SFU Biological Sciences

Em Lim receives the Dr. Eva Voigt Graduate Award in Science for Mentoring Leadership. Congratulations, Em!

www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

Emily Lucas is laying on the ground wearing black clothes and blue nitrile gloves and shining a flashlight underneath a black car

What are you going to do with your degree? @sfubiosciences.bsky.social student Emily Lucas didn't have forensics in mind, but found that it was a "beautiful fusion" of all the things she'd liked from her undergraduate research and co-op experiences. www.sfu.ca/science/news...

Climate variations and a local PCB hotspot have altered metabolomic profiles in ringed seals Environmental contaminants and climate change pose ongoing threats to Arctic marine mammals, yet their combined physiological impacts remain poorly un…

🚨 NEW PAPER 🚨 We show that during warm, low-ice years in the Canadian Arctic, ringed seals exhibit thinner blubber, depleted fatty acids, and elevated metabolic stress. We also show that high PCB and mercury levels contribute to oxidative damage in the liver.

The E2O team making waves (and measuring fins) in Hamburg!
Great to see @sfubiosciences.bsky.social in action!
@sfuscience.bsky.social

Centre for Wildlife Ecology MSc graduate Vanessa Hum's research on bird-window collisions identified the glass walkway between the AQ and the Student Union Building as a high-risk area for bird collisions. This photo shows CWE PhD graduate Simon Valdez Juarez making the walkway safe for birds. Research and bird-window collision mitigation was funded by a grant from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The color-banded Yellow Warbler wintering in agriculture in Mexico is part of the CWE's work with migratory birds across the full annual cycle from the non-breeding period in Mexico to the breeding grounds in Inuvik and Revelstoke.

🦆🌍 SFU Biology celebrates #WMBD2025!

This year’s theme—Shared Spaces—calls for bird-friendly cities. Our research on urban bird ecology and habitat use supports this global effort.

📸 Photos show how birds share space with our campus.

🔗 www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

SFU Biology Assistant Professors, Jane Fowler & Chelsea Little co-launch initiative to conserve and steward ecosystems in B.C.Coast Mountains.

Their work supports sustainable planning in B.C.’s Coast Mountains.

🔗 www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

Today I presented my MSc research at the "Cumulative Effects in Northern Ecosystems" symposium, and during the panel shared my thoughts on collaboration between academia and industry. So thankful to have been invited to participate and get to know some really cool people!
#TWS2025

Join Us! Open PhD positions in the Little Ecology Group starting May or September 2026! Come join the Little Ecology Group (www.littleecologygroup.ca)! We are hiring a PhD student to conduct aquatic biodive…

The Little Ecology Group at @sfuscience.bsky.social is hiring a PhD student to conduct aquatic biodiversity research in alpine streams! 🏔️💧🔬👩‍🔬 This is an awesome opportunity to join a supportive research group in a beautiful part of the world! littleecologygroup.ca/join-us/

SFU Biology Photo Contest is back! Full details in the posters!

✅ Open to to current members of the Dept
📅 Deadline: Nov 5, 2025
📧 Submit up to 3 photos* to phollman@sfu.ca
*related to your work, courses or research in biology. Photo can only win in one category.

When heat and drought stress trees, the consequence can be tragic

🌳 Why are more trees falling — even without storms?
SFU Biological Sciences Professor Jim Mattsson is quoted in this story by the Canadian Press on how heat and drought are silently weakening forests.

Read more on our News page: www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

Three-Waisted Wasp (Family Sphecidae). Photo: Dave Carmean via iNaturalist.ca

Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis). Photo: Dave Carmean via iNaturalist.ca

Read this article in UVic News about the partnership between UVic, Simon Fraser University, and BC Parks using iNaturalist to upload geo-tagged photos of species observed in the environment. Read more on our News page: www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

A Safe Operating Space for Salmon Watersheds Under Rapid Climate Change Local watershed management can exacerbate or ameliorate oncoming climate risks to important aquatic ecosystems. Even as there is a global need to address climate change, local watershed stewardship c....

NEW PAPER!

A Safe Operating Space for Salmon Watersheds Under Rapid Climate Change - Fish and Fisheries - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🚨 SFU Biology – Event Alert! 🚨
The Outreach & Engagement Committee has released the 2025–2026 calendar! From contests to celebration days, there’s lots to look forward to.

📅 Don’t miss out—check the schedule: www.sfu.ca/biology/abou...

🎉 Shoutout to the Ruff Penguins! 🐧
Our Biology Terry Fox Run team raised $2,790 for cancer research on Sept 18 — thanks to our amazing students, faculty & staff!
You can still donate 👉 run.terryfox.ca/team/ruffpenguins

Visit our Kudos page: sfu.ca/biology/news-events/kudos/2025-ruff-penguins.html

It's National Postdoc Appreciation Week! 🎉 We’re celebrating our amazing postdocs, including Jungsoo Park (Fowler Lab), featured in SFU News for his work in microbial ecology. Learn more: www.sfu.ca/biology/peop...

Hope everyone’s fall semester is going well! Here are the upcoming workshops and events happening at Sci-Space through September and some of October🍁🍂

New testing helps B.C. blueberry farmers fight crop virus B.C. is home to around 600 blueberry farms, but crop viruses have become rampant in recent years, making it difficult for farmers to profit. As Cecilia Hua reports, new research out of SFU might help ...

New @genomebc.bsky.social-funded research from @sfubiosciences.bsky.social and the BC Blueberry Council has identified a new virus that is affecting BC blueberry farms. vancouver.citynews.ca/video/2025/0...

🎉 2025 BISC Welcome Party
We kicked off the new academic year with food, games, and the opening of the Mesozoic Garden 🌿 - a stunning new space celebrating prehistoric plant life. Thanks to everyone who made it such a fun and welcoming event!

Read more on our Kudos page: www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

When an unknown new disease began to show up in BC blueberry fields BC Blueberry Council research director Eric Gerbrandt teamed up with @sfubiosciences.bsky.social plant geneticist Jim Mattsson to understand why standard testing sometimes fails to identify viruses in sick plants.

New SFU research led by PhD candidate Marta Ulaski shows that without coordinated oversight, salmon conservation will continue to fall through the cracks.

Read more on our News page: www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

When heat and drought stress trees, the consequences can be tragic Constabel said he had seen branches of maple trees and oak trees falling off on the University of Victoria campus, even on a windless day.

Prolonged heat and drought conditions can cause stress and disease in trees, and the signs are often difficult to spot. @sfubiosciences.bsky.social prof Jim Mattsson explains: www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-...

👏Congratulations to Marta Ulaski for receiving the J. Frances Allen Scholarship Award from the American Fisheries Society for her impactful research on global change and fisheries.🌊🐟

Read more on our Kudos page: www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

The Salmon Watershed Laboratory team poor seining in the Bella Coola estuary. Three researchers are standing in the water, stretching a net between them. The sky is blue with light clouds and snow-capped mountains are in the background.

"I learned a lot about what it takes to undertake fieldwork over long periods of time away from home and the importance of working in a team and getting along with your team members, as you spend 24 hours a day with them."

Learn about undergraduate research at SFU Science: ow.ly/2iQw50WIy28

The Salmon Watershed Laboratory team pole seining in the Fulmore estuary. Everyone is standing in the shallow, gravelled water of the river wearing rain gear and stretching a net across the mouth of the river. The forest in the background is foggy.

He visited a dozen different estuaries across Vancouver Island and BC's central coast, sampling fish species and collecting environmental data. "My favourite aspect of this work was being able to visit these remote areas that you would normally never see, many of which are only accessible by boat."

Carter Tsui is standing at the bow of a small aluminum fishing boat holding a yellow fishing net. The water is greenish and tall bluish mountains are in the background.

SFU environmental science applied biology student Carter Tsui completed a USRA project with @salmonscience.bsky.social, assisting the Estuary Resilience Project with field and lab work researching the potential effects of climate change on estuaries, and their impact on organisms.

A recent study led by Julie Charbonneau warns that angler catch rates may give a false sense of security for steelhead populations in B.C.

Read more on our News page: www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

📷Photo by Jonathan Moore

The dinosaur footprints will be repainted in brighter colors during August and later this fall the informational sign for the footprints and the plants will be installed. Stay tuned for the announcement of an open house in September.

Photo by Miranda Meents
www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

🫐SFU Biological Sciences is scaling up indoor berry production research with $5M grant from the Weston Family Foundation. Professor Jim Mattsson and his team is advancing sustainable, year-round blueberry, raspberry & blackberry production.

Read more on our New page: www.sfu.ca/biology/news...

Irrigation is installed and functioning, and the bark mulch laid down a few weeks ago has given the garden a tidy appearance and a beautiful smell of the forest.

Mesozoic Garden Update🌱🌼
95% of the plants have been put in the ground and as the temperatures drop in the fall, the remaining 5% will be planted. These include a Moss display in a pot, on a boulder and on a log and some Sword Ferns to fill out the empty spaces.