EDUCATION
Ph.D. Harvard University (September 2009 – December 2013)
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Advisor: Prof. Jerry X. Mitrovica
Thesis: On sea level – ice sheet interactions
M.Sc. University of Toronto (September 2008 - August 2009)
Collaborative degree in Geophysics and Environmental Studies
Thesis: Large scale sea-level change following polar ice-mass variations
B.Sc. University of Toronto (September 2002 - August 2006)
Physics Specialist, Math Minor
APPOINTMENTS
Assistant Professor McGill University (2015 - present)
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Trottier Space Institute
Canada Research Chair in Ice Sheet - Sea Level Interactions, Tier II (2015 - present, renewed for 2020-2025)
Ed Lorenz Postdoctoral Fellow New York University (January 2014 - June 2015)
Center for Atmosphere and Ocean Science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Working with Prof. David Holland
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION LEADERSHIP
SELECTED AWARDS AND HONOURS
TEACHING
Philosophy:
Teaching for me is about guiding and inspiring students to take an active role in their own training to become not only good scientists but also good citizens and leaders. I believe that one of the most important responsibilities of an Earth scientist is to build a society that is conscientious towards the health of our planet and the sustainability of its resources. I also feel that raising awareness and understanding of environmental and climate issues within the student body, and through them, the general public, is a key step in addressing the impacts of global climate change. I aim to provide students with both a technical understanding of the scientific challenges we face as a society and a broad, interdisciplinary perspective on these challenges. I take an inquiry-guided approach to teaching and am passionate about developing inclusive teaching methods that promote active learning. I have an open-access philosophy about teaching materials and enjoy sharing, discussing and improving on these materials over time. Here are some examples of educational materials I have contributed to or shared with the McGill community:
Teaching for Learning @McGill University article on different ways I incorporate peer assessment into my courses.
McGill Office of Science Education article with advice from myself and others on using in-class polling.
A McGill Reporter article about an initiative to examine how to incorporate writing into the undergraduate curriculum and teaching practices within the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at McGill.
A blog post about a student-led Culture Chats talk series that was developed by students on the McGill EPS Department EDI committee.
Courses Taught at McGill University:
The Climate Crisis and Climate Actions (FSCI 198), Fall 2022, 2023
A new university-wide undergraduate course providing an interdisciplinary, whole-person introduction to the climate crisis and individual and collective actions to address it. It was a nearly two-year-long labour of love working as a cross-campus team to develop this unique and valuable course before launching in Fall 2022. Here is a link to more information and the trailer.
Geodynamics (EPSC 510), Fall 2016, Winter 2018, 2020, Winter 2022
This Earth & Planetary Sciences course is a final-year undergraduate/graduate course required in the Physics/Geophysics program and in our Honours, Earth and Planetary Sciences program. It covers a range of topics in geodynamics, including: hte gravity field of the Earth and planets, body and orbital dynamics of the Earth, moon and planets, tidal interactions of the Earth-moon-sun system, the magnetic field of the Earth and planets, deformation of the Earth under static and dynamic loads, surface processes, the geodynamics of ice and the role of ice and water in the climate system.
Earth Systems Applications (ESYS 500), Fall 2019, Fall 2020
This course is designed to provide students with research-oriented experience. The class will focus on a broad research theme relevant to Earth System Science, which are broken into smaller sub-projects, each of which are worked on by a group of students. The projects within the theme are developed by the students in class and may involve gathering data from published and unpublished sources, data analysis and/or modeling.
Students also contribute to a course blog as they work on their research. Here is the blog from 2019 when students were investigating seasonality and climate change in the Saint Lawrence River Basin. The 2020 theme is the impact of COVID-19 on the Earth System.
Understanding Planet Earth (EPSC 201), Winter 2016, Winter 2017, Winter 2018
Understanding Planet Earth is a general education course that gives an introductory overview of topics in Earth and Planetary Sciences for non-specialists. Course Description: Learn about Earth's origin, its place in the solar system, its internal structure, rocks and minerals, its climate, the formation of metal and fossil fuel deposits, and the extinction of dinosaurs. Discover the impact of the volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and mountain chains on Earth's past, present and future.
Cold Earth Science (EPSC 550), Winter 2018
This Earth & Planetary Sciences course is a final-year undergraduate/graduate seminar course co-taught by Jeff McKenzie and Peter Douglas covering a range of topics related to the cryosphere.
EPSC 400 and 700-level independent research and reading courses, 2016-present
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Ph.D. Harvard University (September 2009 – December 2013)
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Advisor: Prof. Jerry X. Mitrovica
Thesis: On sea level – ice sheet interactions
M.Sc. University of Toronto (September 2008 - August 2009)
Collaborative degree in Geophysics and Environmental Studies
Thesis: Large scale sea-level change following polar ice-mass variations
B.Sc. University of Toronto (September 2002 - August 2006)
Physics Specialist, Math Minor
APPOINTMENTS
Assistant Professor McGill University (2015 - present)
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Trottier Space Institute
Canada Research Chair in Ice Sheet - Sea Level Interactions, Tier II (2015 - present, renewed for 2020-2025)
Ed Lorenz Postdoctoral Fellow New York University (January 2014 - June 2015)
Center for Atmosphere and Ocean Science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Working with Prof. David Holland
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
- Hosting team of monthly seminar series on sea level change, GIA and ice sheets, co-organized by members of of the IAG sub-commission on Cryosphere Deformation, the WCRP Grand Challenges on Regional Sea Level Change and Coastal Impacts, PALSEA and SERCE. Seminars are an hour long on the second Tuesday of the month starting between 11-1pm EST depending on speaker availability.
- Steering Committee Member for the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) “Grand Challenges Sea Level and Coastal Impacts” (2015-2025)
- Vice Chair of the Sub-commission 3.4 of the International Association of Geodesy on Cryopheric Deformation (2019 – 2022)
- Organizing team member for Advanced Climate Dynamics Courses (ACDC) Summer Schools
- Steering committee member of the “Solid Earth Response and influence on Cryosphere Evolution (SERCE)” Scientific Research Program of SCAR (2016-present)
- Theme leader for SCAR INStabilities & Thresholds in Antarctica (INSTANT) Scientific Research Programme Workshop Feb. 2021.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION LEADERSHIP
- Founder and Chair of the Earth and Planetary Science Department Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, McGill University
- Committee Member on the Faculty of Science Equity and Climate Committee, McGill University
(info on EDI at McGill: https://www.mcgill.ca/equity/) - Member of the Earth and Planetary Science Department pod in the international Unlearning Racism in the Geosciences (URGE) program. We are reading papers, watching webinars, meeting weekly and working on deliverables that will help our department and university to develop anti-racist policies and practices.
SELECTED AWARDS AND HONOURS
- International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) Early Career Award (2023)
- American Geophysical Union (AGU) Cryosphere Early Career Award (2019)
- Trottier Fellow in Science and Public Policy (2020-present)
- Tier II Canada Research Chair (renewal) (2020-2025)
- Tier II Canada Research Chair (2015-2020)
- NSERC PhD Level Post-Graduate Scholarship (2010-2013)
TEACHING
Philosophy:
Teaching for me is about guiding and inspiring students to take an active role in their own training to become not only good scientists but also good citizens and leaders. I believe that one of the most important responsibilities of an Earth scientist is to build a society that is conscientious towards the health of our planet and the sustainability of its resources. I also feel that raising awareness and understanding of environmental and climate issues within the student body, and through them, the general public, is a key step in addressing the impacts of global climate change. I aim to provide students with both a technical understanding of the scientific challenges we face as a society and a broad, interdisciplinary perspective on these challenges. I take an inquiry-guided approach to teaching and am passionate about developing inclusive teaching methods that promote active learning. I have an open-access philosophy about teaching materials and enjoy sharing, discussing and improving on these materials over time. Here are some examples of educational materials I have contributed to or shared with the McGill community:
Teaching for Learning @McGill University article on different ways I incorporate peer assessment into my courses.
McGill Office of Science Education article with advice from myself and others on using in-class polling.
A McGill Reporter article about an initiative to examine how to incorporate writing into the undergraduate curriculum and teaching practices within the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at McGill.
A blog post about a student-led Culture Chats talk series that was developed by students on the McGill EPS Department EDI committee.
Courses Taught at McGill University:
The Climate Crisis and Climate Actions (FSCI 198), Fall 2022, 2023
A new university-wide undergraduate course providing an interdisciplinary, whole-person introduction to the climate crisis and individual and collective actions to address it. It was a nearly two-year-long labour of love working as a cross-campus team to develop this unique and valuable course before launching in Fall 2022. Here is a link to more information and the trailer.
Geodynamics (EPSC 510), Fall 2016, Winter 2018, 2020, Winter 2022
This Earth & Planetary Sciences course is a final-year undergraduate/graduate course required in the Physics/Geophysics program and in our Honours, Earth and Planetary Sciences program. It covers a range of topics in geodynamics, including: hte gravity field of the Earth and planets, body and orbital dynamics of the Earth, moon and planets, tidal interactions of the Earth-moon-sun system, the magnetic field of the Earth and planets, deformation of the Earth under static and dynamic loads, surface processes, the geodynamics of ice and the role of ice and water in the climate system.
Earth Systems Applications (ESYS 500), Fall 2019, Fall 2020
This course is designed to provide students with research-oriented experience. The class will focus on a broad research theme relevant to Earth System Science, which are broken into smaller sub-projects, each of which are worked on by a group of students. The projects within the theme are developed by the students in class and may involve gathering data from published and unpublished sources, data analysis and/or modeling.
Students also contribute to a course blog as they work on their research. Here is the blog from 2019 when students were investigating seasonality and climate change in the Saint Lawrence River Basin. The 2020 theme is the impact of COVID-19 on the Earth System.
Understanding Planet Earth (EPSC 201), Winter 2016, Winter 2017, Winter 2018
Understanding Planet Earth is a general education course that gives an introductory overview of topics in Earth and Planetary Sciences for non-specialists. Course Description: Learn about Earth's origin, its place in the solar system, its internal structure, rocks and minerals, its climate, the formation of metal and fossil fuel deposits, and the extinction of dinosaurs. Discover the impact of the volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and mountain chains on Earth's past, present and future.
Cold Earth Science (EPSC 550), Winter 2018
This Earth & Planetary Sciences course is a final-year undergraduate/graduate seminar course co-taught by Jeff McKenzie and Peter Douglas covering a range of topics related to the cryosphere.
EPSC 400 and 700-level independent research and reading courses, 2016-present
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