Andrew D.F. Simon

I am a PhD candidate in the Spribille Lab at the University of Alberta with research ongoing in ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ / Amiskwacîwâskahikan / Treaty 6 territories (northern central Alberta), and within the territories of the leey’qsu, lekwungen, lhaq’temish, musqueam, pune’luxutth’, quw’utsun’, shts’um’inus, squamish, tsleil-waututh, snuneymuhw, tla’amin, tsawwassen, and W̱SÁNEĆ nations (southern coastal British Columbia).

My investigations harness a variety of methods to analyse the processes underlying biodiversity change at multiple scales. Toward this end, I study a great diversity of organisms, linking ecological theory with field studies and experiments to improve understanding of the trait-environment relationships that underlie niche dynamics in space and time.

Presently, my PhD research focuses on the fascinating worlds of lichens and the physiological dynamics of symbioses under stress.

More practically, I contribute to the synthesis and curation of baseline biodiversity data supporting long-term ecological research, and apply ecological and genomic approaches to inform the conservation of endangered species. As an advocate for community science, I have a special interest in the development of frameworks supporting a networked, community-based approach to biodiversity research and monitoring. This work began with the Biodiversity Galiano project and continues through the organization I co-founded with friends and colleagues: the Institute for Multidisciplinary Ecological Research in the Salish Sea (IMERSS).