Below you will find a sample of research profiles for some of our current NRES graduate students.
Sorour Nasimi (PhD candidate, NRES)
- Master of Environmental Engineering (University of Tehran, Iran)
Supervisor: Dr. Jianbing Li
Dissertation topic: Enhancing water security in rural and remote areas incorporating traditional knowledge
Yihang Zhang (MA, NRES)
- BA, Media Economics and Management (Communication University of China)
- BA, Broadcasting and Television Playwright Directing - TV Editing (Communication University of China)
Supervisor: Dr. Zoë Meletis
Thesis topic: Bringing dinosaurs into the 2020s: considering current visitation and future virtual tourism possibilities for the Tumbler Ridge Museum and Geopark (B.C.)
Email: yihangz@unbc.ca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yihang-zhang
Richard Darko (PhD candidate, NRES)
- BA, Economics (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, 2012)
- MA, Economics (University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, 2016)
- MA, Development Economics (University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, 2019)
- MA, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (Geography) (University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, 2022)
Supervisor: Dr. Greg Halseth
Dissertation topic: Advancing New Regional Industrial Development Pathways: Exploring the Dynamics of Power, Legitimacy, and Institutionalization
Email: darko@unbc.ca
Jhoan Chavez (MSc, NRES)
- BSc, Environmental Engineering (National Agrarian University, La Molina, 2014)
- Environmental Engineer (National Agrarian University, La Molina/CIP, 2018)
Supervisor: Dr. Jianbing Li
Thesis topic: Agricultural Waste Management through Pyrolysis
Som Pun (PhD candidate, NRES)
Supervisor: Dr. Annie Booth
Dissertation topic: Linking Indigenous knowledge through adaptive silvicultural practices & decision-making: Assessment of reforestation objectives & Indigenous self-determination within Treaty 8 Territories, BC, Canada
Nella Hernandez (MSc, NRES)
- BSc (National Agrarian University, La Molina, 2005)
- MBA (Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, 2017)
Supervisor: Dr. Flor Y. Garcia-Becerra & Dr. Greg Halseth
Dissertation topic: Socio-technological adoption of decentralized water systems in northern British Columbia informed by household gender roles
Email: mernande@unbc.ca
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marianella-nella-hernández-2822a981
Bipana Maiya Sadadev (MSc, NRES)
- BSc, Forestry (Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal)
Supervisor: Dr. Heather Bryan
Thesis topic: Conservation of Hog deer (Axis porcinus) via field survey and social survey in Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal
Email: sadadev@unbc.ca
Nisha Mehta (PhD candidate, NRES)
- MEd, Counselling Psychology (University of Western Ontario, 2010)
Supervisor: Dr. Annie Booth
Dissertation topic: Forced Environmental Migration: Tracing unearthed places and its peoples to the Americas
Email: Nmehta@unbc.ca
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/nisha-mehta-m-ed-c-psych-ba87bab2
Lucas Middleton (MA, NRES)
- BA Hons, Sociology & English (St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish NS)
Supervisor: Dr. Jennifer Wigglesworth
Thesis topic: The experience of Canadian national parks as structured by the state
Kaitlyn Raine (MSc, NRES)
- BSc, Environmental Biology (University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, 2021)
Supervisor: Dr. Ché Elkin
Dissertation topic: Investigating the influences of competition by different densities of Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) and site moisture on Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) growth under drought conditions caused by climate change
Halena Scanlon (MNRES)
Supervisor: Dr. Tristan Pearce
Dissertation topic: Pairing Scientific and Inuit Knowledge to Understand Sympatric Populations of Arctic char (Iqalukpik, Salvelinus alpinus) in the Amundsen Gulf, Canada
Email: scanlon@unbc.ca
Zehra Zawawi (PhD candidate, NRES)
- BSc, Geography and Environment (University of London)
- MSc, Sustainable Development (SOAS, University of London)
Supervisor: Dr. Annie Booth & Dr. Sinead Earley
Dissertation topic: Indigenous Food wisdom guiding food policy in BC and beyond
Email: zawawi@unbc.ca
Jemima Duru (PhD candidate, NRES)
- BSc, Geography & Environmental Management (University of Ilorin, Nigeria, 2015)
- MSc, Disaster Management & Resilience (Coventry University, United Kingdom, 2019)
Supervisor: Dr. Annie Booth & Dr. Zoe Meletis
Dissertation topic: Gendered experiences of climate change-induced displacement: exploring agency, resilience, and inequality among displaced women
Email: jduru@unbc.ca
Lucas Macedo Moura (PhD candidate, NRES)
- BSc, Biological Sciences (Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil, 2011)
- MSc, Ecology and Natural Resources (Universidade Federal do Ceará, Brazil, 2014)
Supervisor: Dr. Eduardo Martins
Dissertation topic: Temperature trends and their effects on the abundance and size of fish populations in temperate and tropical lakes
Email: moura@unbc.ca
Cara Snell (PhD candidate, NRES)
- BSc Honours (Thompson Rivers University)
- MSc, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (University of Northern British Columbia)
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Otter
Dissertation topic: Bird and small mammal species composition between novel hardwood retention forest treatment sites in mixed stands
Email: csnell@unbc.ca
Hani Safaei (PhD student, NRES)
- Master of Architectural Engineering (Art University of Isfahan, Iran)
Supervisor: Dr. Mohammad Raoufi
Dissertation topic: Developing a Comprehensive Risk Assessment Framework for Sustainable Construction: Evaluating Its Influence on Project Performance and Safety Outcomes in the Canadian Construction Industry
Email: safaei@unbc.ca
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/hani-safaei
Temitope Olufemi
Graduate student, MSc in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies - Environmental Science (Fall 2023 - present)
Bachelor of Agriculture - Soil Science (Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, 2013)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Theresa Adesanya and Dr. Ron Thring
Thesis topic: Characterizing the Impact of Dry-wet Cycles on Nutrient Fate and Transport in Soils
Email: olufemi@unbc.ca
Ehsan Taghizadeh-Ghoozhdi
PhD Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (Spring 2024 – present)
PhD Meteorology (Institute of Geophysics, University of Tehran, Iran, 2020)
MSc Meteorology (Yazd University, Yazd, Iran, 2010)
BSc Physics (Hakim Sabzevari University, 2007)
Supervisor: Dr. Peter Jackson
Dissertation topic: British Columbia Gap/Outflow Wind Interaction with Coastal Oceanography
Email: taghizade@unbc.ca
Celina Ruan
MSc Natural Resources and Environmental Studies - Environmental Science (May 2024 - present)
BHSc Biochemistry - Biomedical Research (McMaster University, 2024)
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Phil Owens and Dr. Jason Raine
Thesis topic: The effects of climate change (increasing water temperatures and wildifire ash) on salmon development
Email: ruan@unbc.ca