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Meet the Team

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Jasmin’s expertise and leadership in kelp ecology, including experimental, field- and diving-based research are a strong asset to Kelp Rescue’s mandate to restore kelp ecosystems around Vancouver Island. She has led research projects on Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts with a focus on kelp and urchin dynamics.

Dr. Jasmin Schuster

Program Manager​

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Lauren contributes expertise in marine community ecology, researching responses to disturbance in ecosystems, and restoration field management. She also has extensive experience with scientific diving and planning deep-sea oceanographic cruises.

Dr. Lauren Dykman

Kelp Restoration Science Lead
Postdoctoral Fellow, KRI & UVic

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Connie is an elder from the Pune'luxutth Tribe and brings a love for the culture and traditions of all first peoples. With more than 20 years of commercial fishing she has a true love for coastal communities and restoring a healthy ocean. Connie brings experience from working with DFO and Arts & Culture within the Chemainus Valley.

Connie Crocker (Xwulsiim)

First Nations Liaison

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Carolyn has spent the last five years working in ocean education, research, and monitoring. She is excited to be able to apply her background in marine ecology, scientific diving, and boat operating to tackling local kelp conservation.

Carolyn McKinnon

Assistant Kelp Culture Technician

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Brian is leading multiple KRI projects focusing on historical changes to kelp distribution and the potential ecological benefits of restoration in the Salish Sea. He is a National Geographic Explorer with an MSc in remote sensing, currently working on his PhD with Prof. Baum.

Brian Timmer

Historical Ecology/Kelp Restoration
PhD Student, Baum Lab, UVic

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With more than 20 years experience leading conservation-relevant ocean science research, Julia brings her broad expertise in marine ecology, data synthesis, EDI and climate change impacts and solutions to the initiative.

Dr. Julia Baum

Scientific Advisor
Professor, President's Chair, UVic

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Alex has a diverse background in scientific project management, laboratory operations and fieldwork. She has developed her skills through various positions in aquatic research ranging from stock assessment biologist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, to algae culture technician at Nova Harvest.

Alexandria Niese

Operations Manager

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Lauren has an MSc in marine resource management and has broad field experience managing diving and boating operations around the world.

Lauren Shea

Research Technician/AERF Project Manager

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Romina is a marine ecologist specializing in the distribution and population dynamics of ecosystem engineers, including bull kelp and intertidal mussels. Her research integrates in-situ field monitoring with statistical and mechanistic modeling to explore how species interact with and respond to their changing environments.

Dr. Romina Barbosa

Broughton Area Kelp Conservation
Postdoctoral Fellow, BMSC, UVic

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Jordan is a postdoc in Greg Owens’ lab at the University of Victoria, where he is studying the conservation genomics of kelp. His research interests include population genomics, molecular ecology, and biogeography.

Dr. Jordan Bemmels

Population Genomics
Postdoctoral Fellow, Owens Lab, UVic

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Sean brings more than 25 years of experience leading research in population persistence and adaptation to environmental change. His particular focus is in marine fishes, including pacific salmon.

Dr. Sean Rogers

Scientific Advisor
BMSC Director, Professor, UCalgary

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Clay has an M.Sc in invasive species ecology and has previously studied reproduction in intertidal macroalgae. He brings a professional background in lab management, research coordination, and science communication.

S. Clay Steell

Restoration and Nursery Technician

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Maisie brings a diverse, interdisciplinary research background, ranging from chemistry and engineering to seaweed development and cultivation. At Kelp Rescue, she carries out fundamental biological research and develops new innovations to support the sustainable scale-up of restoration efforts.

Maisie Roy-Musor

Kelp Culturing and Innovation Technician

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Tessa (she/her) is a Master's student working in partnership with the Kelp Rescue Initiative and supported by NSERC. Her research focuses on mapping urchin distributions and testing strategies to mitigate herbivory to enhance active kelp forest restoration in British Columbia.

Tessa Rehill

Sea Urchin and Kelp Interactions
MSc Student, Baum Lab, UVic

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Matt (he/him) completed his Bachelor of Engineering and Biosciences in 2020, during which he developed strong quantitative, statistical, and programming/modeling skills. Pursuing his love for the ocean, he joined the Baum lab shortly after, where as a PhD candidate he uses these skills to develop species distribution models for kelp taxa found throughout BC.

Matthew Csordas

Kelp Species Distribution Modeling
PhD Student, Baum Lab, UVic

KRI Collaborators

Dr. Maycira Costa

Broughton Area Kelp Conservation
Professor, UVic

Dr. Gregory Owens

Genomics
Assistant Professor, UVic

Dr. Patrick Martone

Kelp Thermal Performance
Professor, UBC

Amanda Zielinski

Collaborator & Dive Contractor,
Hornby Island Diving

Dr. Natalia Bercovich

Genomics
Research Associate,
Rieseberg Lab, UBC

Varoon P. Supratya

Kelp Thermal Performance
PhD Student,
Martone Lab, UBC

Rob Zielinski

Collaborator & Dive Contractor,
Hornby Island Diving

Dr. Eric Gonzalez Segovia

Genome Assembly
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Rieseberg Lab, UBC

Dr. Samuel Starko

Project Advisor
Forrest Research Fellow,
Wernberg Lab, UWA

Dr. Loren Rieseberg

Genomics
Killam Professor, UBC

Dr. Fernando Hernandez

Historical Genomics
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Rieseberg Lab, UBC

Hannah Schriber

Dive Coordinator,
Assistant Diving and Safety Officer,
BMSC

Former Members

Grace Melchers 

Hannah Charness

Dr. Nora Salland

Dr. Chris Neufeld

Allison Dummel

Emma Hancock

Cammie Good

Avril Hahn

Alexandra Wiebe

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The Kelp Rescue Initiative is a project of the Western Canadian Universities Marine Sciences Society, a not-for-profit, registered Canadian charity (number 119293041RR0001). 100% of proceeds go directly to funding kelp conservation and restoration.

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