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Matthew Mitchellhe/him
I am a Research Associate in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. Broadly, my research focuses on how to manage human-dominated landscapes, specifically agricultural and urban landscapes, for both people and nature. This includes understanding how the arrangement of different land uses and habitats across these areas affects ecosystem services and biodiversity, quantifying and mapping the benefits these landscapes provide to people, and identifying key management actions that can lead to win-win situations for multiple ecosystem services and biodiversity.
I also lead the long-term biodiversity monitoring program at the UBC Farm and am working to develop new tools and approaches to effectively monitor agricultural biodiversity. Finally, I also am a co-instructor for LFS 250, a large second-year course that focuses on understanding food systems and how to make them more sustainable. Download my CV here: matthew_mitchell_cv_20221203.pdf |
Lab Members
Meet our graduate students and undergraduate research assistants!
Aaron Aguirrehe/they
MSc Student
I am a MSc student in the M2L2 and CHANS Labs interested in understanding how urban and agricultural land-use impacts bat abundance and diversity across Metro Vancouver. I have several years of experience working hands-on with wildlife throughout the United States including research projects aimed at the study and conservation of the world’s only flying mammals. For my research, I will be investigating where bats are abundant across the Metro Vancouver region as well as how they are using landscape features across urban and agricultural gradients. It is my hope that this research will be able to inform bat conservation with regards to land development in addition to providing crucial insights on the movement, behavior, and habitat selection of bats as the inevitable spread of white-nose syndrome continues.
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Dan Forresthe/him
MSc-PhD Student
Urbanization is now a leading cause of biodiversity loss, and access to the limited nature and its benefits in cities is inequitably distributed among people. I am a MSc-PhD fast-track student in the M2L2 and CHANS Labs interested in understanding the hidden ways that human activities in cities may undermine nature and its benefits, so that we can change these relationships to make cities more biodiverse and equitable. In my dissertation, I’ll explore the ways that abundant food waste and turf grass lawns may undermine the diversity of birds in Vancouver, using field observations, statistical and conceptual models, and field experiments. I hope that this research will help identify interventions (e.g., private yard meadows, changes to waste bin designs) that disproportionately amplify urban biodiversity. I’ll be working closely with the City of Vancouver to help shape and apply my research and its findings.
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Gabriela Duarteshe/her
Postdoctoral Researcher
Gabriela is a biologist with a PhD in ecology and works as an Ecosystem Services Specialist at Nature Conservancy Canada and as a Researcher at the International Institute for Sustainability. She is a problem-oriented sustainability scientist trained in conservation, landscape planning and environmental management at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. She also completed part of her education at the University of British Columbia. She aims to understand how people can transform social-ecological systems to make them more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. To this end, she conducts modelling and empirical research to improve the management and governance of social-ecological systems. She is particularly interested in the contributions that nature makes to people, including the economic and ecological mechanisms associated with these benefits, nature-based solutions, ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change and landscape resilience.
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Gregory Corperpronouns
Summer Work Learn Student
Urban Bat Biodiversity Research Assistant
I am a third-year undergraduate student studying environmental science and anthropology. I am a work-learn student on Aaron Aguirre’s urban bat ecology project, and very excited to be involved in this research. I am interested in understanding the connections between ecology and culture by integrating social science methods and perspectives into research. Outside of research, I love photography, concerts, camping and skiing.
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Tabitha Vinupronouns
International Work Learn Student
Urban Bat Biodiversity Research Assistant
I am in my last year of my undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Forestry studying Natural Resource Conservation. I have been interested in seeing the effects of forestry and urbanization on wildlife and to see how to manage human-wildlife conflict. I am currently working as a work learn with Aaron Aguirre researching urban bats, which is an amazing opportunity and I am excited to be a part of the team.
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Sandra Gurguispronouns
Summer Work Learn Student
Biodiversity Monitoring Research Assistant
LAB ALUMNI
Graduate Students Laura Super (MITACS Intern) - 2019-2020 Undergraduate Students Julia Taylor - 2021-2022 Neil Saxvik - 2021-2022 Brooke Carlisle - 2021-2022 Jenny Goren - 2021-2022 Timothy Wong - 2022 Maki Watanabe - 2022 Zohreh Rezaie Manesh - 2020–2021 Robin Glover - 2021 Thomas Howey - 2020–2021 Emma Yates - 2020–2021 Leilani Pulsifer - 2020 (supervised with Kristen Walker) Christie Crews - 2020 (supervised with Kristen Walker) Tamara Dolotova - 2020 (supervised with Kristen Walker) Graham Matheson - 2020 Angela Liu - 2019 Katelyn Hengel - 2018–2019 |
Grace Goodingpronouns
Summer Work Learn Student
Biodiversity Monitoring Research Assistant
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