MEOPAR Research Team

Liette Vasseur

Liette Vasseur is a full professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Brock University where she is a member of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre. She holds the UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability. Her research is interdisciplinary and links issues such as community-based ecosystem management, climate change adaptation and resilience, and sustainable agriculture. Her climate change adaptation research has led her to the rural community of Lincoln. In Chimborazo, Ecuador, she focuses on ecosystem-based adaptation of rural native communities. She is the President of the Canadian Commission UNESCO and vice-chair for North America of the Commission for Ecosystem Management – IUCN.

Meredith Caspell

Contact:
md18gp@brocku.ca

Meredith Caspell is a Master of Sustainability Candidate in the Sustainability Science and Society program at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. She obtained her BSc in Environmental Sciences at the University of Calgary. Meredith worked as an Environmental Scientist in Calgary, Alberta for nearly five years. At Brock, she is part of the research team working on a climate change adaptation project seeking to co-generate adaptation strategies with the Town of Lincoln, Ontario. Her research focuses on visualizing the evolution of the shoreline as a knowledge mobilization tool to increase community engagement and action.

Bradley May

Contact:
bmay@brocku.ca

Bradley May is an Adjunct Professor with the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. He is the post-doctoral researcher on the MEOPAR climate project looking at shoreline vulnerability, resilience and adaption planning in the Town of Lincoln, Niagara Region. In 2018, He received his PhD from the Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo. His research interests are focused on leadership theory as it applies to community climate change adaptation. Prior to this, he was a Program Manager for the Adaptation and Impacts Research Division, Environment Canada.

Sam Gauthier

Contact:
sg19kv@brocku.ca

Sam Gauthier studied her undergraduate degree at Nipissing University and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. During that time she also completed a Forest Resource Management and Conservation certificate and her passion for the environment and conservation grew. She is now working towards a Masters in Sustainability Science Degree at Brock University, and is currently working on a research project with Dr. Liette Vasseur. Her research focus is related to the application of ecosystem-based adaptation strategies in coastal communities and its contributions towards protecting the biodiversity of shorebirds in the Greater Niagara Region.

Pulkit Garg

Contact:
pg18ic@brocku.ca

Pulkit Garg is a Master of Sustainability Candidate in the Sustainability Science and Society program at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. He has a B.Tech in Food Technology and Management from NIFTEM, India where he was also involved with the farmers and rural communities in developing solutions to their problems. At Brock, he is part of the research team working on a climate change adaptation project seeking to co-generate adaptation strategies with the Town of Lincoln, Ontario. His research is focused on examining the opportunities for adaptation to climate change for the agricultural system.

Jocelyn Baker

Jocelyn is a research assistant with the UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global. She holds an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and Geography, with a diploma in Water Resource Management and GIS. She recently completed a Masters in Sustainability Science at Brock, looking at governance and management in Canadian Ramsar sites. She has been working in integrated natural resource conservation at the local community level in Niagara for the past 30 years. Jocelyn’s early career focus was water quality improvement through the implementation of restoration Best Management Practices, her focus evolved to include Great Lakes remediation and restoration project management.  As a Project Management Professional (PMP), she is the Canadian Co-chair of the Niagara River Binational Ramsar Designation Steering Committee, working to secure a transboundary Ramsar designation for the Niagara River.

Alex Marino

Alex Marino is a current Masters of Climate Change student at the University of Waterloo. He is working alongside Dr. May in developing a social network analysis as well as social resilience indicators to build adaptation in LincoIn, Ontario. In 2017, he received his Bachelor of Science degree from Nipissing University in Environmental Science and Physical Geography with specializations in Geomatics, Remote Sensing and Environmental Management. His research interests focus on building adaptation and resilience along shorelines as well as the development of social resilience indicators for shoreline communities.