People

Professor of Plant and Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology

This is me. I am particularly interested in understanding the inter-relationships between biology and the flows of energy and nutrients in terrestrial habitats. More information on my research interests is available on my Research page, and on a link in the departmental website.  

My goal as a teacher is to facilitate active, engaged, critical thinking that helps undergraduate students in their developmental transition from being dependent to independent learners. Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigeneity, and Sustainability:  Black lives matter, treating women with dignity matters, Indigenous peoples' rights matter, a guaranteed basic income for all matters, polar bears matter, maple trees matter.... each and every life matters.  One of my central goals as a professor is to help educate and actively promote for fundamental (i.e. radical, second order) systemic change in how society is structured and functions so as to improve the lives of all minorities and the disadvantaged. Personal Land Acknowledgement.

Dominic joined the lab at the end of summer 2022 and is pursuing an arctic-based M.Sc.  He was awarded a Queen's University McLaughlin Fellowship for 2022-2023.

"I am particularly fascinated by climate warming effects on tundra plant community dynamics. My research is focussed on using the long-term experimental greenhouse and nutrient addition plots at Daring Lake to investigate and differentiate the direct and indirect effects of summer warming on characteristic plants in mesic birch hummock tundra communities."

Kira joining our lab in July 2023, and started an M.Sc. student in Sept 2023.  

Provisional thesis title: Soil moisture and nutrient manipulations in a temperate mesic old-field meadow: Which exerts the stronger long-term influence on plant community structure and production?

Kira was awarded a Queen's University Craigie Masters Fellowship for 2024-2025.

Prior to beginning her M.Sc., Kira was our summer work experience program (SWEP) lab and field assistant in 2022, and helped Sarah Gordon with her research, as well as maintaining the Bracken Tract experiment, and assisting Paul out with lots of different tasks.

Dr. Esther Chang is a post-doc for May-July of 2024 who is assisting Paul with writing up a manuscript on pan-Arctic patterns of birch leaf N:P ratios, and their interpretation in the context of regional patterns of birch shrub growth limitation by the availability of N as compared to P or NP co-limitation.

Jenna is an honours thesis undergraduate student from August 2024-April 2025.

Tate is one of our summer work experience program (SWEP) lab and field assistants in 2024, and will help Kira Henders with her research, as well as maintaining the Bracken Tract experiment, and assisting Paul and Dominic with various tasks. 

Terena is one of our summer work experience program (SWEP) lab and field assistants in 2024, and will help Kira Henders with her research, as well as maintaining the Bracken Tract experiment, and assisting Paul and Dominic with various tasks.