What year did you graduate and from which program?
2002, BSc Forest Resources Management
2008, PhD Forestry
Where did you grow up?
On a dairy farm near Redwater, Alberta
Why did you choose UBC Forestry?
I started at UBC intending to go into commerce in my second year. Growing up on the prairies I didn’t really know that forestry could be a career option – I had spent four summers prior to starting at UBC tree planting and doing other silviculture work, but didn’t really understand the planning and research that guided these sorts of activities. I have to admit that being on the other end of campus was not half as fun as what forestry seemed to be, and the courses that I was taking weren’t really interesting me. I heard a lot about the dendrology course from forestry students I knew and started to realize that forestry could be an option and that there was a lot more to it than the field work aspect, which I enjoyed, but couldn’t imagine doing forever. I finished my year in Arts and then transferred into forestry for the next fall.
What was your first job after graduation (related or not to your degree)?
I worked for a forestry consulting company for two summers during my degree, but my first job after graduating was working as a researcher in Shawn Mansfield’s lab at UBC. During my third year I started thinking about going to grad school and spoke with a number of professors about working in their labs. I had enjoyed the courses that Shawn taught and he had a PhD student position available and so I ended up working for him for the summer and then continuing in his lab for my PhD.
What are you doing now and how did you end up there?
I just started as an Assistant Professor in Biology at Syracuse University (SU) in Syracuse, NY. I finished my PhD in 2008 and then moved to Australia for three years to work at the Syngenta Centre for Sugarcane Biofuels Development at Queensland University of Technology. Since starting my PhD the goal had always been to find a faculty position, so for the last eight years that is what I’d been working towards by doing a PhD and then taking a post-doctoral position. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities in the last few years, and I’m really excited about the new challenge here at SU.
Do you have any fond memories of your time at UBC?
I think the best memories for me from my time at UBC come from the field schools and anytime we were in the woods for a lab. UBC forestry students are really fortunate to have access to Pacific Spirit Park and the research forests, but also to work and study in BC, one of the most beautiful places in the world in my opinion. Add to that the quality of the people in the department, both students and faculty. How can you not have fond memories of working with great people in a beautiful environment?
If you weren’t working where you are now what profession would you most like to try?
This is a tough question for me – I used to be able to think of a long list of things that I would like to do, but right now, I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing and I love it.
What is the toughest business or professional decision you’ve had to make?
Probably the toughest professional decisions have been the ones that have affected my personal life – things like staying in Vancouver to do a PhD while my partner worked in the Interior and moving overseas for jobs – once to Australia and now back again to North America. I’m fortunate to have a partner who also has a forestry degree and used his time working in forestry consulting to obtain project management experience and training and now has professional designation in that field as well and therefore has a relatively transferable career. However, it’s never easy to leave a comfortable situation and a good job for the unknown, especially when you are living in Australia.
What do you aspire to 10 years from now? (personally and/or professionally)
Ten years ago I was almost finished my forestry degree and had no idea that I’d be sitting where I am now. So ten years from now, who knows! I love what I do and I love the life that I’m able to have because of what I do, with opportunities to travel and work with people from all over the world. I imagine I’ll keep doing what I’m doing as long as it makes me happy and then I’ll find the next challenge. I feel like in academia things can be as challenging as you want them to be, so I can’t imagine getting bored anytime soon.
Do you have any advice for students considering enrolling in forestry?
A degree in forestry is a unique undergraduate degree. It’s a degree that can lead to many different careers, and unless you continue in the forestry industry, it’s going to be a degree that sets you apart from your co-workers, or the other applicants for a job. So you have the option of staying in the forestry industry and you have a degree from an excellent program, or you can use the transferable skills and knowledge that you have gained to move into and excel in many other fields as well. I know there are a lot of people that I went to university with that still work in forestry, but I know just as many that have moved on to other things and if they’ve had a similar experience to mine, they will say that their degree has helped set them apart and allowed them unique and exciting opportunities.
From Branchlines September 2011