jade dawson
[he/they]

m.sc, r.p.bio
fisheries biologist
stats enthusiast

download condensed cv

return to main

education

master's of science (2019 - 2023)
department of biology, laurentian university, sudbury, on.

gpa: 10
thesis title: modelling trophic recovery, interactions, and food web dynamics across smelter-damaged lakes
supervisors: dr. brie edwards and dr. john gunn
committee members: dr. matthew guzzo (university of guelph), dr. kevin mccann (university of guelph), and dr. erik emilson (canadian forest service)

honours bachelor of science: wildlife biology + conservation (2015 - 2019)
department of integrative biology, university of guelph, guelph, on.

gpa: 82.58
thesis: effects of catchment reclamation on biological recovery across heavily smelter-damaged lakes of sudbury, ontario (supervisors: dr. kevin mccann and dr. matthew guzzo)
this research investigated relationships between benthic invertebrate community metrics, algal biomass, and water chemistry and evaluated temporal and spatial variation in recovery within reclaimed and untreated stream deltas of heavily smelter-damaged lakes

employment history

fisheries management biologist (2022 - present)
skeena region, ministry of water, lands, resource stewardship

- develop management plans and strategies for waterbodies with population(s) of invasive species
- angle salmonid species and complete genetic sampling, t-tagging, and measurements for population studies
- install and assist with operation of resistivity and dual-frequency identification sonar (didson) fish counters
- conduct literature review of current study designs, assessment techniques, and impacts to salmonid populations

area supervisor (2021 - 2022)
skeena-nass area, bc parks

- completed and reviewed impact assessments, engaged with first nations and stakeholders, and ultimately recommend decisions for park use permit applications and renewals
- conducted backcountry recreation impact monitoring surveys (brims) and long-term ecological monitoring (ltem) surveys in various environments from wetlands to the alpine
- managed multiple staff members in daily operations of numerous parks, protected areas, ecological reserves, and conservancies to effectively balance recreation, conservation, and cultural values

graduate teaching assistant (2019 - 2021)
department of biology, laurentian university

- taught upper-year biology tutorials and laboratories in biodiversty and conservation, vertebrate form and function, and experimental methods in biology
- lead remote field course in restoration ecology which involved training students in fish identification, gill-netting protocols, fish dissection techniques and structures, and statistical analyses
- guided study designs and research questions for aquatic-based projects

field technician (2019)
living with lakes centre, laurentian university

- analyzed temporal variation in water chemistry of several ephemeral streams
- conducted literature review and prepared lake report summaries to integrate fisheries surveys and water chemistry monitoring
- performed fisheries assessments using integrated nordic and broad-scale monitoring netting protocols

field technician (2018)
living with lakes centre, ministry of environment

- performed extensive water and zooplankton sampling using various equipment
- assisted with lake sediment sampling and extruding from eckman grabs and sediment cores
- participated in a 3-week intensive collaborative team survey to update long-term lake recovery and carbon storage datasets for 83 lakes in sudbury district

research assistant (2016 - 2018)
integrative biology department, univeristy of guelph

- photographed and sampled pumpkinseed sunfish under specific protocol to analyze body morphology between pelagic and littoral zones
- utilized geographic software (arcgis) to digitize and create detailed bathymetry maps
- conducted spatial analyses to determine trends in phenotypic plasticity between distinct within-lake sunfish populations

aquatic biologist (2017)
harkness laboratory, ministry of natural resources and forestry

- conducted creel survey interviews to determine fishing pressure, angler harvest, and effort
- set, picked, and retrieved various types of gill-nets under modified broad-scale monitoring protocol
- processed fish to remove aging structures, weighed and analayzed organs, measured lengths, and identified stomach contents and parasites

teaching experience

graduate teaching assistant in biology (2019 - 2021)
department of biology, laurentian university

bio2706 vertebrate form and function
laboratories in person (2020) and remotely via zoom (2021)
- taught proper animal dissection techniques
- identified structures and function of body system components across vertebrates
- prepared laboratory exam questions

bio3977 biodiversity and conservation
laboratories hosted remotely via zoom
- taught students analytical methods for community biodiversity metric calculations
- facilitated presentations and discussion of current contentious topics in conservation
- graded species at risk management reports

bio1506 biology i
tutorials hosted remotely via zoom
- led tutorials on broad topics in biology from taxonomy to genetics
- prepared assignment questions and answer keys
- graded laboratory reports, problem sets, quizzes, and final exam

bio3327 experimental methods in biology
- graded weekly assignments using SPSS and R programs

bio4000 ontario university program in field biology: restoration ecology from microbes to fish
- guided study design and research questions for aquatic projects
- trained students in gamefish and cyprinid identification, gill-netting techniques, and fish dissection techniques and structures
- taught statistical methods, coding and interface in R, and common packages used in ecology

research skills

field
fisheries assessment techniques (nordic, bsm, pelagic and trap-netting), benthic invertebrate community assessment techniques, water chemistry sampling methods (temp/do profiles, lake off-gassing, van dorns, composite cans), lake sediment coring and sampling, remote conditions

lab
benthic invertebrate identification (family-level), gamefish and cyprinid identification, complete fish dissection, stable isotope preparation, experimental design and logistics

software
R, markdown, github, text editors, arcgis, QGIS, idrisi, whiteboxGAT, adobe, zoom

certifications

swiftwater rescue technician level i, dive rescue international

safe and effective electrofishing certificate, university of northern bc

ontario benthos biomonitoring network certification, ontario ministry of environment

canadian aquatic biomonitoring network certification, canadian rivers institute

remote sensing for freshwater habitats, nasa

effective environmental monitoring practices course, dr. kelly munkittrick + dr. john gunn

environmental remediation re-greening certification, dr. nadia mykytczuk

advanced wilderness first aid, wilderness medical associates

orcka basic level 3 (tandem)

class 5 driver's license

pleasure craft operators card

possession and acquisition of firearms license

shotgun proficiency and safety sign-off (bear monitor), bc parks

snowmobile operators course, canadian safety council

avalanche safety technician level 1 (ast-1)

cpr-c first aid training certificate, canadian lifesaving society

incident command systems level 100, justice institute of bc

bc parks law and its administration (prks1010), bc institute of technology

chainsaw proficiency and operation sign-off, bc wildfire service

awards

nserc alexander graham bell canadian graduate scholarship - master's, $17,500 (2020-2021)

ontario graduate scholarship, $15,000 (offer declined - 2020-2021)

eagle award for best science communication presentation (2020)

ruffed grouse society wildlife conservation bursary, $767 (2020)

runner-up best presentation for the faculty of science, engineering, and achitecture, $150 (2020)

dean entrance scholarship for graduate students, $3000 (2019)

tom peters memorial mine reclamation award for student poster, $100 (2019)

deans honours list - university of guelph (2015-2019)

entrance scholarship, $3000 (2015)

acknowledgements

jarvic, w. m. c. 2018. habitat use, movement patterns, and spatial population structure of polyphenic sunfish. master's thesis dissertation. integrative biology, university of guelph.

memberships

bc wildlife federation (2021 - present)

society of canadian aquatic scientists (2020 - present)

canadian land reclamation association (2020 - present)

entomological society of ontario (2019 - 2021)

american fisheries society, ontario chapter (2019 - 2021)

society for ecological restoration, university of guelph (2017- 2019)

extra-curriculars

president, laurentian university graduate students' association (2020 - 2021)

local 110 representative, canadian federation of students (2019 - 2021)

social convenor and joint council representative, laurentian university graduate students' association (2019 - 2020)

member, university of guelph wildlife club (2016 - 2019)

member (guelph chapter), ontario public interest research group for environmental and social justice (2017 - 2019)

copyrights

mostmisidentifiedspecies software, mit license (c) 2020
owners: victor cameron, jade dawson, simon morvan, catherine sirois-delisle, and brenda thompson