People
Group Leader
Karen E. Kohfeld, Professor, Earth System Science. Dr. Kohfeld received her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences at Columbia University (New York) and then spent seven years as a researcher in Europe (Lund University, Sweden, and Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany). After a brief return to the USA as an assistant professor at Queens College in New York City, she joined the School of Resource and Environmental Management as a Canada Research Chair (II) in Climate, Resources, and Global Change (2006-2017), and joined the School of Environmental Science (1/4 appointment) in 2019. She is currently director and professor in the School of Environmental Science, and professor and head of the Climate, Oceans, and Paleo-Environments (COPE) Laboratory in the School of Resource and Environmental Management.
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Current Students
Doctoral Students
Ellie Simpson (2015-present), Doctoral Student, M.S., University of Reading, Reading, UK. Ellie has joined the COPE lab in Fall, 2015, to investigate the variability in coastal ocean acidification in the northern parts of the Strait of Georgia.
Masters Students
Laura Mackey, MRM (thesis) candidate (2021-present) Uncovering the impact of cliamte oscillations on moder tree-ring oxygen isotope records in southwest British Columbia.
Abby McCarthy, MRM (thesis) candidate (2021-present). Blue carbon dynamis of tidal marshes on the Canadian Pacific Coast.
Cassandra Pereira, MRM (thesis) candidate (2021-present) Climate and fire behavior in the Skagit Valley of southern British Columbia over the past 10,000 years.
Mackenzie Skuce, MRM (thesis), 2022-present. Using diatom assemblages to understand marine productivity dynamics in the Southern Ocean.
COPE Laboratory Alumni
Graduate Students
Dr. Joe Bailey, Ph.D. 16, Investigating the spatial correlations between wind and precipitation variability in the Pacific Northwest, and their implications for renewable energy usage. Current Position: Data Science Manager, BBC, UK
Celeste Barlow, MRM '17. B.Sc., Historical changes in fire activity in Garry Oak ecosystems on the Gulf Islands, BC. Current Position: BC Agricultural Land Commission.
Hasini Basnayake, MRM (thesis) '22. Evidence-based approaches to estimating carbon storage in Boundary Bay and British Columbia
Brian Bylhouwer, MRM 12. Historical changes in upwelling winds off the coast of Vancouver Island. Current position: Air Quality Specialist, Stantec, Halifax, NS.
Stephen Chastain, MRM '17. Carbon cycling in coastal salt marshes on Vancouver Island. Current position: Air Pollution Specialist at California Air Resources Board Climate Investments Branch
Ben Cross, MRM '14, Impacts of wind speed variability in relation to hydro-electric reservoir inflows on wind power in the Pacific Northwest. Current position: Water Stewarship Office, BC Provincial Government.
Carolyn Duckham, MRM '13, Impact of ocean acidification and lime addition on Pacific oyster larvae.
Maggie Duncan, MRM (thesis) '22. Climate and fire behavior of Metro Vancouver watersheds in the past 10,000 years.
Maija Gailis, MRM '20. Quantifying Blue Carbon for the largest salt marsh in southern British Columbia
Brad Griffin, MRM '10. Historical changes in wind speed behavior in the Lower Mainland. Current position: Executive Director, Canadian Energy and Emissions Data Centre (CEEDC), SFU.
Jacob Jones, MRM (thesis) '22. Reconstructing sea ice in the SW Pacific Ocean during the last 130,000 years. Current Position: Ph.D. student, University of Calfornia Los Angeles.
Ben Hudson, MRM '19. Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of Forest Restoration following Severe Disturbance Events. Current Position: Forest Carbon Modeler at Canadian Forest Service.
Ross McCarter, MRM'18. Changes in surface wind speed behavior during drought periods in the mid-continental USA. Current Position: Keystone Environmental.
Aimee McGowan, MRM '18. Blue carbon cycling in eelgrass ecosystems on the Pacific Coast of Canada. Current Position: Land Use Planner, BC Agricultural Land Commission.
Evie Morin, MRM'20, Identifying commonalities between narrative accounts and biophysical data surrounding oyster mortality events in the Strait of Georgia.
John Morra, MRM '21, Characterizing microplastic pollution in aquatic sediments from southwestern British Columbia, Canada
Sinead Murphy, MRM (Planning) '16. 5000-year fire history in the Strait of Georgia lowlands, southwestern British Columbia. Current Position: Senior Project Manager, Circular Economy and Innovation, City of Toronto.
Willem Peters, MRM '19. Assessing microplastic contamination in sand lance habitat in the Salish Sea.
Victoria Postlethwaite, MRM '18. Blue carbon cycling in eelgrass ecosystems on the Pacific Coast of Canada. Current Employment: Fisheries and Oceans, Canada).
Christie Spry, MRM '13, Understanding changes in extreme storm and precipitation behavior in the Pacific Northwest using historical and proxy tree ring data. Current Position: Senior Environmental Assessment Coordinator, Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Liz (Sutton) Sarioglu, MRM '11 (Planning). Hydrometeorological influences on debris flows in Chilliwack, BC. Current employment: Manager of Land-Use Planning, BC Agricultural Land Commission.
Dr. Tommy Rodengen, MRM '09, PhD 2019 (Simulating effects of liquid CO2 injection in the global ocean using the GENIE model; Historical changes in carbon storage in lakes from parks in western Canada)
LA Stavroff, MS 14, Royal Roads University. Multistressor effects of temperature and elevated CO2 concentrations on larval development in the purple Pacific sea urchin. Current employment: Maxxam Analytics.
Undergraduate Students
Celeste Barlow (2010-2011). NSERC USRA, elemental analysis of carbon
Hasini Basnayake (2018-2019). Blue carbon data compilation
Jessica Fickell (2013). Sediment processing
Minjoo Kang (2011-2012). Sediment processing
Helen Lee (2012-2013). Sediment processing
Brad Lute (2013-2014) (NSERC USRA recipient) Sediment processing and tree ring sample preparation
Brett Marchant (2011-2013), Sediment processing, ocean acidification experiments with Pacific oysters
Jerry Mo (2007-2008). Meteorological data analysis
Lauren Rebar (2007-2008). Foraminifera guru
Britt Rogers (2007-2008), COPE lab charter member. Able to drop Swagelok into normal conversation.
Hafsa Salihue (2011-2013), Ocean acidification experiments with Pacific oysters.
Jasleen Singh (2013), Computer Science, SFU, Sediment processing and foraminifera identification.
Kinson Yu (2009-2010) Microfossil identification and weighing.
High School Interns
COPE Lab Charter Members Britt Rogers and Karen Kohfeld worked with High School Students Lea Lewis (far right) and Marie Lane (to the left of Lea) in the primordial version of the COPE laboratory in Summer, 2007. They were among the first lab members to process sediment samples, spending countless hours in front of the microscope identifying planktonic foraminifera and washing mud through screens.
