Research

Naturally, research in my York University lab. has evolved since 1990, depending on the interests of myself, students and colleagues at the time. But, there are some broad research areas and themes that keep me coming back. Field research is fun, and you can learn something about what has happened during my career, in my 2014 interview for the People Behind the Science Podcast. Dr. Marie McNeely interviewed me about my life as a research ecologist. I got the chance to tell lots of funny stories about field work, including about my encounters with polar bears.

  • Herbivory - the study of plant herbivore interactions
  • Plant Defences - what do plants do when they cannot escape predation by running away?

My lab. research is mostly based in arctic, sub-arctic and temperate regions:

  • Forests - dynamics
  • Grasslands - ecology

These buzzwords and trendy research topics apply to what we do:

  • Climate Change - impacts on ecosystems
  • Invasive Species - ecology and control

Finally, applied ecological research is expected to be mobilized to policy makers and the broader publics. Some of my research examines the intersection of science with policy and politics. In addition, the explaining science clearly and accessibly is something that I am very concerned about, and I have been writing and blogging about the public understanding of science as well as aiming to be an excellent communicator of science.

  • Science-policy-politics
  • Public Understanding of Science

My interest in what makes science communication excellent, has intersected with my work on Open Access and Institutional Repositories.