Dr. Carly Ziter (she/her)
Associate Professor, Concordia Biology Dept; University Research Chair in Urban Ecology and Sustainability; Core Faculty Member, CERC Cluster for Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Communities and Cities PhD (2014-2018) - University of Wisconsin-Madison MSc (2011-2013) McGill University BSc (2007-2011) University of Guelph Carly grew up in southern Ontario, in a house surrounded by fields (usually corn, sometimes soy) punctuated by small woodlots. In her mind, this mix of farmland, housing, and forest wasn’t an “ecosystem”; it was just where she walked the dog. Now, she realizes that these human-dominated landscapes are hard at work providing a multitude of ecosystem services we rely on, and she's fascinated by how we can manage these areas better. When she's not busy researching the intersection of landscape structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, Carly can be found enjoying the great outdoors, knitting, or supervising shifts at her community pottery studio. Email: [email protected]; Download Carly's CV here: ziter_cv_Jan2025 |
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Mackenzie Guest (she/her)
MSc Student, Concordia Biology (Fall 2024 - present; UFOR NSERC Create) BSc, Concordia University, 2024 Mackenzie is working on her undergraduate honours thesis, focusing on what factors are affecting the failure of bird nests in Montreal’s urban forests, working with Chloe Cull. Fascinated by the life and diversity present in urban areas, she is interested in understanding how urban green-spaces can be beneficial for humans and birds alike. She hopes her work will shed light on the threats nesting birds face in urban forests. |
Johanna Arnet
MSc Student, UQAM Biology (Summer 2024 - present; UFOR NSERC Create) BSc, McGill University (2023) Johanna is particularly interested in urban forest ecology and the intersection with human physical and mental well-being. She is completing her master’s at UQÀM under the supervision of Dr. Alain Paquette at Université du Québec à Montréal, and is co-supervised in our lab. Johanna's project is looking at spatial and temporal variations in urban temperature, and how the urban forest can be optimized to help mitigate the urban heat island effect. |
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Emma Bacon
MSc Student, Concordia Biology (Fall 2023 - present; NSERC CGS-M, Concordia Merit Scholarship, UFOR NSERC Create) BSc, Queen's University (2023) Emma is interested in the distribution of urban trees in cities. Her love for ecology was fostered by countless backcountry trips as a child. Her MSc will focus on how the urban forest changes across Montreal neighbourhoods, specifically across different sociodemographic factors and urban form. Emma hopes her project can help inform managers and residents on how to create more resilient urban forests. She is co-advised by Dr. Alain Paquette at Université du Québec à Montréal. |
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Sarah Chamberland
PhD student, Concordia University, Biology (January 2024 - present; SSHRC and FRQSC Doctoral Awards) MSc, McGill University (2021) BA & Sc, McGill University (2019) Sarah is interested in socio-ecological systems, particularly where they overlap with biodiversity conservation. Her PhD research will focus on community preferences and management of urban nature using an interdisciplinary approach, combining urban ecology and human geography. |
Nicole Yu (she/her)
MSc Student, Concordia Biology (Fall 2022 - present; Concordia Merit Scholarship, British Council IELTS Prize) BSc, The University of Hong Kong (2022) Like many others in Hong Kong, Nicole grew up amidst the hustle and bustle oblivious to the rich biodiversity sharing her city. That all changed after attending her first bioblitz. She is now dedicated to studying biodiversity patterns in urban areas, with an interest in green infrastructure as solutions towards for building ecologically sustainable cities. Nicole works with the DesignLIFES NSERC CREATE. |
Bella Richmond (she/they)
PhD student, Concordia University, Biology (Winter 2021 - present; NSERC CGS-D; Concordia University Graduate Fellowship; Merit Scholarship) MSc, Memorial University (2020) Bella is interested in the generation and distribution of ecosystem services provided by urban trees. She grew up in Southwestern Ontario, where climbing trees provided her countless hours of childhood entertainment and sparked a passion for urban nature. Her Ph.D. research will focus on determining where and why urban tree ecosystem services exist and are accessed using multi-city and Montréal-specific approaches. |
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Fatemeh Izadi
PhD, Concordia Individualized (INDI) program (Summer 2020 - present; Maternity leave 2022) MA in Urban Design, The University of YAZD (2012) A trained architect and urban designer, Fatemeh integrates knowledge from design, engineering, and urban ecology to understand how built and green elements of cities can better promote urban "walkability", with a focus on thermal comfort. Her research falls within the Next Generation Cities Institute (co-advised by Concordia colleagues and collaborators Ursula Eicker, Carmela Cucuzzella, with the ideasbe project). Fatemeh's LinkedIn : http://www.linkedin.com/in/fatemeh-izadi-30b1194a Contact Fatemeh: [email protected] |
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Lingshan Li
PhD, Concordia University, Geography, Planning, and Environment (Fall 2020 - present) MSc, Beijing Normal University (2019) Lingshan is studying the effects of vegetation and the built environment on urban microclimate in Montreal, using a combination of remote sensing and field-based approaches. Her research falls within the Next Generation Cities Institute (co-advised by Concordia colleagues and collaborators Ursula Eicker, Angela Kross), as well as the DesignLIFES NSERC CREATE. |
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Noa Davidai
PhD student and part-time faculty, Concordia University, Biology (Winter 2022 - present; Concordia University Graduate Fellowship; Merit Scholarship) MSc, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2009) Noa is interested in forest entomology, resilience, and management spanning urban and rural areas. For her PhD, she is focusing on Lymantria dispar, and is co-advised with colleague and collaborator Emma Despland. She is a student with the LEADS NSERC CREATE program. |
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Niraj Dayanandan (he/him)
BA Student, Concordia University, Urban Planning (Fall 2020 - present) Niraj is interested in the intersection of urban ecology and city planning. He is working on meta-analysis of the cooling effects of green roofs with the DesignLIFES NSERC CREATE program. He aims to address the gap in current literature by analyzing data from rooftops around the world. He hopes that this study will guide future planning tools when implementing and assessing ecological infrastructure such as green roofs. |