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Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2026
Department of Biological Sciences
February 11 is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science! According to the United Nations website, in 2015, the "UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to establish an annual International Day to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology communities."
The Biological Sciences Outreach and Engagement Committee is celebrating the day by showcasing the work of women practicing science in our department. Below is a sampling. It's clear we have (and have had) many gifted women in the department - alumni, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and staff - performing ground-breaking science, and doing a fabulous job of documenting their work! Thanks to all who sent in their photos.
Kudos to the women in our department!!
For more information about International Day of Women and Girls in Science, visit:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day
Sandra Jaskowiak is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Biological Sciences at SFU and works in Dr. Tanya Brown's marine mammal ecotoxicology lab. Her research explores the temporal changes in mercury contamination and feeding ecology of ringed seals in Lake Melville, Labrador. In addition to her research, Sandra is a certified CAUS scientific diver and has contributed to dive-based projects with Dr. Isabelle Côté's lab.
Nandini Joshi is a fourth-year Biology student at SFU studying multidrug resistance in leukemia cells in the Department of Chemistry at SFU under the supervision of Dr. Paul Li. Nandini uses hands-on lab techniques to better understand how cancer cells respond to chemotherapy.
Alexandra Gregg is a graduate student in Dr. Tanya Brown's marine mammal ecotoxicology lab at SFU. Alexandra studies the endangered St Lawrence Estuary Beluga population through historical dietary patterns and contaminant accumulation to inform recovery.
Shelby Connelly is an undergraduate honours student and CAUS scientific diver in Dr. Isabelle Côté’s marine ecology lab. For my honours research, Shelby studied the recolonization of giant California sea cucumbers (Apostichopus californicus) following experimental harvest in səl̓ilw̓ət (Indian Arm, British Columbia), in the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation).
Hi! I am Oula Wiqar, a 4th-year Biology undergrad, part of the Jim Mattsson Lab research team focused on economically sustainable raspberry and blueberry production.
Leah Davis: Leah is studying surface and vertical water quality in B.C.'s estuaries and their potential impacts on estuarine fish communities. Currently, she is working on the final writing and presentation details of my work, and is incredibly excited to defend her thesis later this term.
Brittany Milner: Brittany is studying glacial retreat and salmon ecosystems in the Taku watershed.
Jennifer Curtis: Jenn is examining how adult Chinook salmon in the Nicola River respond to rising summer water temperatures using telemetry. This research links salmon behaviour, use of cold-water refuges, and survival to better understand how fish cope with increasing summer water temperatures.
Phoebe Gross (left), Lili Simon (right):Phoebe works as part of the Estuary Resilience team - they work across systems on Vancouver Island and the Central Coast of BC to understand how climate change could impact estuaries and the young salmon that rely on them.
Lili is also part of the Estuary Resilience Team- she looking is looking at what type of bird species communities are supported by estuaries seasonally and how those communities might shift with sea level rise and various restoration techniques.
Hutton Noth: In partnership with Ha’oom Fisheries Society and member Nations, she is developing benchmarks to assess the current status of cuw̓it (Coho salmon) on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.
Katrina Wynne: Katrina is a graduate student researching freshwater fish ecology with SFU's Salmon Watersheds Laboratory, with a focus on community dynamics and floodplain connectivity. She’s interested in how floods influence wetland conditions for fish and how this shapes community assemblages.
Marta Ulaski: Marta is a PhD candidate in the Salmon Watersheds Lab at Simon Fraser University. By identifying barriers and opportunities for cumulative effects governance and predicting salmon responses to multiple stressors, she aims to improve the management of local and global stressors in salmon watersheds.