited to interactions between states. Visit Dr. Affolder’s site to learn more.
Dr. Kai Chan
Kai is a Professor in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. His work focuses on how social-ecological systems can become better and wilder. He is also interested in ecosystem services, the evolutionary ecology of pest control, applied environmental ethics, and ecosystem-based management. Kai is a Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Visit Dr. Chan’s site to learn more.
Dr. Villy Christensen
Villy is a Professor in the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and Director of Global Ocean Modeling based in Institute. His work specializes in ecosystem modelling—in particular, data-driven ecosystem model construction. He is known for his work as a leader and developer of the Ecopath project, an ecosystem modelling software system widely used in fisheries management. Visit Dr. Christensen’s site to learn more.
Dr. Christopher Harley
Chris is a Professor in the Department of Zoology. His research investigates the impact of climate change on rocky coasts. His lab is interested in how climatic factors, such as temperature, CO2, pH, and biological relationships such as predation and facilitation, interact to create ecological patterns in time and space. Visit Dr. Harley’s site to learn more.
Dr. Terre Satterfield
Terre is a Professor in, and the Director of, the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. Her work concerns sustainable development in the context of debates about cultural meanings, environmental values, perceived risk, environmental and ecosystem health. Locally, her work pertains to First Nations interest in land management, oil and gas development, and regulatory contexts. Globally, her research incorporates biodiversity management and politics, and the perceived risk of new technologies (biotechnology, fracking, and nanotechnology). Visit Dr. Satterfield’s site to learn more.
Dr. Curtis Suttle
Curtis is a Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, the Department of Botany, and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. His work focuses on environmental microbiology and virology, with current projects on viruses in extreme environments including high-Arctic ecosystems and the deep sub-surface, as well as studies of natural reservoirs of viral pathogens, the use of viruses as environmental proxies, the isolation and characterization of unusual viruses, and the evolution and diversity of viruses and viral communities. Visit Dr. Suttle’s site to learn more.
Dr. Philippe Tortell
Philipe is a Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and the Department of Botany. He has broad interest in marine biogeochemical cycles and ocean-climate interactions. His research is focused on understanding the potential climate effects on Arctic and Antarctic marine systems. Philippe is also the Director of the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies. Visit Dr. Tortell’s site to learn more.
Dr. Amanda Vincent
Amanda is a Professor in the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and the Department of Zoology. She is involved in biological and social research, empowering local communities, establishing marine protected areas, managing small-scale fisheries, restructuring international trade, promoting integrated policy, and advancing environmental understanding. Amanda is also the Director of Project Seahorse. Visit Dr. Vincent’s site to learn more.
On-Campus Collaborators
Dr. Michael Byers
Michael is a Professor in the Department of Political Science. His work focuses on issues of Arctic sovereignty, climate change, the law of the sea, and Canadian foreign and defence policy. Michael also holds a Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law. Visit Dr. Byer’s site to learn more.
Dr. Mary O’Connor
Mary is a Professor in the Department of Zoology. Her research examines the influence of environmental temperature on the dynamics of ecological communities. Her work contributes to our understanding of how patterns of species abundance are related to ocean temperature as it varies from place to place, season to season, and with climate change. Visit Dr. O’Connor’s site to learn more.
Dr. Evgeny Pakhomov
Evgeny is a Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and is the Director of the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. His research spans a broad range of interests covering topics from species ecology, at the level from zooplankton to fish, to ecosystem structure as well as physical-biological and biochemical coupling. Visit Dr. Pakhomov’s site to learn more.
Dr. Andrew Trites
Andrew is a Professor and the Director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit. His research is primarily focused on pinnipeds (Steller sea lions, northern fur seals, and harbor seals) and involves captive studies, field studies, and simulation models that range from single species to whole ecosystems. His research spans the fields of ecology, nutrition, physiology, and animal behaviour—and is designed to further the conservation of marine mammals. Visit Dr. Trites’ site to learn more.