Our Work

Our lab investigates marine change through a transdisciplinary lens, combining causal modeling and community engagement to tackle applied problems.

Causal understanding of marine change

We investigate the causes and consequences of marine change using state-of-the-art tools in causal inference and causal discovery. This includes using causal diagrams, machine learning, and mediation analysis to explore complex marine systems and guide better decision-making for conservation and resource management.

Current projects include:

Modeling how multiple macroalgae species are responding to environmental change across Atlantic Canada.
Applying contemporary causal discovery algorithms to reveal causal patterns in marine species abundance at both local and global scales.
Using causal generative models for developing species distribution models that can better forecast the future.

Our aim is to generate robust, policy-relevant insights that go beyond correlation to unpack the true drivers of marine ecological change.

Tracing causal impacts in coastal communities

Our lab aims to use place-based, community-centered approaches to understand how human–nature relationships are shaped by marine change. We focus on uncovering the causal impacts of environmental management decisions and human stressors—such as aquaculture, climate change, and fisheries policy—on coastal communities’ trust, livelihoods, and well-being.

Current and future work includes:

We are currently developing a unique framework for integrating lived experience into causal diagrams, and using this to understand if and how ocean literacy impacts marine stewardship in youth.
Future plans include conducting a realist evaluation of how salmon farming is affecting distinct communities across NB. This research will involve interviews, workshops, and other participatory methods to ensure that diverse community perspectives are centered in understanding impacts and guiding more equitable governance.

Our aim is to bring nuance and local knowledge into causal explanations, focused not just what changes are happening, but for whom, why, and under what conditions.

Co-creation with diverse knowledge holders

We collaborate with diverse knowledge holders understand marine change through participatory, locally grounded research. This theme emphasizes co-production of knowledge using dialogue, systems thinking, and community-based modeling to ensure that diverse perspectives inform marine planning and policy.

Ongoing and upcoming projects include:

A completed series of youth-led workshops in the Bay of Fundy that used arts-based and dialogue-based methods to explore what sustainable marine futures could look like from diverse cultural and experiential standpoints.
A new workshop series co-developing Marine Protected Area (MPA) visions with youth from fishing, Indigenous, and science backgrounds, using a backcasting approach and collaboration with regional experts to map how we can work toward their desired futures.
A participatory systems mapping project where communities help build fuzzy cognitive maps to represent how environmental and social drivers affect the 'health' of the Bay of Fundy, defined and analyzed through culturally specific, community-informed lenses.

This work advances inclusive, context-sensitive approaches to marine science and governance, helping ensure that the knowledge systems and lived experiences of coastal communities are central to understanding and navigating marine change.