Memorial University Christine Knott Postdoctoral Fellow (WP9) Dr. Christine Knott is a post-doctoral fellow with the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) in the Department of Geography at Memorial University, working with Module M3 – Social License and Planning in Coastal Communities. Her research expertise aims to develop a better understanding of the current gendered and racialized labour processes within the aquaculture and seafood processing industries and their dynamics within communities and workplaces. These explorations allow Dr. Knott to investigate the significance of the interactions among resource dependent communities, government policies, global corporate capitalism, ecological and economic mobility regimes, and animal enclosure and commodification. Dr. Knott will be affiliated with FOCI Work Package 9, Inclusion, social justice and equity in urban and rural coastal communities.

Memorial University Alexandria Major Research Assistant (WP1) Alexandria is a Research Assistant II with Future Ocean and Coastal Infrastructures (FOIC) at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her research focuses on fishing vessel safety and in particular aiming to improve and reduce the environmental footprint of marine vehicles by design and operation. She completed her masters in engineering (M.Eng) in Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering at Memorial University. Her masters area of research involved investigating the manual performance and usability of emergency signalling devices for cold maritime environments. From her research she authored a paper in the journal of Applied Ergonomics titled " Investigating manual performance when using push buttons following cold water hand immersion." She was a Teaching Assistant at Memorial University for the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science during her masters program in which she was a TA for a variety of engineering undergraduate courses in the department of Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering. She completed her undergraduate degree in engineering at Memorial University where she had the opportunity to work abroad in Hamburg, Germany and London, England for some of her co-operative engineering placements. Her fields of interests are safety engineering, offshore structures and arctic engineering.

Memorial University Finbar Hefferon Research Assistant (IWP3) More to come.

Yolande Pottie-Sherman Co-investigator (WP9) Dr. Yolande Pottie-Sherman is an Assistant Professor in Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a specialist in the study of urban geography and Canadian immigration policy, with a focus on new immigrant destinations. In the last 6 years she has authored 11 peer-reviewed articles on migration, including in in top-ranked geography and migration studies journals Geoforum (a leading human geography journal, 5-Year Impact Factor 3.6), and in the highest ranked migration studies journals: International Migration Review, Migration Studies, and the Journal of International Migration and Integration. She co-leads the Adaptive Cities & Engagement (ACE) Space, a research lab promoting social justice and inclusivity in small cities.

Memorial University Pratyusha Akunuri Research Assistant (IWP1) More to come.

Memorial University Jennifer Nicole Brenton Doctoral Candidate (WP7) Pierrette Janes (she/her) is a Master’s of Science in Geography student at Memorial University’s campus in St. John’s, NL, and is co-supervised by Dr. Carissa Brown and Dr. Joel Finnis. Pierrette is from the beautiful, nature-filled province of New Brunswick where she spent most of her childhood exploring local forests. After completing her Bachelor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Leadership from the University of New Brunswick, Pierrette’s interest in forests led her to a position as Stewardship Coordinator for the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, working closely with local conservationists to protect, monitor and restore some of New Brunswick’s unique natural spaces. Pierrette’s research with FOCI will focus on climate smart trees and urban forests as a potential nature-based climate solutions in coastal communities in Newfoundland.

Memorial University Robert Ndum Research Assistant (WP8) Robert Ndum is a Graduate student in the Faculty of Medicine under the Division of Community Health and Humanities, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Robert completed his Undergraduate in Physiology in Nigeria and is distinctly among the first generation Bachelor’s degree holders in his family. Upon completion of his Undergraduate, Robert spent about 2 years working as Lab assistant in a Hospital setting. While engaged as Lab assistant, Robert realized so many gaps and lacuna at organizational levels and in the workplace; and the need for a safe and healthy working environment, and was driven towards Public health systems and policies that support work safety and work-related injury. This drive Robert shares was further informed after he lost his Uncle who was an Oncologist to Cancer. Robert research interests are in the areas of Organizational Health and Safety; Implementation of Public health systems and Policies; and Cancer. Robert works as Research Assistant under Dr Kim Cullen in the SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research and is currently conducting research on “Return to Work after work injury or illness: Challenges for the Marine and Coastal workers in Atlantic Canada”. Through this research Robert is passionate in conducting comprehensive literature reviews; preparing research reports, manuscripts and publications and in the long-run towards actively addressing key challenges for marine and coastal workers in Atlantic Canada particularly access to Health-care and Insurance.

Nancy Dahn Co-investigator (IWP4) Dr. Nancy Dahn, F.R.S.C., is a University Research Professor at the School of Music, Memorial University. Her expertise is in violin performance and, with her ensemble Duo Concertante, she has performed over 600 recitals throughout North America, Europe and China, recorded 12 acclaimed commercial CDs one of which won a JUNO and three of which won ECMAs, and commissioned over 65 new Canadian works. She is also the founder and Co-Artistic Director of the chamber music festival The Tuckamore Festival which recently celebrated its 19th season. With Duo Concertante, she has been the impetus for many interdisciplinary collaborations including projects with Vincent Ho (Maples and the Stream), Chan Ka Nin (Late in a Slow Time), Andrew Staniland (The Ocean is Full of its own Collapse) and has a proven track record of bringing to life new works of art which combine music and dramas supported by strong artistic vision, careful planning and fundraising, and skillful execution. Committed to outreach, she has also performed for over 3000 school age children across NL in a program focusing on mental illness, marginalization and disability, as well as in Germany through the Rhapsody in School program. Dr. Dahn’s primary role in the FOCI’s IWP4 will be as violinist performer in the dramatic musical work created by playwright Robert Chafe and composer Randolph Peters.

Memorial University Jacopo Fragasso Postdoctoral Fellow (WP1) More to come.

Dalhousie University Gillian Kerr Postdoctoral Fellow (WP6) Dr. Gillian Kerr joined the Dalhousie team in August 2020. She will be coordinating the work of the Rural Futures Research Centre and training and supervising students. She will also be working with the FOCI Work Package 6 team on collecting and disseminating research on the climate change perceptions across Atlantic Canada. She is also adjunct faculty at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC where she teaches environmental and ecological economics for decision-making. She recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University in the RESNET research group on ecosystem service research and application across Canada. Her doctoral thesis, “Market-Based Approaches for Environmental Governance: Exploring the Implementation Gap in Alberta” explored governance issues that have impeded that application of MBIs for environmental objectives in Alberta. Her research interests include ecosystem services theory and application for sustainable communities, and the application of ecological economics to enhance sustainable futures. She has recently moved to Halifax from Edmonton, Alberta.

Shameem Islam Co-investigator (WP1) Dr. Shameem Islam has over nineteen years of experience in the fields of marine, offshore and arctic engineering with technical expertise in both physical and numerical modelling, particularly for harsh environmental conditions. Dr. Islam has carried out various ocean and naval architectural engineering-related research and development projects throughout his career, focusing mainly on numerical modelling of ships and propulsion hydrodynamics and acoustics. Dr. Islam’s current research interest includes ice-waves-structure interactions modelling and marine propulsion and noise measurements and modelling. Dr. Islam’s research work has been disseminated through more than ninety publications and presentations at various international journals and conferences, including several editions of the SNAME Transactions, RINA Transactions, ISP, OE, JNAME, JSR, JSDP, and OMAE Journals. Dr. Islam is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE) and the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland (PEGNL). In addition, Dr. Islam is a member of the Government of Canada interdepartmental working group of Ocean Noise and represents Transport Canada in the international Cooperative Ship Research (CRS) initiatives. Dr. Islam has completed his Doctoral research at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2008. Dr. Islam is co-investigator in Work Package 1: “Improving safety and environmental footprints of marine vehicles by design and operation.”

Joel Finnis Lead (WP2, IWP2) Dr. Joel Finnis is an associate professor with the Department of Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Originally trained in the Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, his interests have gradually expanded from climate dynamics and machine learning applications to include research at the intersection of the natural and social sciences. Recent efforts include development of novel hazard climatologies; analyses of marine forecast application, communication, and implementation; and critical reviews of climate perception research. His work is currently used to inform climate adaption efforts in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is central to a provincial adaptation training program (Building Climate Resilience). With Drs. Ron Pelot (Dalhousie) and Amber Silver (SUNY-Albany), Dr. Finnis coleads the Coast and Ocean Risk Communication Community of Practice (CORC-CoP), a network of scholars, practitioners, and stakeholders motivated by a common interest in reducing the impact of hazards on coastal communities and industries. The current proposal will build in these recent activities, incorporating Finnis’ expertise in coastal and ocean hazard mitigation, climate change adaptation, and science communication into a broader analysis of coastal sustainability and long-term planning. Dr. Finnis is the lead of FOCI research Work Package 2 (WP2) and Integration Work Package 2 (IWP2). He is spearheading research activities connected to WP2.1 (Forecasting for diverse needs) and co-leading WP2.2 (Utility of Climate Guidance Products) and WP2.3 (Trees as Natural Infrastructure for Coastal Adaptation), with Daraio and C. Brown respectively.