[Google Scholar Profile]

Associate Prof. U of T - Daniels Forestry. 2019 - present
Associate Prof. UdeM - Sciences biologiques 2016 - 2019
Assistant Prof. UdeM - Sciences biologiques. 2011 - 2016
Killam Post-Doc. U of A - Biological Sciences. 2009 - 2011
Ph.D. U of T - Forestry. 2009
B.Sc. U of T - Zoology. 2002

Patrick completed his BSc and PhD from the University of Toronto and undertook a post-doc at the University of Alberta. After several years working at the Univeriste de Montreal, he returned Daniels Forestry at the UofT. His varied research interests include interactions among forest disturbances, insect outbreaks, wildfire, spatial genetic consequences of outbreaking populations, landscape genetics, and community ecology. When not in the office Patrick can be found making PB&J sandwiches for his two daughters or checking Strava for PRs on his most recent bike ride.

JP has a BSc in biological sciences and a MSc in zoology from the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brazil, and a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of Toronto, Canada. JP is keen on the evolutionary mechanisms that are involved in diversification, distribution patterns, and adaptation. JP is interested in identifying genetic and genomic patterns of ecological and evolutionary differentiation, also focusing in phylogeography and biogeography. As part of the James lab, JP uses molecular, bioinformatic, and simulation tools to examine the spatial and temporal eco-evolutionary consequences of cyclic irruptive population dynamics. When not in the lab, JP spends his time between retro gaming, enjoying a nice espresso and/or beer, and zipping around on his bike (when not feeding his fluffy cat).

JP’s research is funded by a CANSSI / Ontario Genomics Postdoctoral Fellowship in Genome Data Science

More on JP’s work can be found here

Kate has a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience and PhD from the University of Sydney, Australia. She is passionate about using population genetics and genomics to investigate changing genetic dynamics for the purposes of improving conservation outcomes for species and ecosystems. In the James Lab, Kate is working on investigating spatial and temporal population dynamics to manage outbreaking insect species. Outside of the lab, Kate is an amateur trombonist and fibre artist.

My lifelong passion for insects, plants, trees, and forests has been the driving force behind my academic and professional journey. It all began with my Ph.D. studies at the University of Tehran in 2012, under the guidance of esteemed mentors Dan Simberloff, Reza Marvi-e-Mohadjer, and Lutz Eckstein. There, I delved deep into the intricacies of Oriental beech forest ecosystems, laying the foundation for my career in academia.

Throughout my career spanning from 2006 to 2018, I have had the privilege of working in diverse forest ecosystems across the globe, including Mangrove, Sub-tropical, Arid, Mediterranean, and Temperate forests. However, it was in 2018, during my first visit to Boreal forests, that I experienced an undeniable connection with these remarkable ecosystems. Since then, my focus has shifted towards understanding historical ecology, dendrochronology, and fire ecology in the Canadian Boreal Forest. As a member of the James lab, I am dedicated to investigating the impacts of climate change on disturbance regimes within boreal forests. I am particularly fascinated by the resilience of boreal vegetation and its ability to adapt to the ever-evolving environmental challenges.

Co-supervised with Marie-Josée Fortin (EEB; UofT)

Niamh has a Bachelor of Environmental Management from the University of Guelph and a Masters in Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto. Her current research focuses on the landscape and genetic connectivity of turtle populations in southern Ontario. She is curious about how historical habitat legacies shape genetic structure in long-lived species and hopes her research contributes to their conservation.

Niamh’s work is supported by an OGS scholarship

Co-supervised with Marie-Josée Fortin (EEB; UofT)

Jack has a BSc in Forest Conservation Science from the University of Toronto and an MSc in Biology from Concordia University. His research interests are centered around the temporal dynamics of cumulative forest disturbances and their associated impacts on boreal forest ecosystem structure and function. Specifically, how the types, characteristics, and patterns of single and multiple interacting disturbance events structure ecosystem trajectories and resilience to future disturbances.

Jack’s research is funded by an NSERC PGSD and the NSERC / Canada Wildfire Strategic Network

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Kennedy completed her BSc in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Human Biology at the University of Toronto. She has experience as a Fire Ranger in Northwestern Ontario which provides her with practical knowledge on fire behaviour and management in Ontario. Her PhD investigates the structural fuel changes following a spruce budworm outbreak and how these changes affect wildfire behaviour.

Kennedy's work is funded by an NSERC CGS Scholarship and the NSERC / Canada Wildfire Strategic Network

Co-supervised with Brian Leung at McGill University

Morgane has a BSc in Biology from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and a MSc in Marine Conservation from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland). Her work has transitioned from the marine ecosystem to the boreal forest and she is now studying the spatial outbreak dynamics of the spruce budworm. Her goal is to develop spatial models using demographic, environmental, and phenological data to investigate how environmental context and dispersal drive the spatial spread of spruce budworm outbreaks.

Morgane’s research is funded by a FRQNT PhD Scholarship and an FRQNT Team Grant

Nick earned his BS in Forestry from the University of Idaho (USA) and a MS in Biology from Texas A&M – Kingsville (TAMUK) (USA). He is certified in GIS from TAMUK and as an Associate Ecologist with the Ecological Society of America. He has spent many seasons in the field where he was a certified tree climber. In his work with the James Lab, Nick is focused on modelling wildfire and defoliator interactions in Canada’s eastern boreal forests under climate change.

Léo has a BSc in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Toronto. He is currently working on his MScF in the James Lab, where he is devising methods for analyzing fuel structure attributes from point clouds of forests collected using Terrestrial LiDAR Scanners. These new methods will help him investigate the impact of jack pine budworm outbreaks on fire behaviour in Ontario’s boreal forest. When not busy writing code, he is either cooking or thinking about the next thing he is going to cook. 

Léo’s work is funded by an NSERC PGS-M Scholarship

Sophia has a BSc from the University of Toronto in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Biology. For her MScF, she is analyzing within year patterns of dispersal and genetic connectivity in spruce budworm populations in eastern Canada to better characterize outbreak dynamics . In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, making beaded jewelry, and attempting to grow seasonal vegetables.

Jessica completed a double major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity and Conservation Major with a minor in Psychology at the University of Toronto. In the James lab, she has assisted in the summer community outreach project trapping Spongy Moths across Ontario. Currently, she is working on her MScF thesis and using a large scale and long-term SBW genetic dataset to quantify changes in genetic differentiation and effective population size over an outbreak cycle.

Samuel is in his third year of undergraduate studies in forest conservation science and mathematics at the University of Toronto. He spent last summer with a megaplot recensus crew in Haliburton, and before that he was a trail steward in New Jersey. Right now, Samuel is helping with the development of structural equation models to determine the link between spruce budworm defoliation and forest fire severity. His research goal is to use abstract math to better model and understand forest disturbances and tree physiology. Outside of his studies, Samuel also enjoys playing and listening to live music.

Post-Docs
Franck Gandiaga - Post Doc @ University of Picardie Jules Verne
Sophie Wilkinson - Assistant Professor @ SFU
Jonas Hamberg - Researcher @ Credit Valley Conservation Authority
Amanda Xuereb - Post Doc @ U. Laval, Quebec City
Jeremy Larroque - Post Doc @ University of Göttingen , Germany
Marion Germain - Post Doc @ Sheffield, UK
Louis-Etienne Robert - CFS Research Scientist
Colin Garroway - Assistant Professor @ University of Manitoba
Ronan Marrec - Assistant Professor @ University of Picardie Jules Verne

Graduate Students
Doriana Romualdi (MScF) - Analyst - ApexRMS
Julian Wittische (PhD) - Data scientist @ the Luxembourg National Museum of Natural History
Mathieu Landry (PhD. Co-directed with S. Kembel, UQAM) - Data scientist @ IQVIA
Jennifer Sauri (MSc. Co-directed with L. Perez - UdeM)
Dominique Caron (MSc)
Paul Mayrand (MSc)
Olivier Pontbriand-Paré (MSc)

Charlotte Grieve (MFC 2023)
Arun Josuwa (MFC 2022)
Callum Guppy (MFC 2022)
Shraddha Vadgama (MFC 2022)
Verna Valliere (MFC 2021)
Julia Fang (MFC; 2020)
Zhimo Fang (MFC; 2020)
Ana Kostic (MFC; 2019)
Jiarong Zhang (MFC; 2019)
Yichao Zhou (MFC; 2019)

Summer students
Emily Jones (2023)
Jessica Underwood (2023)
Léo Jourdan (UTEA UGRA 2023)
Léo Jourdan (NSERC UGRA 2022)
Hermine Septier (Field Assistant /Int’l intern; 2022)
Enzo Recchia (Field Assistant /Int’l intern; 2022)
Elaine Liu (Research assistant; 2022)
Shraddhaben Vadgama (MFC intern; 2022)
Doriana Romualdi (NSERC UGRA 2021)
Julia Fang (MFC intern; 2020)
Zhimo Fang (MFC intern; 2020)
Doriana Romualdi (Research assistant; 2020)
Caitlin Tejowinoto (Research assistant; 2020)
Cheng Ji (NSERC UGRA; 2017
Raphaëlle Grondin (Research assistant; 2017)
Anais Boa (NSERC UGRA; 2016)
Roger-Micheal Deschènes (Research assistant; 2015)
Chloé Fredette (Research assistant; 2015)
Marie-Line Buteau (NSERC UGRA; 2015)
Soufiane Tahir (NSERC UGRA; 2014)
Camille Marier-Desroches (NSERC UGRA; 2014)
Élise St.-Pierrre (Lab assistant; 2014)
Elsa Le (Lab assistant; 2014)
Paul Mayrand (Lab assistant; 2014)
Olivier Pontbriand-Paré (Field assistant; 2014)
Guillaume Beaulieu-Pelletier (Field assistant; 2014)
Stéphanie Berthiaume (Field assistant; 2014)
Félix Massé (Field assistant; 2013)

Visiting Researchers
Daiana Tourne (PhD student; Brazil; 2018
Helena Ruiz Carbayo (PhD Student; CREAF, Spain; 2017
Arnald Marcer (Researcher - CREAF, Spain; 2016
Patricia Sanae Suji (PhD Student; Brazil; 2015

Lab Technicians
Paul Piascik
Jade Canape
Julie Marleau
Simone Périnet
Mathieu Neau

Undergraduate Volunteers
Yasmin Radisch (2024)
Daniel Lowe (2024)
Jacob Klimczak - 2023
Rakshan Balachandran - 2022
Esther Chee - 2021
Caitlin Tejowinoto - 2019, 2020
Mathidle Léonard - 2019
Salomé Bouskila - 2019
Xiao Ju - 2016, 2017, 2018
Cheng Ji - 2017
David Touchette - 2015
Antoine Asselin-Nguyen - 2015
Alexandrine Larson-Dupuis - 2015
Roger-Micheal Deschènes - 2015
Chloé Frédette - 2015
Elsa Le - 2014
Sandrine Harrison - 2014
Helene Mbaididje - 2014
Stéphanie Berthiaume - 2014
Mélanie Poirier - 2014
Olivier Pontbriand-Paré - 2014, 2013
Emmanuelle Batisse - 2013
Karyna Alexeyeva - 2012
Laurent Alflalo - 2012
Axelle Bono - 2012
Melissa Goepfert - 2012

Lab retreat to KSR, November 2023