About me
I am currently an Assistant Professor of Biology at Concordia University where I study climate change impacts on marine systems, marine invasions, and their intersection. To find out more about my lab, see www.decolabsmith.com. I am an Associate Editor for NeoBiota, a peer-reviewed, open access, online journal on biological invasions. I am also an Editorial Board Member for Discover Oceans, a new, online, open-access journal on all fields related to oceanography and marine sciences.
I was formerly a Liber Ero Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Changing Oceans Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia. My research there focused on the effects of climate change on marine invasive species globally. Another project involved working with a team of academics, government and non-governmental organizations, and indigenous groups to develop guidelines to put Canada's ocean economy on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050. Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher at Simon Fraser University where I reconstructed the sponge fishery of The Bahamas over the past 180 years and conducted marine invasive species risk analyses for the Caribbean.
I obtained a Hons. B.Sc. with High Distinction from the University of Toronto in 2006, where I double majored in English and Zoology. In 2010, I received a M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of British Columbia while in 2020 I obtained a Ph.D. in Biology from Simon Fraser University.
I have over 10 years of experience researching various aspects of biological invasions, coral reef ecology, and tropical fisheries. I have published several studies on the Indo-Pacific lionfish invasion of the Caribbean and on unreported fisheries catches, particularly as it pertains to recreational fishing in the Global South. I have received numerous awards, including the 2018 Bullitt Environmental Prize, a graduate scholarship from the Organization of American States, and a professional development grant from the Society for Conservation Biology, Latin America and Caribbean Section. I have headed two Global Environment Facility/United Nations Environment Programme (GEF/UNEP) funded projects on marine invasive species in the Caribbean.
I was formerly a Liber Ero Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Changing Oceans Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia. My research there focused on the effects of climate change on marine invasive species globally. Another project involved working with a team of academics, government and non-governmental organizations, and indigenous groups to develop guidelines to put Canada's ocean economy on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050. Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher at Simon Fraser University where I reconstructed the sponge fishery of The Bahamas over the past 180 years and conducted marine invasive species risk analyses for the Caribbean.
I obtained a Hons. B.Sc. with High Distinction from the University of Toronto in 2006, where I double majored in English and Zoology. In 2010, I received a M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of British Columbia while in 2020 I obtained a Ph.D. in Biology from Simon Fraser University.
I have over 10 years of experience researching various aspects of biological invasions, coral reef ecology, and tropical fisheries. I have published several studies on the Indo-Pacific lionfish invasion of the Caribbean and on unreported fisheries catches, particularly as it pertains to recreational fishing in the Global South. I have received numerous awards, including the 2018 Bullitt Environmental Prize, a graduate scholarship from the Organization of American States, and a professional development grant from the Society for Conservation Biology, Latin America and Caribbean Section. I have headed two Global Environment Facility/United Nations Environment Programme (GEF/UNEP) funded projects on marine invasive species in the Caribbean.
