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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.

Memorial University Contessa Small Research Assistant (WP8) Contessa Small (Ph.D.) is a folklorist, cultural heritage consultant, and researcher specializing in Newfoundland folklore, narrative, and occupational folklife. She is a Research Assistant with the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) and the SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research, Memorial University. Her current research explores return-to-work challenges for injured/ill maritime workers in British Columbia and Atlantic Canada—supporting OFI’s research project Future Ocean and Coastal Infrastructures (FOCI) Work Package 8 ( Comparative Studies of Return to Work after Work Injury or Illness: Challenges for Marine Workers in BC and Atlantic Canada ), and a national research project partnership headquartered at the University of Ottawa called Policy and Practice in Return-to-Work After a Work Injury . Contessa has worked as a print and radio journalist (CBC Radio), university instructor, museum curator, and municipal heritage and arts coordinator creating and implementing projects and programming which foster engagement with, and raise awareness of, traditional culture and community arts. Her commitment to creating awareness about women’s occupational roles and traditional culture won her the Woman of the Year Award (Corner Brook Status of Women Council) and the Carillon Trophy for 1st Place for Best Feature Story (Better Newspapers Competition, Canadian Community Newspapers Association). She is also a creative writer, and a musician and singer with Newfoundland folk songs being her favourite genre to sing. Contessa is a Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies (Memorial), and a recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship , the Graduate Students’ Union Award for Excellence in Research (Memorial) and folklore awards including the David Buchan Graduate Research Award in Folklore , the Maurice J. Burke Memorial Scholarship , the Mary A. Griffiths Memorial Bursary for Folklore Field Research , and the W.W. Newell Prize (American Folklore Society).

Memorial University Om Prakash Yadav Master's Student (WP1) Mr. Om Prakash Yadav, trained in dentistry and specialized in public health dentistry (both from India). Mr. Yadav recently finished his second master's in community health at MUN. He is the recipient of the Shree Mulay Community Health Graduate Award, the Mitacs Research Training Award, and the Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies award at MUN. Additionally, he received the "Medal of Merit" award at the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network Web Seminar 2020 for his remarkable presentation on the distribution and mapping of persistent organic pollutants in a variety of environmental matrices throughout Europe. He assisted Drs. Atanu Sarkar and Desai Shan with two research projects as a research assistant during his master's program. He collected and analyzed approximately 100,000 data points for research examining spatial and temporal patterns in the distribution of various environmental contaminants across Europe. Additionally, he collaborated with Dr. Shan on a large study project that examined rising issues in Canadian marine governance. Mr. Yadav defended his master's thesis, "Risk perceptions of occupational noise exposure and its effects on the health of fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador: A mixed-methods research."

Jamie Skidmore Co-investigator (IWP4) Dr. Jamie Skidmore is a Full Professor in the Department of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, where he teaches practical classes in theatre and film production, including courses on directing, producing, design, and technical theatre. He is also the coordinator of the Diploma in Stage and Screen Technique. He is an award-winning theatre artist, who has been working in theatre for over thirty years as a director, designer, playwright, producer, technician, and more. He has worked professionally in B.C., Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador; as well as in Vermont, USA. He is a co-founder of the Isle aux Morts Theatre Festival, and a founding member of the St. John’s Shorts Play Festival. His work as a playwright includes Song of the Mermaid, which toured the island of Newfoundland, and Our Ancient Family , which toured Labrador in partnership with the NunatuKavut Community Council. He has trained in puppet design, construction, and manipulation with the New England Puppet Intensive and Puppets in Prague. He has trained as a mask designer with the Sartori family, the foremost mask makers in the world. His puppet show creations include A Fish Tale: A Lantern Puppet Play , which he wrote and designed giant lantern puppets for the production; and The Brass Button Man , a shadow puppet play, which he lead and co-created. He has also run puppet building workshops, teaching youth and young adults how to build lantern puppets and shadow puppets.

Memorial University Erin Pearson Master's Student (WP2) Erin Pearson is a Master of Science student based in St. John’s, NL, co-supervised by Dr. Carissa Brown and Dr. Joel Finnis. She grew up on the west coast of the island, where her curiosity and love of nature inspired her to complete the Forest Resources Technician diploma at College of the North Atlantic. She went on to obtain her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Forestry at the University of New Brunswick, which fostered a desire to return to Newfoundland and an interest in studying forest- and tree level responses to climate change at Memorial University. Erin’s work with FOCI focuses on the role of urban forests in the face of climate change through i) gaining a better understanding of how urban forests alter local climate, and ii) exploring how changes in local climates will influence the health and ecological integrity of urban forests.

Memorial University Muhammad Sabah Ud Din Ersum Master's Student (WP1) More to come.

Memorial University Nelson Graham Research Assistant (WP9) More to come.

Memorial University Aya Khaled Ibrahim Co-op Student (WP3) More to come.

Memorial University Maryam Foroutan Master's Student (WP9) More to come.

Tuomas Ylä-Anttila Co-investigator (WP6) Dr. Tuomas Ylä-Anttila is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki. He is the Chair of the Board of the 14-country Comparing Climate Change Policy Networks (COMPON) research effort and PI of four ongoing research projects on policy networks and discourse networks in climate change politics. Through these research projects he has developed a strong substantial expertise in the role of policy networks and discourse networks in climate change policy making, as well as methodological expertise in social network analysis. The projects have yielded several peer-reviewed articles in top international journals, including the British Journal of Sociology, Public Administration, Policy Studies Journal and Global Environmental Change. Dr. Ylä-Anttila is a co-investigator in Work Package 6, Perceptions of Climate Change and Social Futures.

Dalhousie University / Western University Gwyneth Cin Yung Yueng Research Assistant (WP6) More to come.