Meet The Team
Our researchers are based at the University of Victoria, the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, and Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada.
The team has a diverse range of expertise, allowing us to approach complex questions in a multidisciplinary way.
Dr. Amanda Bates
Professor
Impact Chair in
Ocean Ecosystem Change and Conservation
Research Interests:
Environmental variability, physiological tolerance, and biodiversity in an era of global change
The global redistribution of species is leading to large-scale community change. Gaining a process-based understanding for what factors create species and community resilience under environmental variability is an important research objective for our time.
My research aims to address this theme by linking physiological thresholds of organisms to the environment they experience to quantify changes in species distributions, the outcome of species interactions, and community patterns. My approach is to link spatial and temporal trends in abiotic variables at biologically relevant scales using standardized experimental protocols, complementary laboratory and field approaches, meta-analytic approaches, and modern statistical tools.
Current students & Postdocs
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Research assistants
Alumni
Post-Doctoral Projects
Dr. Jackson Chu
2018-2020
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Research Focus:
Developing an ecophysiological framework for predicting the response of cold-water corals and sponges to habitat variability.
PhD projects
Dr. Ella McKnight
2022
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
The influence of environmental variability on the ecological performance of native and non-native marine organisms.
Dr. Abbie Chapman
2015-2018
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
A trait-based approach to the biodiversity of deep-sea hydrothermal-vent ecosystems.
Dr. Murray Duncan
2017-2018
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
A physiological study on a commercial reef fish to quantify the relationship between exploitation and climate change resilience.
Dr. Conor Waldock
2015-2019
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Ecological Assemblages in a Warming Climate: Addressing Knowledge Gaps in the Role of Thermal Heterogeneity and Realised Niches at a Global Scale
Dr. Robert Cooke
2015-2019
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Analyzing the ecological diversity of the world's mammals and birds
Masters & integrated masters projects
Brandy Biggar
2018-2021
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Role:
The thermal biology and ecology of Carcinus maenas as a tool for conservation, mitigation, and invasion predictions
Cerren Richards
2018-2020
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Research Focus:
The link between seabird traits and anthropogenic threats with implications for conservation
Loïc Sanchez
2020
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Research Focus:
Local Contributions to Beta-Diversity inside and outside MPAs
G Rident
2016-2017
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Predicting changes in North Atlantic Right Whale populations under ocean warming
O McLaren-Roberts
2016-2017
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Patterns of macrofaunal diversity and the trophic structure of coastal reef communities off the southern coast of Mozambique
S Hickling
2016-2017
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Response of cephalopods to protection from fishing
W Wealand
2016-2017
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Role of temperature and tubeworm bushes in habitat selection by the hydrothermal vent whelk over three years, Buccinum thermophillum
L Dalton
2016-2017
University of Southampton
J Bald
2015-2016
University of Southampton
E Bolton
2015-2016
University of Southampton
S Farmer
2015-2016
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Relationship between temperature and habitat selection in hot vent limpets from Endeavour, Juan de Fuca Ridge
Research Focus:
Warming seas and fishing pressure: o what extent has the fish community structure changed within the Celtic Sea?
Research Focus:
Effect of temperature on the temporal and spatial distribution of the zoarcid fish, Pachycara cf gymninium at the Main Endeavor Site
Research Focus:
The impacts of climate change and marine reserves on community stability in Maria Island, Tasmania
S Hare
2015-2016
University of Southampton
T Hogan
2015-2016
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Effect of salinity and hypoxia on the upper thermal limit of the Atlantic ditch shrimp Palaemonetes varians
Research Focus:
Assessing habitat and lifestyle influences on the relative success of deep-sea and shallow water benthic fauna
J Brzeska
2015-2016
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Variation in the environmental drivers of coral bleaching across ecoregions
A Cartwright
2015-2016
Research Focus:
Assessing the associated stresses of terrestrial inputs on Coral Bleaching
P Reeves
2014-2015
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Predicting Global Richness of Coral Reef Fish Assemblages Using Island Biogeography Models
S Khaira
2014-2015
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Heat tolerance in ectothermic animals with high invasion potential
C Frankish
2014-2015
University of Southampton
B Pearce
2014-2015
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Seabirds as vectors: a meta-ecosystem model
Research Focus:
Effects of latitudinal range on heat escape behaviour of marine invertebrates
B Conradi
2018
University of Dublin
Research Focus:
Assessing the contribution of various trophic groups to spatial beta diversity in marine protected areas and adjacent fished areas
Undergraduates and Honours projects
Jadyn Patton
2022
University of Victoria
Research Focus:
Directed studies student working on the MARS project.
Darren Li Shing Hiung
2020-2021
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Research Focus:
Spatiotemporal ocean temperature variation revealed by an array of fixed in-situ instruments.
C Mallion
2017
University of Southampton
C Richards
2017
University of Southampton
Research Focus:
Temperature dependent activity in hydrothermal vent sulphide worms
Research Focus:
Manx shearwater rafting behaviour around Skomer Island
Research Assistants
Emma Wells
2019
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Role:
Assisting with species collections.
Élie Pellerin
2019
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Role:
Digitalising dive logs to create a temperature time series dataset.
Fatemeh Tavafi
2020-2021
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Role:
Assisting with machine learning research.
Evgeni (Eugueni) Matveev
2020-2021
Memorial University of Newfoundland