Current lab members

Graduate Students​

PhD Student: Ashley Park 

​I'm interested in how environmental change interacts with ecological and physical constraints to shape where species can live, move, and persist over time. My research focuses on how climate change and sea level rise are altering the distribution of coastal ecosystems, particularly eelgrass and salt marshes, across Canada. I use large datasets, species distribution models, and field validation to investigate the factors that drive or limit range shifts, with the aim of supporting more effective conservation strategies and climate mitigation planning.

PhD Student: Calla Raymond (she/her/elle)
I am interested in the investigation of large-scale ecological questions, with a focus on threatened ecosystems and how they will be impacted by climate change. I am particularly interested in how climate change will alter the physical structure of ecosystems, and in turn what impact this will have on community composition and ecosystem function.
My past research has focused on Species at Risk conservation, identifying and developing applied solutions to conservation issues within Canada, and understanding how past experiences influence mate choice and maternal investment.

PhD Student: Maggie Slein (she/her)

I am interested in marine resilience across scales of biological organization. I seek to better understand how marine organisms, populations, and communities cope with variable conditions in the environment, most recently temperature, using fieldwork, empirical work, quantitative synthesis, and theory.

PhD Student: Keila Stark (she/her)

I am interested in understanding how temperature’s kinetic effect on organism metabolism influences processes of interest to community ecologists: population growth, species interactions, and dispersal. These temperature-dependent community assembly processes may jointly determine the emergent effect of temperature on patterns of species richness and abundance across spatial scales. My PhD work synthesizes the metabolic theory of ecology and metacommunity theory to inform quantitative theoretical predictions of how warming changes species richness and abundance. I also test predictions about the metabolic temperature dependence of dispersal in lab-based experimental protist metacommunities. My work offers insights into how biophysical constraints on organisms may manifest in the realm of changing biodiversity.
MSc Student: Miranda MacGillivray
I am interested in understanding how large-scale global stressors, combined with local environmental and human-related stressors, are affecting marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and biological communities. I have spent several years in outdoor tourism and education, exploring the waters of British Columbia. This lead me to my research, aiming to identify the drivers of ecological change and understand how all components of a habitat— including organisms, microbes, and abiotic factors—interact. My research aims to look at these factors through studying our coastal eelgrass meadows and restoration providing insight for further restoration and conservation.

PhD Student: John Merlo-Coyne

I am interested in high-latitude ecology, North American native plants, and responsible land (and water) management and restoration techniques. I am glad to be part of the Eeyou Coastal Habitat Comprehensive Research Project, where I will work with Eeyou project partners to co-develop long-term eelgrass monitoring protocols in the face of climate change and increased regional development.
MSc Student: Alexi Ebersole
I am inspired by the ocean and motivated to learn more about vulnerable and valuable coastal ecosystems. Particularly I want to engage in research that addresses threats of climate and human-driven change to the critical habitats that provide essential services for all life. I am excited to be a part of the Eeyou Coastal Habitat Comprehensive Research Project where my work will focus on the restoration methods of eelgrass meadows in James Bay, Quebec, through experimental transplanting.

Postdoctoral Fellows and Research Associates

Nicole Knight, PhD (she/her)
Postdoctoral Fellow

Marine foundation species and the immense biodiversity they support are under threat worldwide from climate change and coastal development. My research investigates the causes and consequences of ecosystem change in coastal marine foundation species, particularly eelgrass and corals. My work encompasses a range of approaches, including field experiments, meta-analysis and structural equation modelling. At this time, my primary focus is identifying the mechanisms preventing the recovery of eelgrass meadows in James Bay, northern Quebec from historic declines, as part of the Coastal Habitat Comprehensive Research Project.
Deirdre Loughnan, PhD

Postdoctoral fellow
​
I am a Sentinels of Change Alliance Postdoctoral Research Fellow working in the Hakai Institute and O’Connor Lab. I am working on developing a model to understand the relationships between habitat connectivity and biodiversity. I am particularly interested in understanding the effects of climate change on ecological communities and biodiversity in the Salish Sea.

Jessica Garzke, PhD
Research associate

My research explores the intricate relationship between environmental drivers and their effects on the production and transfer of essential biomolecules (fatty and amino acids) and their impact on an organism's performance and fitness. Specifically, I am interested in understanding the role of zooplankton as a consumer and prey and how changes in their abundance, biochemistry, and species composition affect ecosystem productivity.
 
By investigating the mechanisms by which zooplankton populations may adapt to persistent environmental change, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of how environmental changes ultimately impact higher trophic levels. My research seeks to expand scientific knowledge of the complex interactions between environmental drivers, biomolecule production and transfer, and the health and productivity of ecosystems. Through my findings, I aim to inform strategies for conserving and managing ecosystems under changing environmental conditions.
 
Check out Jessica's personal website here. 

Undergraduate Thesis & Directed Studies Students

Bo Spencer
Honours Thesis 

I am a 4th year student in the Biology Honours program (option in Marine Biology), and I am working on building a comprehensive interaction network for invertebrates in Tsawwassen eelgrass meadows through the use of isotope analysis.  I am particularly interested in exploring how interactions between these invertebrates change over the course of a season, and if they differ between intertidal and subtidal zones. I have a great amount of love for the world and its oceans, and I am so excited to be involved in marine conservation!

Hazel Taylor
​Honours Thesis

I am a 4th year Honours Marine Biology student. Through stable isotope analysis of invertebrates found in eelgrass meadows in Desolation sound, my honours thesis will build comprehensive species interaction networks, comparing heavily impacted boating areas to low-impact areas. I am interested to see how anthropogenic activity changes eelgrass ecosystems, and am excited to be involved in marine conservation and research!

Research Affiliates & Lab Technicians

Carling Gerlinksy, M.Sc. (she/her)
Lab Manager/Technician

I have a M.Sc. degree in Zoology completed at UBC in 2013 on Steller sea lion diving physiology.  Since then, I’ve worked mostly as a research assistant/technician.  I joined the O’Connor Lab in 2021 and am excited to become more involved in ecological research! I now help to manage the lab overall, assist grad students and post-docs with setting up and carrying out experiments, train new students in the lab, help plan and conduct field trips and manage various lab projects.  I also work with the Schluter lab, studying evolutionary biology of fishes and the growth and ecological impacts of transgenic fish.

Felipe Amadeo, PhD (he/him)
​Lab Technician - Taxonomy

Felipe has a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the State University of Maringá in Brazil and is an expert in identifying marine invertebrates, assisting with many projects in the lab!

Fruin Pow (he/they)
Undergraduate research assistant, SURE Award recipient

I am a 3rd year Biology student. As a child, I spent more time on riverbanks than anywhere else. I have found that learning about ecological systems during my B.Sc evokes the same curiosity and excitement. Since projects in The O'Connor Lab have provided rich context for my favourite upper-level courses, I hope to continue education and research in aquatic ecology.

Marin Netterfield (they/she)
Undergraduate Research Assistant

I am a 4th year Honours Environmental Sciences student.
I am passionate about the way that connections in the natural world, past and present, shape life and the environment around us. Working as a research assistant/worklearn student since March 2024, I've learned about algae, invertebrates, seagrasses, and more. I've discovered so much working on projects with the amazing people in the O'Connor Lab, both practical skills and fascinating science, and I have no doubt that my experiences here will help guide me in the future.