I grew up in the diverse city of Toronto where even in the dead of winter, I was often packed in a baby carriage and left outside to sleep. Since then, I have been interested in how the weather and the climate affect people.
Today, I am an interdisciplinary climate scientist and professor at the University of British Columbia, where I teach and conduct research at the intersection of climate science, marine science, and policy. I hold appointments in UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Geography Department, and Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. I was a lead author on the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment and, until recently, served as co-chair of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body, which advises the federal government on pathways to eliminate climate-warming emissions.
Being a scientist and a professor at a public institution, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to engage my curiosity about the world for a living. I take my privileged position as a professor seriously, and spend a lot of my time translating the climate change science and solutions for communities, organizations and governments through all manner of talks, public events and media engagement. For more details, please see the Engagement page.
Due to a lifelong love of watersports, my spouse says I’m like an aquatic plant—I need sun and water to thrive. After the start of the pandemic, we dipped into the cold ocean near our Vancouver home every day for over a year.
