Team Archives
Thank you to all members that dedicated their time and efforts to the PEAT team
Sophie Wilkinson (PhD) 🇬🇧
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow (McMaster University, ON, Canada)
Research interests: Peatland wildfire interactions and peatland ecohydrological feedbacks
What got me interested in peatlands?: I was immediately amazed by peatlands when I first started learning about how much land they cover and carbon they store, and how they have developed over millennia, even whilst experiencing disturbances like wildfire – such resilience
What I want out of the ECR network: I am hoping to help foster an inclusive community where ECR can gain support from their peers. I would like to be able to discuss methods and research design to create more comparable studies, and also ask questions only peat-y folks would understand!
Clarice Perryman (PhD)
Position: PhD Candidate (University of New Hampshire, NH, USA)
Research Interests: Methane cycling in peatlands, particularly response of methane oxidation (consumption) to climate/environmental change
What got me interested in peatlands?: I got involved with peatland research through an REU program and have been fascinated by the diversity of peatlands, the dynamic systems and interactions within peatlands, and the importance of peatlands to past and future global climate ever since.
What I want out of the ECR network: I’m hoping we build an inclusive community of peatland ECR where we can share ideas, grow our networks and skillsets, and advance peatland science through fostering exciting new collaborations!
Kristyn Mayner 🇨🇦
Position: Wetland Stewardship Specialist at Ducks Unlimited Canada (National Boreal Program)
Research interests: Boreal peatlands, wildfire, permafrost thaw and other impacts relating to changing climate
What got me interested in peatlands?: I was previously working in the consulting industry and tasked with reclamation of wellsite and access road disturbances in Alberta peatlands. I had no idea how to approach this so I decided to tackle a MSc degree in Ecohydrology. The rest is history.
What I want out of the ECR network: Connection to the peatland research community, staying up on current research, fieldwork and on the ground solutions to peatland degradation.
Camille Choquet (MSc) 🇫🇷
Position: PhD Candidate (University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK)
Research Interests: Tropical peatlands, Sustainable use of tropical peatlands; Carbon-based conservation; Community-based forest management
What got you interested in peatlands?: I first got involved with tropical peatlands through an internship with the Peruvian Amazon Research Centre (IIAP) in Peru. I learned there that we only recently know that Peru hosts one of the largest intact peatland complexes in the world. Since then, I have been fascinated by how important these ecosystems are at different scales, from local livelihoods to climate change mitigation, they bring together a lot of complex and exciting issues. We still have so much to learn about them and how to protect them!
What I want out of the ECR network: A community to stay up on current research and opportunities. To work with others to help make a difference and protect these incredible ecosystems around the world.
Liam Heffernan (PhD)
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow (Uppsala University, Sweden)
Research interests: Terrestrial-aquatic biogeochemistry, particularly interested in permafrost ecosystems
What got me interested in peatlands?: After taking a peatlands and global change course during my masters I was hooked. Then and now, I just can’t get over how much of the global soil carbon stock is found in the small area that peatlands occupy.
What I want out of the ECR network: An inclusive network and community of peatland ECR that fosters new ideas and creates long-term collaborative opportunities.
Megan Schmidt (MSc)
Position: PhD student (University of Waterloo, ON, Canada)
Research Interests: Carbon cycling in peatlands, peatland disturbance and restoration
What got me interested in peatlands?: I started my post-secondary journey in land reclamation and environmental management, which got me interested in water, then wetlands. During my first summer as an undergrad research assistant working on permafrost peatlands in northern Alberta and the North West Territories I fell in love with the landscape and plants and knew I wanted to learn more about these amazing, intricate systems! The interest in carbon cycling grew over time as I learned more about peatlands’ role in carbon storage and climate change.
What I want out of the ECR network: Community, opportunities, and others who share my excitement over all things peat! Being the first in my family and friends to go to grad school I had a hard time with the what/who/when/how of applying and getting started, and most of what I found out was through talking to grad students. I’d love for the PEAT community to be a resource for others like me, and help lower the barriers to grad school.
Scott J. Davidson
Position: Lecturer in Ecosystem Resilience (University of Plymouth, UK)
Research interests: Anthropogenic and natural disturbance impacts on peatland biogeochemical cycling and ecology
What got me interested in peatlands?: I’ve always been fascinated by the remote parts of the world. I spent a lot of my childhood wandering around moorland near my home town in Scotland and found myself longing to visit the ‘Great North’. I am extremely lucky and thankful I get to work in these landscapes.
What I want out of the ECR network: The opportunity to provide a diverse and inclusive space for peatland ECR’s across the world to network, share ideas and make connections.
Sung Ching (Nick) Lee
Position: Postdoctoral Fellow (The University of British Columbia, BC, Canada)
Research interests: The effects of restoration on biogeochemical and biophysical properties of peatland. Carbon budget of tidal wetlands.
What got me interested in peatlands?: I got involved with peatland research when I was a part-time undergraduate research assistance in Taiwan. Then I moved to a temperate peatland (Burns Bog, Delta, BC) which was under intensive restoration managements for my MSc study. Though switched to a forest ecosystem during my PhD, but I have been working on projects at Burns Bog here and there. Through all these years, I have been fascinated by the potential of peatlands in climate mitigation and how dynamic these ecosystems can be.
What I want out of the ECR network: The opportunity to provide a diverse and inclusive space for peatland ECR’s across the world to network, share ideas and make connections.A connected and inclusive community where ECR can exchange ideas, have discussions, and gain support from their peers, also a platform where ECR can share their research results.
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