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Robert Mellin Co-investigator (WP9), Advisory Committee member Robert Mellin is an Associate Professor (Post-Retirement) in the Faculty of Engineering, Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, McGill University. He has been a registered architect since 1978 and has received numerous awards for his commitment to preserving the built heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador, such as his efforts in Tilting to preserve and restore houses, fishing stages and vegetable root cellars. Among his many professional affiliations and distinctions (see 2-page bio-sketch) are his election to the Royal Canadian Academy (R.C.A.) (2002), a Doctor of Letters honoris causa, Memorial University (2015), appointments to the Order of Canada (2014) and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador (2018), Past-President of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (an honorary organization of over 700 established professional artists and designers across Canada), and a Fellow of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada.

Memorial University Obasanjo Joseph Oyedele Research Assistant (IWP3) Obasanjo Joseph Oyedele is a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He got his first Ph.D. on climate change communication to farmers in Nigeria from the Department of Communication and Language Arts University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where he also had his first and second degrees (B.A. & M.A.), and he was a Teaching Assistant for five years. Furthermore, he was a research assistant to two lead researchers on grants won by the Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan. Also in Nigeria, he was a lecturer and researcher at Bowen University Iwo, Osun State, and Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, before he came to Canada in 2022 for another Ph.D. in environmental sociology. His research interests are in environment, social movements, development, climate change, health, and media. He has contributed some publications on these cross-disciplinary areas to scholarship and attended research training, summer schools and conferences both in Nigeria and abroad.

Memorial University Fatima Hodroj Master's Student (WP1) My name is Fatima Hodroj, and I am a registered nurse. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2018 (Lebanon), where I got the first rank in the Faculty of Nursing. I have a strong nursing and health education background, particularly in women's health and childcare. I have always loved helping people and making a difference in their lives, and it is an honor to be able to do so. I am also passionate about providing quality care to all patients, and I believe every aspect of an encounter should be considered when providing care to patients. My goal is always to achieve the best possible positive outcomes for patients' health goals. I believe that being compassionate can help us treat our patients better. Currently, I'm pursuing my graduate degree of Science in Medicine (Community Health) at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), where I'm working on the thesis: "Seafarers' Perceptions and Attitudes towards Occupational Noise Exposure and Its Health Impacts in Canada: A Mixed-Methods Study," which is a part of my master's degree. Hoping this research study will make a difference in seafarers’ health and life. Finally, I am a big fan of giving back to the community by volunteering at events and campaigns that aim to help people and raise their health awareness.

Whitney Lackenbauer Co-investigator (WP3) Dr. P. Whitney Lackenbauer is the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in the Study of the Canadian North and a Professor in the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario. He is also Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, which encompasses patrols throughout Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. His research focuses on Arctic policy, sovereignty, security, and governance issues; modern Canadian and circumpolar history; military history and contemporary defence policy; and Indigenous-state relations in Canada. This includes a particular focus on discerning ways to strengthen search and rescue (SAR) and emergency response capabilities in the Canadian North by clarifying and harmonizing the roles, responsibilities, and capabilities of the community-based organizations (e.g. Coast Guard Auxiliary, volunteer SAR teams, Canadian Rangers) and devising ways of better incorporating these groups into plans and policies. This research is a component of the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN) that he leads, which is funded by the Department of National Defence Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) program from 2019-22. Dr. Lackenbauer will contribute to Work Package 3 “Search and Rescue in Remote Regions.

Dalhousie University Brenna Sobanski Research Assistant (WP6) To learn more about Sobanski Brenna, (She/Her) — Faculty of Social Sciences (mcmaster.ca)

Grenfell Campus, Memorial University Ajith Raj Doctoral Candidate (IWP1) Ajith Raj is a graduate student in the Transdisciplinary Sustainability program at the Grenfell campus of the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Ajith is part of the FOCI (Future Ocean and Coastal Infrastructures) Integrated Work Package-1 which is about the foresighting future ocean infrastructure. Before joining FOCI, Ajith lived in the western Indian islands called Lakshadweep and worked with the pole and line fisher community to develop a co-management system for the fisheries on the islands. His research focuses on the political economy of the blue economy, foresighting the future of sustainable ocean infrastructure for island communities and fisheries resource management. Ajith completed a Master’s in Development with a sustainability specialization and worked for a Fisheries conservation NGO in India.

Joe Daraio Co-investigator (WP2) Dr. Joe Daraio is an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has research experience in ecology, environmental hydraulics, and hydrology, and his primary research interests are in the integration of natural and built environment towards climate change adaptation and resilient design of civil infrastructure. His recent work has focused potential climate change impacts on storm water system design parameters, including peak flows, at local scales, and on development of relatively simple methods for design engineers to incorporate climate change impacts on flow frequencies using flow duration curves. He is principal investigator on a project funded by Natural Resources Canada working with the provincial government on Building Climate Resilience (BCR) to train professional engineers and planners to incorporate climate change into design and planning of infrastructure. This work provides a means to directly apply his research on climate change impacts into practice, and will identify important knowledge gaps for design of storm water infrastructure under climate change. The current proposal will expand on this ongoing work though the direct inclusion of coastal aspects of infrastructure, and by reaching beyond professionals directly to stakeholders and members of the public who have an important part to play in developing resilient and sustainable coastal communities. Dr. Daraio will co-lead with Finnis on WP2.2 (Utility of Climate Guidance)

Grenfell Campus, Memorial University Natasha Olekshy Research Assistant (Core/IWP1) To learn more about Tasha Olekshy – Environmental Policy Institute (grenfell-epi.com)

Barbara Neis Lead (IWP4), Co-investigator (WP2, WP5, IWP2), Advisory Chair Professor Barbara Neis is a John Lewis Paton Distinguished University Professor, Department of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a member of the Order of Canada (C.M.), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (F.R.S.C.), corecipient of the Vanier Institute of the Family’s Mirabelli-Glossop Award for Distinguished Contribution, member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Council of Canadian Academies and a former Fellow of the Trudeau Foundation. She co-founded and co-directed Memorial’s SafetyNet Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Research over much of the period from 2001 to 2019. She is a former member of the Ocean Frontier Institute research management committee and co-leads the work package on aquaculture OHS within Module M. Over her career, a central focus of Professor Neis’ research has been the relationship between work, community and larger-scale societal and environmental change with a particular focus on rural and remote, resource dependent coastal communities. She has extensive experience in designing, securing funding for and completing major interdisciplinary programs of research using a community-engaged, partnered framework. Many of her research programs have focused on diverse aspects of marine and coastal communities ranging from sustainability, through governance, to local knowledge and science, health and safety, gender and fisheries and work-related mobility.

Memorial University Kaitlyn Hawkins Research Assistant (WP4) More to come.

Memorial University Khaled Helal Doctoral Candidate (WP1) I am currently a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Memorial University, having graduated in Egypt in 2012 as a Mechatronics Engineer working on mobile robotics. I am currently contributing to Work Package 1 at the FOCI. My research focuses on autonomous underwater gliders for passive acoustic survey missions. I investigate their potential as an alternative to stationary passive acoustic observers for monitoring ocean ambient noise, marine life, and anthropogenic noise. In addition, I am engaged in the study of the relationship between vessel noise signatures and their structure and air-borne noise. These studies will contribute to the field of designing more quiet vessels.

Memorial University Joshua Brown Master's Student (WP2) Josh Brown is a Master of Science student in the Geography Department at Memorial University’s St. John’s campus and is co-supervised by Dr. Joel Finnis and Dr. Joe Daraio. His work is contributing to FOCI Safety Work Package 2, ‘Networks and Infrastructure for Adaptation and Mitigation Decision Making’. Specifically, Josh’s research with FOCI will examine the utilization and effectiveness of climate services in the province, aiming to enhance future usage and identify opportunities for collaboration between climate service users and producers.