I discovered my fascination with the marine environment as an undergraduate journalism student, when a friend convinced me to get SCUBA certified and sign up for a tropical ecology field course in Cuba (...because Cuba!). Following the field course, I returned to Canada, enrolled in a second undergraduate science degree, and pursued my new-found passion for research and the underwater world

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After completing an Honours degree in biology at Carleton University, Canada, and a M.Sc. in environmental and life sciences at Trent University, Canada, I migrated to the ocean for a Ph.D. in marine ecology at the University of Melbourne, Australia. My research interests fall at the intersection of environmental change and individual variability of marine and aquatic organisms. I am interested in understanding the role of extrinsic, environmental factors, and 

intrinsic, phenotypic or behavioural 

variability of individuals, in driving 

population dynamics and ecosystem function and resilience. My research has taken me to a number of countries, and I have worked in range of systems, from lake and river systems in Canada and Europe, to tropical and temperate reefs around Australia, Indonesia, and French Polynesia.