Faculty members
Faculty members McGill University
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Faculty members
NEO offers many opportunities for research in tropical environments. Below is
a list of research areas and NEO faculty working in each area. Click on the
name of the faculty member to learn more about their research interests.
Please note: * indicates faculty who do not speak
Spanish.
Unless otherwise indicated, these professors are McGill University academics.
Archaeology and Paleontology
Richard Cooke
Hans Larsson
Eldredge Bermingham
Robert Bonnell
*Sylvie de Blois
*Andrew Hendry
Virginie Millien
*Navin Ramankutty
Raja Sengupta
Ismael Vaccaro
Climate Change, Carbon Cycling, and Tropical Forests
*Gordon Hickey
*Tim Moore
Catherine Potvin
*Navin Ramankutty
*Joann Whalen
Community Development and Rural Economic Livelihood
*Peter Brown
Oliver Coomes
Stanley Heckadon
Tim Johns
Thom Meredith
Philip Oxhorn
Raja Sengupta
Ismael Vaccaro
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Yves Basset
*Sylvie de Blois
*Christopher M. Buddle
*Lauren Chapman
*Andrew Gonzalez
*David Green
Hector M. Guzman
*Andrew Hendry
*Rüdiger Krahe
*Brian Leung
Virginie Millien
*Anthony Ricciardi
Mark Erik Torchin
Ismael Vaccaro
Ecology and Evolution
*Ehab Abouheif
Yves Basset
*Sylvie de Blois
*Christopher M. Buddle
*Lauren Chapman
Rachel Collin
*Andrew Gonzalez
*David Green
*Frederic Guichard
Hector M. Guzman
*Andrew Hendry
Allen Herre
*Rüdiger Krahe
Hans Larsson
Harilaos A. Lessios
Brian Leung
Virginie Millien
Catherine Potvin
*Anthony Ricciardi
*Daniel Schoen
Marilyn Scott
*Rodger Titman
Mark Erik Torchin
Ismael Vaccaro
Economics and -Policy
*Peter Brown
Stanley Heckadon
*Gordon Hickey
Thom Meredith
*Tom Naylor
Philip Oxhorn
Ismael Vaccaro
Entomology
*Ehab Abouheif
Yves Basset
*Jacqueline C. Bede
*Christopher M. Buddle
*Terry Wheeler
Environmental Biology
Eldredge Bermingham
*Lauren Chapman
*David Green
Hector M. Guzman
*Andrew Hendry
*Brian Leung
Marilyn Scott
*Anthony Ricciardi
Mark Erik Torchin
Human Ecology, Migration, and Health
*Peter Brown
Oliver Coomes
Stanley Heckadon
Tim Johns
Thom Meredith
Marilyn Scott
Ismael Vaccaro
Marine Biology
Eldredge Bermingham
Todd Capson
Rachel Collin
*Frederic Guichard
Hector M. Guzman
Harilaos A. Lessios
*Rodger Titman
Mark Erik Torchin
Plant Science, Ethnopharmacology, Ethnobiology
*Jacqueline C. Bede
Todd Capson
Oliver Coomes
Allen Herre
Tim Johns
Catherine Potvin
*Alan K. Watson
Soils and Biogeochemistry
Robert Bonnell
Allen Herre
*Tim Moore
*Joann Whalen
Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry and Tropical Land Use
Robert Bonnell
Oliver Coomes
*Sylvie de Blois
*Gordon Hickey
Tim Johns
Thom Meredith
*Navin Ramankutty
Ismael Vaccaro
*Alan K. Watson
*Joann Whalen
Water Resources and Hydrology
Robert Bonnell
Raja Sengupta
*Ehab Abouheif, Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Our major goal is to understand the complex interaction and relationships between the genotype, phenotype, and environment, and the effect this complex interaction has on the generation of morphological diversity.
To find out more about Dr. Abouheif´s research, visit his web site.
Yves Basset, STRI & Department of Natural Resource
Sciences
Email
Research interests
Insect-plant interactions and herbivory in the tropics; biodiversity and host-specificity of insect herbivores; insect spatial and temporal distribution; community structure and taxonomy of arboreal arthropods; tropical forest canopies; community ecology; parataxonomist training; arthropod conservation.
To find out more about Dr. Basset's research, visit his web site.
*Jacqueline C. Bede, Department of Plant Science
Email
Research interests
Research in this lab focuses on understanding plant-insect interactions. In the plant, we are interested in how plants regulate their defense responses to target generalist or specialist insect herbivores. This involves understanding the biosynthesis of plant secondary metabolites, such as terpenoids, alkaloids etc. Also, we are interested in how insects detoxify these plant compounds and how they cope with nutritional imbalances. To find out more about Dr. Bede´s research, visit her web site
To find out more about Dr. Bede's research, visit her web site.
Eldredge Bermingham, STRI & Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Molecular population genetics and evolutionary biology; historical biogeograpy and molecular systematics of neotropical fishes and Caribbean island birds.
To find out more about Dr. Bermingham's research, visit his web site.
Robert Bonnell, Department of Bioresource Engineering
Email
Research interests
Research and consulting in the areas of drainage/irrigation and water management within Canada and internationally. The use and management of saline water for sustainable crop production and management of water on a watershed scale using GIS. The development of new methods of measuring soil salinity, the effects of salts on soil - plant - water systems, modified irrigation methods for salt control and water quality studies. Other interests include soil conservation, the use of geotextiles and land application of industrial wastes.
*Peter Brown, McGill School of Environment
Email
Research interests
Environmental governance, Stewardship economics. Dr. Brown's book, "The Commonwealth of Life", is a 'must read' on your list. Visit the web site.
To find out more about Dr. Brown's research, visit his web site.
*Christopher M. Buddle, Department of Natural Resource
Sciences
Email
Research interests
Terrestrial arthropod biodiversity, in particular spider and insect diversity in managed and unmanaged forests; the effects of downed woody material on arthropod communities; the role of generalist predators in detritus-based food webs; spider ecology, life-history, and taxonomy.
To find out more about Dr. Buddle's research, visit his web site.
Todd Capson, STRI & Department of Plant Science
Email
Research interests
Ethnobotany and phytochemistry. Conservation, outreach and biodiversity inventory in Panama.
Lauren Chapman Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Aquatic ecology and conservation, evolutionary and ecological consequences of respiratory strategies in fishes, ecophysiology, ecomorphology, adaptive divergence, tropical inland waters, Africa. Recent work focuses on divergent selection across oxygen gradients in fishes, the interaction of hypoxia with other environmental stressors (e.g., introduced species) and value of tropical wetlands in the maintenance of fish faunal structure and diversity.
To find out more about Dr. Chapman's research, visit her web site.
Rachel Collin STRI & Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Evolution of reproduction and mode of development in marine invertebrates.
To find out more about Dr. Collin's research, visit her web site.
Richard Cooke, STRI & Department of Geography
Email
Research interests
Archaeology of New World tropics; long-term history of native American peoples of Panama and neighboring areas; archaeozoology (especially fishing in the eastern tropical Pacific); archaeology and education in Latin America.
To find out more about Dr. Cooke's research, visit his web site.
Oliver Coomes, Department of Geography
Email
Research interests
Studying the relationship between environment and economy among traditional, 'resource-reliant' peoples of the Amazon, particularly in Peru. The nature and implications of natural resource use by traditional peoples - from swidden-fallow agroforestry to forest product extraction - for economic development and for environmental conservation. How to both improve the welfare of the rural poor and conserve natural resources.
To find out more about Dr. Coomes' research, visit his web site.
*Sylvie de Blois, Department of Plant Science and MSE.
Email
Research interests
Patterns and processes in plant populations and communities at the landscape scale; Conceptual development linking landscape and plant ecology; Ecology of rural (agricultural) landscapes; Spatial and temporal dynamics, biodiversity, ecological function and management of specific landscape elements; Integration of biological conservation with other land-uses.
To find out more about Dr. De Blois' research, visit her web site.
*Andrew Gonzalez, Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Broadly focused on the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss. As a corollary I hope to gain a better understanding of what it will take to slow extinction and mitigate its effects. In my lab we use experiments (field and lab), theory, and databases to tackle the various research projects: dispersal and extinction in fragmented landscapes, population and community stability, metapopulation and metacommunity dynamics in changing and variable environments, and the impacts of economy on biodiversity loss.
To find out more about Dr. Gonzalez's research, visit his web site.
*David Green, Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Examining chromosomal, biochemical and molecular genetic variation in frogs and toads to decipher the relationships of species, the structure of populations, and mechanisms of evolutionary change. Evolution, biosystematics, conservation biology, geographic variation, population biology, cytogenetics, and molecular genetics of amphibians.
To find out more about Dr. Green's research, visit his web site.
Frederic Guichard, Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Theoretical ecology and complex system theory applied to intertidal ecosystems and to marine reserve design. Emergence of large scale patterns and dynamics from local interactions among individuals. Multidisciplinary approach involving mathematical modeling, field experiments and remote sensing.
To find out more about Dr. Guichard's research, visit his web site.
Hector M. Guzman, STRI & Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Ecology and population dynamic of coral reefs; taxonomy of corals, sclerochronology; marine conservation biology; human impacts on marine ecosystems, coastal management, fisheries and marine pollution.
Current projects include: Long-term monitoring of coral reefs, population dynamic and taxonomy of octocorals, migratory patters of large pelagic species in the eastern Pacific, shark fishery, marine reserves networking.
To find out more about Dr. Guzman's research, visit his web site.
Stanley Heckadon, STRI & Department of Sociology
Email
Research interests
Anthropologist with substantial work in community development projects. Rural sociology, social forestry, environmental policy, history of natural history. Coordinator of the Panama Canal Watershed Monitoring Project; a 3 year applied field study by a multi disciplinary team of 33 researchers looking at the state of the forest cover, water and soils, vertebrates and the dynamics of human populations in one of the most important tropical watersheds in the world.
To find out more about Dr. Heckadon's research, visit his web site.
*Andrew Hendry Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
The major direction of research in my lab is to examine the interaction between selection, adaptation, gene flow, and reproductive isolation in natural populations. Selection, gene flow, and adaptation may interact with each other in a series of complicated feedback loops that have yet to be investigated in natural populations. Our goal is to begin untangling these relationships through the use of theoretical modeling and empirical investigations in exemplary natural systems. We also work on a diversity of other subjects including rates of microevolution, evolution of egg size, isolation-by-time, adaptation-by-time, and applying evolutionary theory to conservation..
To find out more about Dr. Hendry's research, visit his web site.
Edward Allen Herre STRI & Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Figs and their associated organisms, Sex Ratio evolution, Effects of Population Structure, Mycorrhizae, Mutualism, Parasitism, Plant-Insect Interactions.
To find out more about Dr. Herre's research, visit his web site.
*Gordon M. Hickey Department of Natural Resource
Sciences
Email
Research interests
Sustainability of the natural environment. In particular, forest management, natural resource policy, regulation and assessment and associated international programs. Research draws upon numerous disciplines to integrate science-based knowledge with socio-economic considerations. This is done to inform strategic decision-making at a range of scales and support innovative resource-based policies.
To find out more about Dr. Hickey's research, visit his web site.
Tim Johns, School of Dietetics
Email
Research interests
Traditional uses of plants for food and medicine in relation to the health of human populations and of the environments in which they live. Evolution of human dietary and medicinal behaviors. Human chemical ecology. Overlaps the disciplines of ethnobotany, chemical ecology, nutrition, ethnopharmacology and international health.
To find out more about Dr. Johns' research, visit his web site.
Rüdiger Krahe, Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Sensory ecology and diversity of South American weakly electric fishes; variation in communication behaviour within and across populations and species; sexual selection; neural processing of sensory information using electrophysiological, neuroanatomical and computational approaches.
To find out more about Dr.Rüdiger Krahe's research, visit his web site.
Hans Larsson, Redpath Museum
Email
Research interests
Vertebrate palaeontology and developmental evolution. Palaeontological work focuses on terrestrial Mesozoic vertebrates in the Canadian arctic and explores signatures of ancient climate shifts in palaeo-faunas. Developmental evolution work addresses what developmental mechanisms (morphological and molecular) are responsible for changes in the evolution of vertebrate morphology.
To find out more about Dr. Larsson's research, visit his web site.
Harilaos A. Lessios, STRI & Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Molecular phylogeography, population genetics, and speciation of marine organisms; reproductive barriers between species. Ecology of Caribbean coral reefs.
To find out more about Dr. Lessios's research, visit his web site.
Brian Leung, Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Biological invasions, ecology of diseases, anthropogenic stressors. Addressing environmental issues through the synthesis of models (mathematical, computational, and statistical) with empirical data (literature, field or lab studies). Creating models for ecological forecasting, given uncertainty and sparse data. Developing decision theory, using risk analysis.
To find out more about Dr. Leung's research, visit his web site.
Thom Meredith, Department of Geography
Email
Research interests
Management of biological resources with a particular focus on environmental impact assessment and community response to environmental change. Active research on community-based environmental protection strategies with a particular focus on the blending of scientific and local or traditional information in environmental decision-making. Current research sites include mountain forest communities in Quebec, British Columbia. and Mexico.
To find out more about Dr. Meredith's research, visit his web site.
Virginie Millien, Redpath Museum
Email
Research interests
The effects of environmental changes on the evolution of morphological diversity in mammals; rates of morphological evolution and rapid evolution on islands; morphological variation and climate change; the relation between the environment and morphology in mammals.
To find out more about Dr. Millien's research, visit her web site.
*Tim Moore, Department of Geography
Email
Research interests
Relationships between soil and the environment, particularly the regulation of fluxes of gases, nutrients and elements between the soil and the atmosphere, the biosphere and the hydrosphere. Past research has focused on peatlands and wetlands and the controls on the cycling of carbon in these systems. Recent projects have focused on broader issues of carbon sequestration in soils - the effect of changes in land use, such as conversion from pasture to forest plantation, and tree growth under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations on rates of organic matter decomposition and C accumulation in soils at a field site in Panama, affiliated with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
To find out more about Dr. Moore's research, visit his web site.
*Tom Naylor, Department of Economics
Email
Research interests
History of economics, criminal justice. Main interest of research in the environmental field is the rise of the carbon economy. Other interests include the diagnosis and prevention of environmental crime such as illegal resource extraction and waste disposal, and the smuggling of endangered species.
To find out more about Dr. Naylor's research, visit his web site.
Philip Oxhorn, Department of Political Science
Email
Research interests
Social Movements, Democracy and Economic Development, Civil Society, Modes of Interest Intermediation, Latin American Comparative Politics.
To find out more about Dr. Oxhorn's research, visit his web site.
Catherine Potvin, Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Physiological ecology; global change; photosynthesis and productivity; experimental design and biostatistics; conservation biology; tropical ecology. Currently the coordinator of a team of researchers committed to increasing the understanding of the role that the Tropics play in global carbon (C) cycling. TropiFACE is part of GCTE's elevated CO2 network with colleagues in Argentina, Panama, Mexico, USA, France and Canada.
To find out more about Dr. Potvin's research, visit her web site.
Navin Ramankutty, Department of Geography
Email
Research interests
Land use and land cover change, Earth system science, global environmental change, climate change, global biogeochemical cycles. He is interested in developing observational methods to monitor changes in human land use activities and using data analysis and numerical modeling tools to assess the environmental consequences of land use change. Current projects include mapping global agricultural land use change, estimating carbon emissions from tropical deforestation, and developing terrestrial ecosystem models including land use activities.
To find out more about Dr. Ramankutty's research, visit his web site.
*Anthony Ricciardi, Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
My research investigates the causes and consequences of species invasions. I focus on predicting the ecological impacts of exotic invertebrates and fishes on aquatic biodiversity and food webs. My students and I use a combination of approaches that include empirical modeling, meta-analysis, and field experiments. We are interested in questions such as why some species are better invaders, why some communities are more susceptible to invasion, and why some invasions produce greater impacts than others. Our recent studies have examined whether species traits can be used to predict successful invaders how invasion history can be used to predict an introduced species' impact; and the phenomenon of 'invasional meltdown' - in which exotic species increase each other's colonization success and impact.
To find out more about Dr. Ricciardi's research, visit his web site.
*Nigel Roulet, Department of Geography
Email
Research interests
Hydrology, Climate and Biogeochemistry. Surface water-groundwater interaction; hydrological pathways and biogeochemical transport; runoff production in wetland and forested ecosystems; boundary layer studies of the flux of CO2, CH4,and H2O from northern peatlands; scaling land surface exchange processes.
To find out more about Dr. Roulet's research, visit his web site.
*Daniel Schoen , Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Our lab does work on a diverse array of topics. The organizing theme that ties these topics together is evolutionary and population genetics. Much, but not all of the work we do, focuses on plants and their systems of reproduction.
To find out more about Dr. Schoen's research, visit his web site.
Marilyn Scott, Department of Parasitology
Email
Research interests
Host-parasite population dynamics; impact of malnutrition on infections in human populations and model systems; ecohealth approaches to managing parasites and malnutrition; waterborne pollution and parasitism; energetic trade-offs; impact of transmission rates of host susceptibility/ resistance phenotypes; vectors transmitting malaria.
To find out more about Dr. Scott's research, visit her web site.
*Raja Sengupta, Department of Geography
Email
Research interests
GIS, Environmental Modelling and Simulation, and Water Resources Management. He is also interested in applying GIS to study preservation and protection of natural areas. Currently working to identify the natural regeneration patterns of mangrove wetlands using GIS and remote sensing, and to create behavioral models of ecosystem service payment acceptance by agricultural landowners and subsequent improvements in water quality.
To find out more about Dr. Sengupta's research, visit his web site.
*Rodger Titman, Department of Natural Resource
Sciences
Email
Research interests
Associated with the Avian Science and Conservation Center my primary areas of interest concern behaviour and ecology of waterfowl and wetland ecology. Past studies have involved social systems, behavioural ecology and habitat selection by ducks and other birds. Long term projects have included the monitoring of philopatry, social interactions and reproductive success of a colonial population of Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) in Kouchibouguac National Park in New Brunswick. The conservation of endangered species is a main interest and concern.
To find out more about Dr. Titman's research, visit his web site.
Mark Erik Torchin, STRI and Department of Biology
Email
Research interests
Marine ecology, Biological invasions, Host-parasite interactions and disease ecology
To find out more about Dr. Torchin's research, visit his web site.
Ismael Vaccaro, Department of Anthropology
Email
Research interests
As an environmental anthropologist, my research has focused on understanding the historical formation and contemporary dynamics of social and ecological landscapes with special emphasis on the interactions between public policies and local communities. My current research analyzes land use, conservation policies and the social, economic and environmental sustainability of rural aras. I am in the process of assembling a methodological toolkit that should provide conservation policy designers and managers with vital information for their work. It aims to establish a bridge between ecology and social sciences to improve conservation policy design, local development and social and econological sustainability. I am also analyzing the possible historical connections brought about by the colonial bond between Spain (Natural Park of the High Pyrenees) and Mexico (Chamela Biosphere Reserve in Jalisco). The goal is to provide social data to inform public policies and foster social and ecological sustainability in and around the protected area. I am collaborating as an anthropological advisor on health issues to facilitate medical communication between health care professionals and local residents. I hope to use this expertise in relevant research work in Panama in the near future.
To find out more about Dr. Vaccaro's research, visit his web site.
Alan K. Watson, Department of Plant Science
Email
Research interests
Professor Alan Watson's Weed Research Group has been developing biological weed control strategies in temperate and tropical environments using the weeds ' own natural enemies. The goals of our research program are to understand the processes involved in host (weed) pathogen interactions, to investigate mechanisms involved in disease development and weed host response, and to use this knowledge to select, develop, and implement effective, safe, and sustainable means to reduce the negative impact of major noxious weeds.
To find out more about Dr. Watson's research, visit his web site.
*Joann Whalen, Department of Natural Resource Sciences
Email
Research interests
Dr. Whalen's research focuses on soil ecology and fertility, particularly in agro-ecosystems. Her research interests include soil organic matter and nutrient dynamics, the ecology, diversity and activity of earthworms and soil microorganisms. Agricultural practices (tillage, fertilizer, crop rotations) that produce high crop yields and minimize greenhouse gas emissions are also studied.
To find out more about Dr. Whalen's research, visit her web site.
*Terry Wheeler, Department of Natural Resource
Sciences
Email
Research interests
Conducts research on insect systematics, biodiversity and zoogeography; with a focus on phytophagous and saprophagous flies, especially Chloropidae. Ongoing studies include the systematics and ecology of Diptera in grasslands, the diversity and zoogeography of Holarctic flies and the use of insect of biodiversity studies.
To find out more about Dr. Wheeler's research, visit his web site.
The following is an alphabetical list of the professors involved in the
program. Please note: * indicates faculty who do not speak
Spanish.
Unless otherwise indicated, these professors are McGill University academics.
