I apply understanding of ecology and complex systems to problems of environmental change.
I have a range of interests from 20 years in the natural sciences. I use systems thinking, scientific study and advanced data analysis to solve problems at the interface of nature, technology and society. Here are some passions from my work across academia, government and industry.
Pollution
Human dominance over the planet adds pollutants faster than ecosystems can absorb and metabolize them. I have an ongoing interest in ecotoxicology and disentangling the threats posed by human-made contaminants. In New Zealand, I used biochemical tracers and developed new measures to reveal how agricultural pollution distorts natural food webs. At Environment & Climate Change Canada, I tracked the magnification of industrial pollutants (e.g., PCBs) through Great Lakes food webs and into top predators and wildlife. As we grapple with our chemical legacy, only a system-level view can adequately manage the complex manifestations of pollution in nature.
Biodiversity & ecosystems
Humans are deeply invested in biodiversity in various ways - materially for survival, economically, aesthetically and morally. Using a portfolio metaphor for biodiversity opens new ways of seeing and managing its benefits and risks. Opportunities from diversifying collections of natural assets range from the immediate use of ecosystem services to preserving future options for nature’s contributions to people. Myself and collaborators recently developed tools for uncovering how biodiversity that is spread across landscapes generates a form of insurance against environmental impacts. In taking the portfolio view of nature, we have the opportunity to balance the different ways we value nature in our stewardship of Earth.
Urban agriculture
As the world urbanizes, eyes turn to cities as places to grow vital food supplies. Vertical farming, aquaponics and greenhouse agriculture is booming. Still, urban agriculture faces viability and sustainability challenges. One path to overcoming these challenges is incorporating biodiversity and natural ecosystem processes into urban agricultural systems. I spent several years as a Senior Scientist/Biologist applying ecological principles to new green technologies. This includes a rich set of utilitarian design strategies - from biomimetic to biophilic approaches - that expand the ways that food systems can benefit people. Urban agriculture is an exciting proving ground for merging technological innovations, biodiversity and people to feed the world.
Statistical frameworks
Good decisions in ecological, economic and social systems rest on separating signals from noise. I get unabashed joy from creating statistical frameworks and indices that cut to the heart of applied problems. One of the more recent of these is a new method for understanding how biodiversity builds up over time at a site, and the factors that affect the variety of life over long time scales. Other frameworks opened new ways of using spatial data to make inferences about the future state of ecosystems. A recreational number cruncher, I’ve been known to geek out on ecological and financial time series alike.
Invasive species
Oceanic islands are the bellwethers of global biodiversity change. They are also among the most biologically-invaded places on Earth. I spent several formative years studying the spread of invasive plants and animals in the ecological microcosm of Bermuda. The experiences taught me the double-edged nature of non-native biodiversity - as a destructive force in many cases but providing valuable ecosystem goods and services in others. Mitigating the worst and encouraging the best of newly-arrived species is a pressing challenge in the age of rapidly-changing species distributions.
Science communication
Scientific knowledge is often created faster than it percolates to the public and institutions. With global environmental change afoot, bridging this gap with simple and clear communication has never been more important. I take to heart that any problem, no matter how complex, can and should be explainable to a ten year old. I get satisfaction from conveying the world of science in a variety of settings: In technical talks, university lectures, learning modules and even to my young children at home. Science is a doorway to valuable perspectives, innovation and solutions for a changing planet - but one that is obscured by technical language and siloed knowledge. My goal in communicating science is to give people the access, the means and the motivation to walk through that door.
Protected areas
The late biologist and icon EO Wilson advocated that half the Earth be set aside to protect the variety and abundance of life. Protected areas offer exciting opportunities for safeguarding our ecological future, ranging from ‘no take’ zones to areas integrating economy, social wellbeing and governance. I have worked with the Bermuda government on the most extensive evaluation of their Marine Protected Areas, and identifying key biodiversity hotspots. The path forward is a critical one as the world races to protect ecosystems that face intensifying threats and complex risk profiles. When combined with restoration, protected areas offer societies a rare opportunity for the future - to become nature-positive.
Ecological design & synthesis
Humans have entered a fascinating era where many ecosystems - from industrial bioreactors to life support systems for space travel - are designed and constructed from scratch. In a forthcoming paper, we term these synthetic ecosystems for their role as crucibles of ecological novelty. I spent two years developing one such ecosystem at McMaster University with industry partners, merging different food webs to turn food waste into crops. My ecological design work in urban agriculture also fits living and non-living pieces together for more functional and efficient ecosystems. It’s an exciting demonstration of an emerging twist: Whereas past ecology uncovered the role of biodiversity in ecosystems, its future may be in learning to recombine species for achieving planetary goals.