About Me

Welcome! I am a broadly trained molecular ecologist, and my research focuses on the interface between global environmental change, ecology, evolution, and conservation genetics. I am currently an NSERC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Manitoba. Warming temperatures and disappearing sea ice are changing how polar bears survive across the Arctic. I use cutting edge molecular and bioinformatic methods to understand to assess the genetic potential for adaptation in polar bears, identify how sea ice loss contributes variation in genetic diversity. My work sheds light on how climate warming impacts Arctic ecosystems, and helps guide conservation management strategies for polar bears.

I completed my PhD in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto in 2021. During my PhD, I explored how urbanization alters ecological processes that feedback to influence evolution of populations, particularly between plants and their pollinators and herbivores. My research expertise includes observational data collections, quantitative literature reviews, field experiments, and genomics, and I have a diverse skill set that includes field methods, advanced statistical analysis, GIS, and bioinformatics. I have complemented my empirical research with several perspective pieces that provide roadmaps for future research in the field and call for integration of human socio-economic practices into urban evolutionary ecology research.

Originally from Newfoundland, I now live in Ontario, where I enjoy walking my dogs and baking sourdough bread. Please note that I am on maternity leave until April 2026.