Graduate student researchers receive Wall Awards

My research focuses on developing an environment friendly approach towards construction of hydraulic barrier liners for hazardous municipal waste detention facilities. Conventional clay liners often suffer from shrinkage and cracking, increasing the risk of leachate seepage that can harm nearby water bodies. Traditional chemical stabilizers like cement and lime, though effective, have high carbon footprint. To address this, my study uses sustainable biochar and a depolymerized form of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer as stabilizers. This eco-friendly enhancement in liner construction supports both waste management practices and preservation of natural environment in British Columbia and beyond.

My research focuses on developing an assessment methodology for the sustainability of Urban Water Systems (UWS). Building on the development of urban environments, my work aims to identify and select key indicators, while also exploring the mathematical feedback loops between these indicators. The goal is to provide stakeholders with tools to support sustainable practices. During my Ph.D., I proposed an integrated approach combining Circular Economy principles with the One Water Approach to create six pillars of sustainability, specifically tailored to the management of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater. My model goes beyond traditional system analysis by considering the integration of UWS with nature and surrounding communities.

My research aims to understand better the categorization of nonroad engines (NREs) across different jurisdictions and its implication for developing a regional NRE emissions inventory. NREs are a major contributor to greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. Despite its significant contributions to air pollution and climate change, emissions from NREs are poorly cataloged. While they generally include construction, mining equipment, yardwork engines, railway engines, port and marine engines, and industrial engines, their classification for emission inventories and regulations is highly inconsistent. I further explore pathways and policy recommendations for electrification of NREs in the construction and yard & garden sectors.

My research focuses on understanding the diverse ways urban natures, such as parks, beaches, and woodlands, relate to mental health, particularly in metropolitan areas like Vancouver. I am exploring how individual interactions with nature vary by examining daily patterns across demographics and by delving into the unique experiences of Latin American immigrants. Through surveys and walking interviews, my research aims to contribute to our understanding of how personal values and lived experiences shape people’s behaviours in relation to nature as well as their mental well-being.

My research focuses on how cities prepare and plan for long-term climate impacts. While we expect storm intensities to increase and sea levels to rise, how fast these changes will occur remains uncertain. This makes determining how far in advance to implement adaptation measures (such as dikes and sea dams) more difficult. I am collaborating with the City of Surrey, analysing a large number of climate scenarios to help the City prioritize adaptation projects in the Mudbay region based on their different adaptation goals and the funding levels that may be available.

My research focuses on advancing solar energy infrastructure in British Columbia (BC), addressing climate change and energy security challenges. I plan to develop efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with high power conversion efficiency. Key objectives include optimizing cell stability, testing tandem architectures, and developing scalable production methods. This project could significantly contribute to creating a sustainable and resilient energy system for BC. By collaborating with industry partners, we intent to scale flexible PSCs for outdoor use, benefiting off-grid communities, and supporting BC’s transition to clean energy.

My research involves documenting the diversity of flatfish (halibut, flounders, soles) in BC’s archaeological record. Fish bones provide information on species’ ranges, abundances, and peoples’ diets through time; however, identifying fish species by looking at their bones is challenging. Therefore, I am adapting a method called ZooMS, which characterizes archaeological species by analyzing their bone collagen, to more accurately identify archaeological flatfish from BC sites. This research will allow future ZooMS analyses to determine the types of Pacific flatfish caught and consumed by Indigenous peoples and support reconstructing marine ecosystems prior to the advent of colonialism and commercial fishing.

My research focuses on the refinement and distribution of best practices we have developed to be used by anglers participating in marine salmon fisheries in British Columbia where selective fishing must occur. We collected surveys to better understand how average anglers participate within these fisheries and have evaluated post-release survival rates of Chinook salmon through tagging and tracking studies. As regulations are modified to protect vulnerable populations of Chinook salmon, anglers must have the knowledge and tools available to limit their impacts. Education is the key step to ensuring the conservation objectives of our research are fully realized.

My research focuses on understanding how neighbourhood characteristics impact business recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic in Vancouver. Using a mixed-methods approach, I will first conduct statistical analysis to examine the effects of contextual factors such as economic conditions, community infrastructure, and socio-demographic context on business recovery. Insights from this analysis will then guide business interviews to deepen our understanding of how neighbourhood and external influences shaped business recovery outcomes. By examining the underexplored role of neighbourhood influence on business recovery, this study will contribute valuable insights to disaster recovery literature, offering actionable knowledge for local policymakers, urban planners, and organizations involved in disaster recovery planning.

My research focuses on how streamflow monitoring in British Columbia can adapt to evolving priorities and questions about water resources. By linking detailed physical and environmental attributes of BC’s watersheds to the information contained in streamflow patterns, I aim to identify monitoring network arrangements that maximize information—to support questions like ecosystem health and infrastructure planning, improve access to water resource data across the province, and build resilience by identifying emerging changes in water resources.

My research focuses on characterizing uncertainties, identifying, and assessing policy options, and quantifying potential air quality co-benefits and trade-offs in decarbonizing maritime transportation. Using expert elicitation, stakeholder analysis, and integrated modeling, I will assess the impacts of decarbonization policies on emissions, air quality, and health for 2030, 2040, and 2050. Additionally, I will investigate disparities in air pollution exposure affecting communities near major Canadian ports, such as Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Montreal, Halifax, and Saint John.

My research focuses on the impact of the urban environment on the coastal ocean. In particular, I am investigating the role of stormwater in transporting organic matter and nutrients from Metro Vancouver to Burrard Inlet. In addition, I am assessing the relative contribution of organic matter from anthropogenic and natural sources to particulate organic matter, which forms the base of the marine food web. I hope that this research contributes to informing stormwater management and ensuring healthy coastal environment across British Columbia, Canada.

The goal of my research is to evaluate the health of ecocultural landscapes within the Salish Sea of British Columbia—ancestral food and resource systems such as camas root gardens and cedar food forests that have been shaped by millennia of sustainable Coast Salish First Nations management. My work focuses on assessing how these ecologically and culturally significant landscapes are cumulatively impacted by interactive anthropogenic threats in the region, particularly the loss of Indigenous stewardship and relational caregiving, and how to use this knowledge to inform effective and just conservation decision-making to revitalize these systems in a values-centered way.

My research focuses on using a cutting-edge molecular technique called environmental DNA, or eDNA, to study the impact of development on nearshore fish communities. This project has been developed and implemented in partnership with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, centred within their ancestral waters of səl̓ilw̓ət, also known as Burrard Inlet. I am hoping to better understand the role that urbanization and development plays in shaping the movements, habitat preferences, and diversity of nearshore fish communities through the use of these non-invasive and novel eDNA methodologies to better inform the management and restoration of nearshore urban areas.

My research focuses on investigating the unique impact of boat-based bear-viewing on grizzly bear activity patterns by using remote camera traps. This study is conducted along the upper Chilko River which falls within the Declared Title Area of the Tŝilhqot’in Nation. Increased ecotourism and waterfront development in this area raises concern regarding its effect on local grizzly bears that require adequate access to the area’s salmon spawning grounds. Results from this research will guide the Tŝilhqot’in National Government’s Nen planning group and provincial authorities in developing regulatory guidelines for sustainable bear-viewing and waterfront transportation in this ecologically sensitive area.

My research focuses on addressing knowledge gaps for a rare BC plant, Bidens amplissima. More than 85% of the global population of this endemic Pacific Northwest wetland species occurs in southwestern BC. Populations of Bidens amplissima are morphologically variable and grow in both freshwater and estuary habitats. By analyzing thousands of genes in hundreds of individuals, I will determine whether populations from different habitats or regions are genetically distinct. I will also test whether morphological differences are caused by environmental differences using a greenhouse experiment. My results will help inform the management and recovery of this species in BC.

My research focuses on the role of repair and reuse as effective waste prevention strategies for end-of-life electronics within a circular economy context. I examine the socio-economic, policy, and industrial dynamics that influence repair and reuse using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methodologies: empirically establishing the economic, behavioral, and sociological factors that impact consumers’ willingness to repair electronics; and tracking the fate of discarded electronics in British Columbia by analyzing pathways through which they are recycled, exported, or landfilled. This research will advance the broader policy debates around fair repair legislation and the right to repair, supporting policymakers with insights and resources to promote sustainable electronic waste management.

My research focuses on uncovering the mechanism(s) linking climate-change induced loss of snowpack to yellow-cedar decline. Yellow-cedar, a culturally and economically significant tree species native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America, is currently experiencing significant climate change-induced decline. It is hypothesized that regional warming is leading to loss of insulating snowpack in yellow-cedar habitats, which exposes their roots to lethal freezing injuries. Yet, the exact nature of these injuries, and the sequence of physiological effects they trigger leading to whole-plant death, remain poorly understood.

My research focuses on understanding the challenges and opportunities that organic vegetable farmers in British Columbia experience when using environmentally sustainable farming practices. First, I will evaluate the financial, personal, and environmental value of sustainable farming practices to support individual decision-making for farmers. Then, I will work with farmers to suggest ways that governments can better support them to take on environmentally sustainable practices. My aim is to support B.C. farmers to grow food for our province in ways that protect environmental health and adapt to the impacts of climate change.