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Departmental Seminars Archive
The 2020-2021 seminars were held via Zoom on Wednesdays at 3:30 pm. Several seminars were cancelled in spring 2020 due to COVID-19. When in person, seminars are normally held in the Presentation Studo at SFU's Big Data Hub.
Spring 2026
| 05-Jan-2026 | Clive Welham | ClimeCo; FORRx Consulting Inc; 3GreenTree | The conservation, preservation, and restoration of natural ecosystems: Carbon credits as a bridge between knowing and doing |
| 12-Jan-2026 | Jennifer Grenz | University of British Columbia | From Medicine Wheel to Methods: Mobilizing Indigenous and Western Scientific Research Methods for Ecological Restoration and Reconciliation |
| 19-Jan-2026 | Morgan Piczak | University of British Columbia | Integrating Movement Ecology with Conservation |
| 26-Jan-2026 | Sascha M.B. Krause | East China Normal University | From molecules to ecosystems: Linking microbial interactions, trace metals, and methane cycling |
| 09-Feb-2026 | Yasha Rohwer and Emma Marris | Oregon Tech | Insidious Naturalness: The cost of bundling naturalness with biodiversity |
| 23-Feb-2026 | Kaylee Byers | University of British Columbia; SFU Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences | What the Data Says - and What We Do (or Don't Do) With it: Wildlife Management in Socio-Ecological Systems |
| 09-Mar-2026 | Grad hosted speaker Dr. Rachel Germain | University of British Columbia | Matters of scale in the ecology and evolution of coexisting species |
| 16-Mar-2026 | Robert Arlinghaus | Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries | Active adaptive management and transdisciplinary cooperation are key for assessing the effectiveness of management interventions in freshwater fisheries using whole whole-lake experiments |
| 23-Mar-2026 | Gerhard Gries | SFU Biological Sciences | Learning the multimodal foraging cues and language of animals…. and how to talk back |
| 30-Mar-2026 | Matthew Bracken | University of California - Irvine | Natural and manipulative experiments illustrate the potential for global change to alter intertidal primary productivity and community interactions |
Fall 2025
| 08-Sept-2025 | Jenny McGuire | Georgia Institute of Technology | Bridging Temporal Scales: Climate fidelity and trait-environment relationships reveal ecological dynamics in response to global change |
| 09-Sept-2025 | George Wells | Northwestern University, Illinois | Adventures in microbial nitrogen cycling: Metabolic division of labor, nitrous oxide production, and intracellular resource storage |
| 22-Sept-2025 | Tom Martin | SFU Biological Sciences | Lost species, Lazarus species, and why they are important for understanding the Anthropocene extinction crisis |
| 29-Sept-2025 | Sharp Ideas on Teaching and Learning, 6th Annual Speaker, Dr. Sara Brownell | Arizona State University | Disclosure Decisions: Exploring the concealable stigmatized identities of science instructors and how revealing can impact undergraduates |
| 6-Oct-2025 | Tanja Schwander | Université de Lausanne | Origins and consequences of unorthodox reproductive modes: Insights from stick insects |
| 20-Oct-2025 | Mike Banfield | BanfieldBio | Can Research Be a Business? - A "For Profit" Seminar |
| 27-Oct-2025 | Heather Bruce | University of British Columbia | How the old becomes new: tracking genetic and morphological evolution over half a billion years |
| 17-Nov-2025 | Gregory Owens | University of Victoria | Population Genomics and Local Adaptation in Northeast Pacific Rockfishes |
| 24-Nov-2025 | Frank Gobas | SFU School of Resource & Environmental Management | Environmental toxicology without animal experimentation |
| 01-Dec-2025 | Carrie Ann Adams | Purdue University and Environment and Climate Change Canada | The effects of artificial lights at night on migratory birds across the annual cycle |
| 08-Dec-2025 | Jessica Head | McGill University | Assessing Sensitivity to Environmental Contaminants in Species at Risk |
Spring 2025
| 13-Jan-2025 | Poh Tan | Faculty of Education, SFU | Cultural Humility and Responsiveness: Transforming Science Education |
| 27-Jan-2025 | Steve Wiseman | University of Lethbridge | Oocyte maturation inhibition as a mechanism for reproductive impairment in fish |
| 10-Feb-2025 | Monica Parker | Global Biotech potato project | Delivering Science in International Agriculture Development |
| 3-Mar-2025 | Luke Frishkoff | University of Texas, Arlington | Determinism and Stochasticity in the Buildup of Faunas and Communities |
| 10-Mar-2025 | Heather Bruce | University of British Columbia | Arthropod appendages: novelty and homology over half a billion years |
| 17-Mar-2025 | Kara Layton | University of Toronto | Probing molluscan biodiversity, phylogeny and evolution across scales and systems |
| 24-Mar-2025 | Marjorie Wonham | University of Washington | STEAMy research and teaching. The creative-critical nexus of biology and poetry |
| 31-Mar-2025 | Norbert Haunerland | Biological Sciences, SFU | What goes around, comes around: Fatty acids, flight, and other fun from 30 years of locust research |
| 7-Apr-2025 | Danielle Denley | Province of BC | With a little kelp from my friends: Collaborative monitoring and management of coastal marine environments in the Great Bear Sea |
Fall 2024
| 9-Sept-2024 | Zamir Punja | Biological Sciences, SFU | Why research Cannabis? Some intriguing aspects of the biology of this plant |
| 16-Sept-2024 | Nicole Mideo | University of Toronto | Unexpected consequences of interventions for vector-borne diseases |
| 7-Oct-2024 | Jennifer Sunday | McGill University | Conservation planning when species are on the move: preparing for the redistribution of life |
| 18-Nov-2024 | Sharp Ideas on Teaching & Learning 5th Annual Speaker, Jennifer Knight | University of Colorado, Boulder | Helping Introductory Biology Students Learn: Metacognition, courseware, and core concepts |
| 25-Nov-2024 | John Reynolds | Biological Sciences, SFU | Salmon-fueled ecosystems in the Great Bear Rainforest |
| 2-Dec-2024 | Jean Polfus | Environment and Climate Change Canada (Okanagan) | Indigenous Voices in Conservation: Language as a foundation for collaboration in a caribou recovery process |
Spring 2024
| 8-Jan-2024 | Tom Martin | Bangor University, UK | Improving the conservation value of zoos |
| 15-Jan-2024 | Richard Lenski | Michigan State University | Dynamics and Repeatability of Evolution in a Long-Term Experiement with Bacteria |
| 22-Jan-2024 | Sara Cannon | University of British Columbia | Towards Justice-Centred Stewardship of Ecosystems: Lessons from a Decade of Aquatic Ecological Research |
| 29-Jan-2024 | Sharp Ideas on Teaching & Learning, 4th Annual Speaker, Bridgette Clarkston | University of British Columbia | Algae in every classroom: The case for greater organismal diversity in general education settings and why this matters |
| 5-Feb-2024 | Jane Fowler | Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University | Mitigating methane emissions using aeromicrobiology |
| 12-Feb-2024 | Grad hosted speaker, Alexandra CD Davis | university of California, Los Angeles | Marine conservation, invasive species management, and belonging |
| Feb-26-2024 | Finlayson Biodiversity Speaker, Elizabeth Clare | York University | A chance to measure life on land - the promise and challenge of airborne eDNA |
| 4-Mar-2024 | Sara Smith | Mount Royal University | Using marine ectotherms to understand species distributions in the face of climate change |
| 11-Mar-2024 | Benjamin Kerr | University of Washington | Genes on the move: Measuring the rate and evolutionary impact of horizontal gene transfer in simple bacterial communities |
| 18-Mar- 2024 | Olena Zhulyn | SickKids | Rapid remodeling of the translatome underlies tissue development and regeneration |
| 25-Mar-2024 | Sophie Wilkinson | School of Resource and Environmental Management | Degradation, wildfire, and climate change: A triple threat for northern carbon stocks |
| 8-Apr-2024 | Lynne Quarmby | Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, SFU | Watermelon Snow: The View from Inner and Outer Space |
Fall 2023
| 11-Sept-2023 | Shannon Bennett | California Academy of Sciences | The evolutionary ecology of emerging infectious diseases: Dengue virus and other mosquito-borne pathogens |
| 18-Sept-2023 | Chelsey Geralda-Armstrong | Indigenous Studies, SFU | Historical-Ecological Perspectives of Land-Use in the Pacific Northwest: Ts’msyen, Coast Salish, and Nuu-chah-nulth Forest Gardens |
| 25-Sept-2023 | Celeste Leander and Tessa Blanchard | UBC Botany | Ungrading: What happens when we take away points and focus on learning? |
| 23-Oct-2023 | Lucy Lee | Biological Sciences, SFU |
Fish cell lines and Cellular Aquaculture |
| 30-Oct-2023 | Rolf Mathewes | Biological Sciences, SFU | Time travels of a Paleoecologist - with focus on fire history and climate change |
| 27-Nov-2023 | Craig Orr and Joel Heath |
Beyond Profits Speakers | Non-profits and indigenous groups: Enhancing science and conservation outcomes |
Spring 2023
| 11-Jan-2023 | Noah Ashley | Western Kentucky University | Cool rhythms: investigating activity cycles, hormones, and sleep in arctic-breeding songbirds |
| 18-Jan- 2023 | Jeffrey Joy | University of British Columbia (BC Centre of Excellence) | The evolution of emerging infectious diseases: a phylogenomic perspective |
| 25-Jan-2023 | Keith Bowers | University of Memphis | Silver spoons, sexy sons, and the evolution of parental care |
| 1-Feb-2023 | Katie Marshall | University of British Columbia | Causes and consequences of invertebrate low temperature thresholds |
| 22-Feb-2023 | Reading Break | ||
| 1-Mar-2023 | Daniel Promislow | Omics of dogs | |
| 8-Mar-2023 | Ruth Hufbauer | Colorado State University | The application of evolutionary theory to invasions and biological control |
| 15-Mar- 2023 | Tony Williams | Simon Fraser University | Avian reproduction: back to the future |
| 22-Mar-2023 | TBA | ||
| 29-Mar-2023 | SEMINAR CANCELLED | ||
| 5-Apr-2023 | SEMINAR CANCELLED | University of British Columbia | The neurobiology of electroreception and related aquatic senses |
Fall 2022
| 21-Sept-2022 | Carl Lowenberger | Biological Sciences, SFU | In the belly of the Beast: What factors determine which insect vectors transmit which parasites...the never-ending saga |
| 28-Sept-2022 | Nicholas Dulvy | Biological Sciences, SFU | A shark’s eye view of ocean conservation |
| 5-Oct-2022 | Julia Kreiner | University of British Columbia | Population genomics of agricultural adaptation over two centuries in a weedy Amaranth |
| 12-Oct- 2022 | 18th Distinguished Alumni Speaker, Kelly Ablard | Airmid Institute | Working Alongside Indigenous Communities Worldwide to Protect Medicinal and Aromatic Plants for Future Generations |
| 19-Oct- 2022 | Juli Carillo | University of British Columbia | Science on the fly: Testing ecological theory using opportunistic pests and predators |
| 26-Oct- 2022 | Colin Garroway | University of Manitoba | Exploring biogeographic patterns in genetic diversity |
| 2-Nov- 2022 | Chelsea Little | Environmental Science; REM, SFU | Spatial patterns and processes of ecosystem functioning |
| 9-Nov- 2022 | Maydianne Andrade | University of Toronto Scarborough | Control, context, and choosiness: Flipping the lens to see female plasticity in widow spiders |
| 16-Nov-2022 | Ailene MacPherson | Mathematics; Statistics and Actuarial Science, SFU | Revisiting the geographic mosaic: The role of spatial structure in maintaining diversity in coevolving systems |
| 23-Nov- 2022 | Sharp Ideas on Teaching & Learning, 3rd Annual Speaker, Mary Pat Wenderoth | University of Washington | The end of lecture - now what? |
| 30-Nov-2022 | Finlayson Biodiversity Speaker, Jessica Ware | American Museum of Natural History | Insect biodiversity: dragonfly and damselfly evolutionary history |
| 7-Dec- 2022 | Christy Morrissey | University of Saskatchewan | Disrupting Migration – Potential Role of Environmental Contaminants in Migratory Bird Declines |
SPRING 2022
| 12-Jan-2022 | Lori O'Brien | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | Kidney progenitur programs: from maintenance to disease |
| 19-Jan-2022 | Bernard Crespi | Simon Fraser University | The Natural and Sexual Selection of Endometriosis |
| 26-Jan-2022 | Judy Myers | University of British Columbia | The only woman in the room: a journey in ecology |
| 2-Feb-2022 | Elizabeth Gow | Environment and Climate Change Canada | Free-roaming domestic cats in Canada: reducing conflict and complexities through interdisciplinary collaboration and research |
| 9-Feb-2022 | Jean Bernard Caron | Royal Ontario Museum | Darwin's dilemma: The origin of animals explained |
| 16-Feb-2022 | Josh Drew | The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Oceans of Future Past: How Historical Ecology Can Inform Conservation |
| 2-Mar-2022 | Rashid Sumaila | University of British Columbia | Fish is more valuable than diamond: Economics and the future of fish and fisheries |
| 9-Mar-2022 | 2022 Thelma Finlayson Biodiversity Speaker, Derek Tittensor | Dalhousie University | Marine ecosystems and biodiversity under climate change |
| 16-Mar-2022 | Sharp Ideas on Teaching & Learning, 2nd Annual Speaker, Brian Couch | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Formative assessments: What can instructors do to increase student buy-in and utilization? |
| 23-Mar-2022 | Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology Research (eBERG) Speaker, Megan Sabal | Oregon State University | Predator effects on migratory animals: incorporating prey behavior into conservation |
| 30-Mar-2022 | 17th Distinguished Alumni Speakers: Rob Butler, Christine Rock, and Erin Udal | Pacific WildLife Foundation (Rob), WildResearch (Christine), Native Bee Society of British Columbia (Erin) | Government, NGO, or 'build your own' career options |
| 6-Apr-2022 | Megan Frederickson | University of Toronto | How mutualism affects ecological and evolutionary success |
FALL 2021
| 22-Sep-2021 | Ivona Mladenovic | Biological Sciences, SFU | Science teaching that matters: Conceptions and expriences of first year SFU science students |
| 29-Sep-2021 | Kayla King | University of Oxford | Microbial protection against infection: an eco-evolutionary perspective |
| 6-Oct-2021 | Paul Sunnucks | Monash University | Genetic management of wildlife in a changing world |
| 13-Oct-2021 | Caroline Colijn, Canada 150 Chair | Dept. of Mathematics, SFU | Genomic epidemiology in COVID-19 |
| 20-Oct-2021 | Marina Elliott | Simon Fraser University | Homo naledi and the Rising Star Cave |
| 27-Oct-2021 | Jennie R. McLaren | University of Texas at El Paso | Top-down and bottom-up effects on arctic plant communities and ecosystem functioning |
| 3-Nov-2021 | Caitlin Proctor | Purdue University | The Bacteria You Bathe With |
| 10-Nov-2021 | Nikita Saha Turner | British Columbia Centre for Disease Control | Co-exposure of aflatoxin and fumonisin in Nigerian maize and the non-carcinogenic risk of aflatoxin in Nigerian children and adults |
| 17-Nov-2021 | Wendy Palen | Biological Sciences, SFU | From dehydration to disappearing wetlands: the importance of water for species persistence in rapidly changing landscapes |
| 24-Nov-2021 | Grad Hosted Speaker Andrea Reid | University of British Columbia | Conservation "In A Good Way": Equitably Bridging Knowledge Types Towards a Better World |
| 1-Dec-2021 | Mireille Khacho | University of Ottawa | Impact of mitochondrial dynamics on stem cell function: from physiological regulations to pathological disruptions |
Spring 2021
| 13-Jan-2021 | Jonathan Moore | Biological Sciences and REM, SFU | Science, stressors, and stewardship of samon watersheds |
| 20-Jan-2021 | 16th Distinguished Alumni Speaker, Oliver Love | University of Windsor | Physiology of reproductive decisions in an Arctic-breeding seabird |
| 27-Jan-2021 | Sharp Ideas on Teaching & Learning, Inaugural Speaker, Elli Theobald | University of Washington | Mind the gap: Active learning as one tool to achieve equity in STEM classrooms |
| 10-Feb-2021 | 2021 Finlayson Biodiversity Speaker, Tara Martin | University of British Columbia | Transforming ecological data into conservation decisions |
| 3-Mar-2021 | Pamela Ronald | University of California, Davis | Enhancing Food Security through Rice Genetic Improvement |
| 10-Mar-2021 | Fourth Annual Webster Visiting Scholar in Symbiosis, Zakee Sabree | Ohio State University | Deciphering Phenotypes of Symbiosis |
| 17-Mar-2021 | Jenny Cory | Biological Sciences, SFU | Population cycles and pathogens in a forest insect |
| 24-Mar-2021 | MacCarthy Lecture, Mark Hoddle | University of California, Riverside | Crushing the Curve: Amplification of Biocontrol of Asian Citrus Psyllid in California |
| 7-Apr-2021 | Marty Leonard | Dalhousie University | Ambient Noise and Parent-Offspring Communication in Birds |
Fall 2020
| 23-Sep-2020 | Gordon Rintoul | Biological Sciences, SFU | The alien within: mitochondria in your brain |
| 30-Sep-2020 | Graham Diering | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | The stuff dreams are made of: Remodeling synapses during sleep |
| 7-Oct-2020 | Richard Wassersug | University of British Columbia | Communicating as a Scientist in a World Confounded by COVID |
| 21-Oct-2020 | Simon Levin | Princeton University | Mathematical ecology: A century of progress, and challenges for the next century |
| 28-Oct-2020 | Rindy Anderson | Florida Atlantic University | Bird songs and bird brains: the evolution of elaborate and reliable animal communication signals |
| 4-Nov-2020 | Sherryl Bisgrove | Biological Sciences, SFU | Kelp Forests in B.C. – looking to the future |
| 18-Nov-2020 | 2020 Finlayson Biodiversity Speaker, Kai Chan | University of British Columbia | System Change for Sustainability: Relational values may unlock incentives, certification, regulations, and more |
| 25-Nov-2020 | Thomas Therriault | Fisheries and Oceans Canada | European Green Crab in British Columbia: Understanding a High-Risk Invader |
| 2-Dec-2020 | Scott Wilson | Carleton University | Identifying priority areas in Latin America for the joint conservation of migratory Species-at-Risk and threatened Neotropical fauna |
Spring 2020
| 8-Jan-2020 | Grad Hosted Speaker, Christine Bishop | Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Delta | Neonicotinoids in your neighbourhood: Hummingbirds and Bees in the Fraser Valley |
| 29-Jan-2020 | Lotta Kvarnemo | University of Gothenburg | The many mysteries of monogamy |
| 5-Feb-2020 | Ben Freeman | University of British Columbia | From the Alps to the Andes: How gloabl warming is changing where montane species live |
| 12-Feb-2020 | Greg Bole and Angie O'Neill (aka Charles and Emma Darwin) | University of British Columbia | Charles and Emma: The evolution of a marriage |
| 26-Feb-2020 | Third Annual Webster Visiting Scholar in Symbiosis, Claire Kremen | University of British Columbia | Can we reassemble pollinator communities and functions through restoration within intensive agricultural landscapes? |
| 11-Mar-2020 | Sarah Cohen | UNC Chapel Hill | Advanced imaging approaches to study lipid trafficking within and between cells |
Fall 2019
| 18-Sep-2019 | R. Alexander Pyron | George Washington University | Spatial Distribution of Evolutionary Diversification and Extinction Risk in Reptiles and Amphibians |
| 25-Sep-2019 | Anu Singh-Cundy | Western Washington University | Models and manipulatives in the Biology classroom: Engaging visual and kinesthetic learners |
| 2-Oct-2019 | Anne Salomon | REM, Simon Fraser University | Tipping points and time travel through North America's undersea forests |
| 9-Oct-2019 | Darcy Visscher | The King's University, Edmonton | Scared to death: the ecology of fear |
| 16-Oct-2019 | Julian Christians | Biological Sciences, SFU | A Womb with a View: How the placenta responds to its environment |
| 23-Oct-2019 | Distinguished Alumni Speaker, Nello Angerilli | Academics Without Borders | Curiosity driven active dissatisfaction - Making things better |
| 30-Oct-2019 | Harald Hutter | Biological Sciences, SFU | How to build neuronal circuits: a tale of pioneers and followers |
| 6-Nov-2019 | Colleen Farmer | University of Utah | Fluidic Devices in Reptile Lungs |
| 13-Nov-2019 | Michael Wiebe | Green Party, Vancouver City Councillor | Reconnecting through Water: the ability to reconnect urban populations with land, water, and culture |
| 20-Nov-2019 | Grad hosted speaker, Elena Bennett | McGill University | Using ecosystem services to guide management in Canadian working landscapes |