Institute Director: Dr. Adam Ford, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Wildlife Restoration Ecology
Dr. Adam T Ford leads the Wildlife Restoration Ecology Lab at UBC Okanagan. Ford is based in the Department of Biology where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Wildlife Restoration Ecology. Ford and his research team use field experiments, GPS tracking, and satellite imagery to explore the impact of human activity on interactions between people, large predators (such wolves, bears, and cougars), their prey (caribou, moose, deer, and elk), and plants in landscapes that have been altered by people. The team investigates how industry, infrastructure, and human-wildlife conflict change species abundance as well as the way species move through the landscape and interact with one another. Wildlife restoration ecology now forms the backbone of environmental legislation in Canada. This research will support Canada’s international commitments to conserve biodiversity and support Indigenous and community-led restoration.
For more information about Dr. Ford and his research, click here
Institute Coordinator: Carolina Restrepo-Tamayo, MSc.
Carolina is the Coordinator of the BRAES Institute. Her responsibilities include the day-to-day management of the Institute, planning, coordination, and communication within BRAES, organizing conferences, workshops, and events; preparing budgets and forecasting requirements; facilitating collaborative agreements involving researchers, granting agencies, and departments within the institute; promoting BRAES research to the broader community; securing industry and other partners of BRAES for long-term collaborations, writing grants o secure external funding, among others. Carolina holds an MSc. in International Development with an emphasis in Agriculture from the University of California, Davis (2007).
BRAES Labs Technician: Daniel Rosa, Ph.D.
Daniel is the Lab Technician responsible for managing the BRAES Institute laboratories. His role includes welcoming and training new students, overseeing lab activities, developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), experimental protocols, safety risk management and developing appropriate mitigation plans, inventory control, ordering, troubleshooting analytical equipment failures, service and maintaining equipment, conducting audits, coordinate meetings, ensure compliance with WHMIS, Health Canada, and UBC policies. Daniel is an Agriculture Engineer and holds a Ph.D. in Sciences with an emphasis on Microbiology and Plant Physiology from the Federal University of Santa Catarina – Brazil (2019)
Steering Committee:
Dr. Adam Ford (Institute Director)
Dr. Rebecca Tyson (Member)
Dr. Melanie Jones (Member)
Dr. Lael Parrott (Delegate, Dean of the Faculty of Science)
To be elected (Graduate student representative)
Dr. Jason Pither (Member)
Dr. Greg Garrard (Delegate, Dean of the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies)
Carolina Restrepo (Coordinator)
Note: Steering Committee membership is up for renewal in Fall 2023.