The Team
Sophie Wilkinson
Sophie Wilkinson is the founder of the Fire and Ecosystems Research Lab, based in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. She received her BSc and MEnv (Master of Environment) from the University of Leeds, UK. Sophie went on to complete her PhD at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto.
Sophie loves the outdoors and cares deeply about our planet. She is thrilled and very grateful to be able to do a job where she can share that passion with students and collaborators while progressing our understanding of fire and ecosystems.
Quinn Barber
Quinn Barber is a PhD Geography student studying remote sensing of peatland wildfires. He is employed by the Canadian Forest Service and holds a MSc in Forest Sciences from the University of Freiburg, Germany. Quinn lives in Edmonton, and in his spare time he enjoys mountain biking with his family, including a mandatory ice cream stop.
Edmund Strachan
Edmund is entering his second year in the Master of Resource Environmental Management program at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Edmund has a background in fire, forest, and wetland ecology. He is passionate about increasing the resiliency of ecosystems through conservation and sustainable management practices. He is dedicated to promoting inclusive and accessible science to the general public.
Edmund holds an Associate degree in Social Service Work from Seneca College, a technical diploma in Restoration of Natural Systems from the University of Victoria (UVIC), and a Bachelor's degree with a Major in Interdisciplinary Studies from Capilano University. He is a registered biologist in training with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists.
Daphne van de Wetering
Daphne is in her fourth year as a student in the Bachelor Resource and Environmental Management program. Her professional experience includes working with the BC Wildfire Service as a co-op student and as a research assistant studying carbon emissions in peatlands post-wildfire. Daphne is interested in ecological restoration as well as the effects of climate change on ecosystems. Outside of school, Daphne loves reading and anything outdoors, especially back-country camping and kayaking.
Adam Scott
Adam graduated from the University of Guelph in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, majoring in ecology. Adam is now starting his Masters of Resource and Environmental Management. For his research, Adam will study fire risk and carbon balance in a novel fire smart treatment.
For the past three summers, Adam has worked for the Thousand Islands National Park as a part of the resource conservation team. With Parks Canada, he developed his interest in wildfire and the research questions surrounding it. Outside of the lab, Adam enjoys snowboarding, travelling, photography, camping, and raising service dogs.
Eli Hacker
Eli is a third-year student pursuing an honours degree in Resource and Environmental Management, a minor in Indigenous Studies, and certificates in Sustainable Development and Indigenous Research. He is interested in the cultural and scientific connections between Indigenous peoples and fire stewardship. He is also interested in how resource and land management policies can be improved to mitigate wildfire risks. In his spare time, Eli serves as the president of the REM undergraduate student union. He loves kayaking, cycling, camping, and travelling with his girlfriend.
Eleanore Krieger-Pottruff
Eleanore earned her BSc from the University of Toronto, specializing in Forest Conservation Science and Conservation Biology, with a minor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Eleanore has worked as a research assistant studying mountain pine beetle and forest fire interactions in BC and identifying fire weather ignition conditions in Alberta peatlands. She is currently working towards a Masters of Resource Management, with a thesis using remote sensing to study drivers of burn severity in Northern BC. Eleanore has spent 5 seasons planting trees in Ontario, Alberta and BC.
Matthew Syvenky
Matthew is studying towards an Honours Bachelor of Environment, with a major in Resource and Environmental Management, a minor in physical geography, and a certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Matthew is passionate about how invasive species influence post-fire ecosystem succession and fuel loading. Outside of the lab, Matthew enjoys scuba diving, backpacking, and camping.
Amanda Bakalarczyk
Amanda is pursuing an MSc in Remote Sensing, with a focus on quantifying the drivers of burn severity and below-ground carbon loss from smouldering combustion in managed peatlands. Amanda has a varied background, including many years of working as a chef, undergraduate degrees in fine arts and computer science, and a stint in the fire group with the Canadian Forest Service. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys knitting, thrifting, travelling, and making terrariums.
Nehal Dhadral
Nehal came to SFU as a transfer student from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, where she grew up. She is working towards a Bachelor's degree in the Faculty of Science’s Biological Sciences Department with a concentration in ecology, evolution, and conservation. When Nehal moved to BC in 2021, she saw how badly wildfires were affecting BC's amazing and beautiful biodiversity. Seeing the influences of wildfires motivated Nehal to change her degree from a cellular-focused biology program to environmental biology. Nehal hopes to one day help fight the global climate crisis. Outside of school, Nehal has her second-degree black belt in taekwondo, loves to go on sunset walks, and shopping. If she’s not out in nature, you’ll probably find Nehal in a movie theatre somewhere.