Celeste Kieran

Biological Sciences doctoral student in the Faculty of Science

I'm fascinated by historical ecology and the ways we are able to untangle patterns of ecosystem change by looking to the past. My doctoral research examines long-term trends in climate and ecosystem dynamics in the North Pacific Ocean using historical environmental data and archived and archaeological materials, with the Earth to Ocean Research group and SFU's Isotope Archaeology Lab, supervised by Dr. John Reynolds.

I grew up on one of the gulf islands in the Strait of Georgia, but lived on the east coast for 7 years where I worked with a wonderful organization (the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute) on monitoring projects for species-at-risk like the Blanding's Turtle and the Little Brown Myotis bat, and spent a lot of time at the Shubenacadie River learning about estuary systems and grassroots resistance to ecosystem destruction. I completed a double major in Biology and Spanish at Dalhousie University before moving back to the west coast to study the marine ecosystems I grew up surrounded by.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

I knew I wanted to work in the Pacific Northwest and was excited about the possibility of studying marine ecology. Several friends from Nova Scotia had told me great things about my supervisor Dr. John Reynolds and the Earth to Ocean research group, and I sent enough pestering emails that I was welcomed into the Reynolds Lab in 2020.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?

My current research examines ecosystem change on two very different time frames. In the first, I use a fisheries-collected archive of salmon scales from the Skeena Watershed to study patterns of salmon growth and ecosystem conditions and how they relate to climate trends over the last 100 years. In the second, I study coastal and marine ecosystem change throughout the last 5,000 years using isotope analyses of harbour seal and salmon bones from the Central Coast.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

I'm able to devote my time to learning and broadening my perspectives about marine ecology and the relationships between humans and ocean ecosystems. The community in BISC and the Earth to Ocean research group has also been immeasurably supportive, both inside and out of academia.

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.

I'm incredibly grateful and lucky to have been awarded the NSERC CGS-M. This, along with previous funding from POLAR's Northern Scientific Training Program and the Weston Family Award for Northern Research has allowed me to focus my energy on research.

Contact : celeste_kieran@sfu.ca

ADDITIONAL LINKS 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter