Christopher Harley (He/Him) | PI
I am a community ecologist interested in how and why coastal marine ecosystems vary in space and time. Much of my research focuses on the effects of climate change stressors – temperature, ocean acidification, altered salinity – on the plants and animals that live on rocky shores, and how interactions between species determine how ecosystems respond to environmental change. I am particularly interested in the ecological implications of complex patterns of environmental variation, including combined stressor scenarios and rare extremes like heatwaves and cold snaps. Integrating ecologically relevant patterns of change with interactions like keystone predation and facilitation by foundation species helps us better understand patterns of biodiversity in the nearshore environment and beyond. In our research, my students and I combine manipulative experiments in the lab and field with long-term observations and historical resurveys. Our work also touches on invasive species impacts, ecophysiology, biogeography, and the natural history of the weird and wonderful fauna and flora of the intertidal zone.
PhD Students
I’m an ordinary human from Korea, curious about how marine ecosystems function under climate change. Working along British Columbia’s stunning coasts, I feel incredibly lucky to align my passion with my work. My research focuses on foundation species, like barnacles and seaweeds, and key interactions, such as grazing between snails and algae. While many study the impacts of heatwaves, I’m intrigued by the opposite extreme—how cold snaps shape intertidal species. Low temperatures play a critical role in species distributions, often setting the leading edge for migrations from lower latitudes. I’m also interested in monitoring long-term ecosystem changes to predict future trends and support conservation efforts. Still, there are moments of darkness and cold during winter nighttime fieldwork when I question my thesis topic. But at this point, it’s too late to change it! While this research may not make me a rich, jobless person (my dream), it brings me deep fulfillment ;D
email: sjpark@zoology.ubc.ca
Masters Students
Georgia Hall (She/Her) | Msc. Student
Georgia is a forestry grad who recently did a 180⁰ and ended up in the ocean. While she now splits her down time between the forests and the beach, she is excited to be studying the marine side of things for a change. Her research examines the effects of ocean acidification on Pacific oysters and bay mussels. More specifically, whether a more acidic ocean will make these shellfish more susceptible to predation and atmospheric heatwaves. She hopes to better understand the complex interactions between changing ocean chemistry, predator-prey dynamics, and a warming climate to help inform resource managers and the aquaculture industry. In her spare time, you can find her curled up with a book, baking, or somewhere out in the West Coast rain.
Email: g.hall@zoology.ubc.ca
(W)undergraduate Students
Connor Church (He/Him) BSc Honours student
Connor is a 5th year undergraduate student studying Biology. He is interested in how climate change impacts marine ecology and is a big fan of the rocky intertidal zone. His Honours thesis focuses on the influence of changing salinity on prey choice and sensory detection in the Hairy Hermit Crab Pagurus hirsutiusculus. He also enjoys hiking, comic books, and inaturalist.