About the lab

Applied conservation science

We are a team of applied and interdisciplinary conservation scholars dedicated to conceptually interesting and acutely applied research for the benefit of natural and human systems. A special geographic focus is in the Indigenous territories within what is now known as the Great Bear Rainforest on British Columbia’s central coast, though our goal is that insights and applications gained here can have a global reach. We also conduct analyses at planetary scales.

We aim to conduct science inspired by nature, people, and place. We confront important and urgent problems and opportunities, often identified by the Indigenous Nations with which we partner. Also, owing to a love of science and nature, we also work on projects that have no immediate application to policy or conservation.

Rigorous, conceptually rich scholarship

We aspire to practice high-calibre, conceptually rich and well-regarded scholarship. With this comes a more complex challenge: contributing to positive change. This involves participation in outreach and policy processes, steps for which we receive training and no shortage of opportunities. By considering priorities for our work inside and outside the academy, we strive for scholarship that can be rigorous, applied contributions to the challenges and opportunities facing the natural and human world.

The ACS Lab is committed to maintaining a welcoming, inclusive, honest, and fair environment for research and learning. We will not accept discrimination or harassment of any kind, and will lend aid to those who experience it. We have zero tolerance of sexual harassment in the lab and in the field. We seek to support individuals struggling with illness or disability, by providing an open and supportive atmosphere and guiding students to the support resources that they need. We are committed to open and honest science through transparency in data acquisition as well as data and code sharing. (Thanks and credit to Dan Bolnick for his words on these matters).