I’m interested in the deeply complex estuary ecosystems that support shorebirds, waterfowl, and songbirds as well as create nursery habitats for several species of fish, including salmon.  I find the community level interactions between species and their abiotic environment particularly exciting and will be focusing my PhD research on answering questions about fish community composition in various estuarine habitats, the impacts of anthropogenic activities on these communities, and how our restoration efforts can best be used to support climate change resilience. My work is part of the Estuary Resilience project led by Nature Trust of British Columbia and I look forward to working closely with them as well as coastal First Nations and other partners to conduct field work across estuaries in B.C. and hopefully to support the conservation of these important ecosystems.

Prior to joining the Salmon Watersheds Lab, I completed an M.Sc. at the University of British Columbia focusing on seabird distribution and responses to climate change, after which I headed inland and worked as a wildlife biologist with B.C.’s Cariboo Region for a few years. I’m happy to be back on the coast and getting a chance to play in the water for my PhD.

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Email: lili_simon[at] sfu.ca

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