Dr. Emma Walker
Post Doctoral Researcher
Email:
Address:
Department of Ocean Sciences, Earth & Marine Sciences Building, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
A Bit About Me
I conduct theoretical research exploring consequences of global change on biodiversity through the spatiotemporal scales on which these changes impact species populations and community assembly, using mathematical models and simulation-based approaches.
Education
PhD
BSc
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Toronto (2023)
Supervisor: Dr. Benjamin Gilbert
Biology (2016)
University of British Columbia
Publications
In Prep.
Submitted.
Walker, E. J., A. Phillips, L. Mullineaux, B. Gilbert & M. Neubert (In Prep) Impacts of habitat impermanence on metapopulation persistence and size.
Gong, A., E. J. Walker, & B. Gilbert, (Submitted 2024 to American Naturalist) Allee effects, colonization, and extinction: the surprising benefits of demographic stochasticity. 34 pages.
Submitted.
Walker, E. J. & B. Gilbert (Submitted 2024 to American Naturalist) Allee effects and Coexistence.
Published.
Published.
Published.
E. J. Walker & Gilbert, B. Extinction Dynamics: the interplay of species traits and the spatial scales of metapopulation declines. Ecology. 32 pages. ECY21-0494
S. Acheampong, Strong, W. B., Schwartz, M. D., Higgins, R. J., Thurston, M. A., Walker, E. J., Roberts, J. (2016) First Canadian records of two invasive seed-feeding bugs, Arocatus melanocephalus (Fabricious, 1798) (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) and Raglius alboacuminatus (Goeze, 1778) (Hamiptera: Heteroptera). Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia. 113:74-78
G. Lertzman-Lepofsky, Walker, E. J. & Facey, J. (2015) Crab Wars: testing the Ideal Free Distribution with invasive Carcinus maenas and native Hemigrapsus nudus. Simon Fraser Undergraduate Research Journal (SURJ). 1:1-14
Reports
2015
2015
Walker, E. J. 2015. Condition dependence of sex allocation in the model organism Tigriopus californicus. Summer Reports. Bamfield Marine Science Centre.
Walker, E. J. 2015. The effects of European green crabs (Carcinus maenus) on the distribution of purple shore crabs (Hemigrapsus nudus). Summer Reports. Bamfield marine Science Centre.
2015
Chambers, I. A., A. Hebb, & E. J. Walker. 2015. Whale, whale, whale: the effects of temperature and depth on baleen whale distribution. Summer Reports. Bamfield Marine Science Centre.
Presentations
Talk
Talk
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. (2022) Allee effects and Coexistence. Atwood Colloquium in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Canada.
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. (2021) Integrating positive density dependence into modern coexistence theory. British Ecological Society, Liverpool, UK.
Talk
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. (2019) When Allee effects alter coexistence outcomes. Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution, Fredericton, Canada.
Poster
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. Two species coexistence with Allee effects: from understanding when local alternate stable states arise to persistence of regional patterns. Fields Institute for Mathematics Workshop on Mathematical Ecology: Structured Population Modelling, Kingston, Canada.
Talk
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. (2018) Global change impacts via habitat destruction and degradation combine with species' dispersal traits to alter extinction trajectories and thresholds. Ecological Society of America, New Orleans, USA.
Talk
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. (2018) Habitat destruction, habitat degradation and species traits mediate extinction trajectories. North American Conference on Conservation Biology, Toronto, Canada.
Talk
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. (2018) Habitat destruction versus degradation on metapopulation dynamics. Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution, Guelph, Canada.
Talk
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. (2018) Global and local impacts of global change on metapopulations. Atwood Colloquium in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto, Canada.
Poster
E. J. Walker & B. Gilbert. (2018) Habitat destruction versus degradation on metapopulation dynamics. Fields Institute for Mathematics Thematic Program on Emerging Challenges in Mathematical Biology, Human-Environment Systems: Feedback and Management, Toronto, Canada.
Poster
E. J. Walker & H. Stephens (2015). Barancle height as a proxy for effective shore level and plant presence/absence on small islands in Barkley Sound, British Columbia. Coastal Community Ecology Student Symposium, Bamfield, Canada.
Teaching Experience
Course Instructor
Teaching Assistant &
Lab Development
Temperate Field Biology (EEB 405)
University of Toronto, Upper Level Undergraduate
This summer I will be on a teaching team of four instructors for the six week temperate field biology course offered by the University of Toronto in which we will be guiding students through field sampling methods, experimental design, statistical analyses and modelling to writing independent research reports.
Community Ecology (EEB 312H)
University of Toronto, Upper Level Undergraduate
For four consecutive years I have lead the labratory component for the community ecology course offered by the university of Toronto and improved it's teaching materials. This has included giving brief introductory lectures to the lab, assisting students with lab content and assignments. I developed an introduction to R crash course tutorial in R markdown covering basics of data manipulation, visualization, to creating functions and loops in R. I also developed R markdown tutorials for later labs building on these skills and allowing students to begin to build and investigate simulations of the dynamics of ecological communities.
Course Instructor
Quantitative Methods in R (EEB 313H)
University of Toronto, Upper Level Undergraduate
I gave lectures spanning an introduction to the fundamentals of the programming and statistical language R, how to use R for basic (linear regression, ANOVA, etc.) and more advanced (multivariate, spatial, etc.) statistics for the analysis of empirical data, to modelling and simulation methods in R for theoretical work in ecology and evolutionary biology. I delivered lectures through a mixture of live coding the students could type along and follow mixed with interactive questions to challenge their understanding. I also guided students through the design and execution of their own data analysis projects from how to formulate good questions, hypotheses and predictions to the final write up of their analyses in the format of a scientific paper.
Teaching Assistant &
Guest Lecturer
Quantitative Methods in R (EEB 313H)
University of Toronto, Upper Level Undergraduate
I developed and delivered two comprehensive lectures covering conceptually 1) What a model is, 2) Why we develop models, 3) How to create and solve/analyze models in ecology and evolutionary biology, 4) an introduction to some classic models in ecology and evolutionary biology. I provided both a power point presentation with periodic interactive questions to engage students and coded live in front of the students. I also performed trouble shooting and answered student's questions throughout the other lectures given in the course.
Teaching Assistant &
Guest Lecturer
Diversity of Insects (EEB 380H)
University of Toronto, Upper Level Undergraduate
I lead field trip excursions to collect and identify insects and helped students to create proper scientific collections as the main goal of the lab sessions. I gave brief introductory lectures to the lab and assisted students with lab assignments and answered questions about the lab content. I also delivered one of the course lectures, marked assignments and the final collections.
Teaching Assistant &
Lab Development
Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology (EEB 332H)
University of Toronto, Upper Level Undergraduate
My main duties included teaching and marking each lab session. these labs involved work with live specimens and thus, required ensuring student adherence to lab safety and ethics protocols. A primary aim of the labs was to have students become familiar with designing and writing up their own experiments as a formal paper. thus, a major component of my work as a TA was to guide students in thinking about the important aspects of strong experimental design and execution, and how a formal paper should be written (working up to their final assignment). I also helped design and write an introductory R tutorial in R markdown outlining the basics of coding in R and how to do all the basic statistics students needed for executing their projects, now published in the lab manual for this course.
Teaching Assistant
Plant Systematics (EEB 330H)
University of Toronto, Upper Level Undergraduate
For two consecutive years I acted as a teaching assistant for this course, assisting students with lab assignments and answering questions about lab content (key plant characteristics and working with taxonomic keys). I aided in development of some assignments and marking schemes. I was also in charge of marking weekly assignments.
Teaching Assistant
Comparative Invertebrate Zoology (BIO 210)
University of British Columbia, Undergraduate
I was in charge of lab set up, teaching, clean up and marking. These labs involved work with live specimens and thus, required ensuring student adherence to lab safety and ethics protocols. While these labs functioned as support to an introductory invertebrate zoology course, a primary aim of these labs was to have students become familiar with designing and writing up their own experiments. Thus, a major component of my work as a TA was to guide students in thinking about the important aspects of strong experimental design and execution, and how a formal paper should be written (working up to their final assignment). I also marked all assignments and tests from the lecture component of the course and was available to students for questions regarding either the lab or lecture material.
Teaching Certification
Completed Teaching Scholars Foundational Certificate
University of British Columbia
I completed a multi-week certification program provided by the University of British Columbia providing training on how to plan and deliver effective lectures and interactive lessons for students.
Tutor
Calculus Tutor
Private
I provided private calculus tutoring providing overviews of each lecture and homework assistance through explainations of relevant concepts (also including review of highschool math basics) and examples.
Research & Work Experience
2017 - 2023
2016 / 09 - 2016 / 12
2016 / 09 - 2016 / 12
2016 / 09 - 2016 / 12
2013 / 09 - 2014 / 04
2013 / 04 - 2013 / 09
Graduate Researcher
University of Toronto
2017 - 2023
I have been studying broad ecological questions pertaining to dispersal, connectivity, forms of disturbance and community assembly with an interest in understanding not just long-term outcomes but also the timescales on which different outcomes are realized and maintained using a combination of analytical and simulation based approaches.
Field Assistant (Volunteer)
University of British Columbia
I conducted snorkeling surveys for invasive Dreissena polymorpha and endangered Gnoidea angulata, collected specimens for research an dconservation purposes and netted fish for estimates of the prevalence of parasitic larvae.
Scientific Illustrator
British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture
I provided scientific illustrations of invasive Halyomorpha halys (Brown Marmorated Stink Bug) and the native species it is commonly confused with for government information sheets, and created an illustrated key to the most common grasshopper nymphs and adults of BC.
Field and Lab Technician
British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture
I conducted research on grasshopper outbreaks throughout BC, working towards development of forecasting models, conducted surveys monitoring a variety of other insect pests in BC and identified insect specimens sent to the Kelowna ministry of agriculture branch including the identification of two new invasive species to Canada.
Undergraduate Researcher
University of British Columbia
I lead a project investigating how fractal dimension of invasive plants may alter micro-habitat availability affecting diversity, meta-analysis literature review and data collection for additional lab projects.
Undergraduate Researcher
University of British Columbia
I collected and identified insect specimens inhabiting invasive Elaegnus angustifolia and native vegetation in search of a potential biocontrol agent, mapped the distribution of Elaeagnus angustifolia in BC using remote sensing and monitored herbivory.
Mentoring Activities
2020 - 2024
2018 - 2020
2017
2016
2009
Undergraduate Research Project mentor
University of Toronto
I have been mentoring and collaborating on a summer research project with a 4th year NSERC funded undergraduate research student and we are currently working on writing up this research together for publication.
Graduate Peer Mentor
University of Toronto
I have provided mentorship to new incoming graduate students to the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Toronto, answering questions and concerns about navigating grad school throughout each academic year.
Undergraduate Mentor
University of Toronto
I met with a 4th undergraduate research student in our lab to provide help on a 4th year undergraduate project and following the completion of that project, career advice and meetings discussing mathematical concepts relevant to theoretical ecology and readings from a book "Populations to Ecosystems" by M. Loreau.
Undergraduate Mentor
British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture
I assisted an honours student at the University of British Columbia with grasshopper identification.
Science Fair Mentor
I provided mentorship to fellow students interested in presenting succesful projects aimed at attending the Canadian National Science Fair, focused mainly on statistics, experimental design and presentation skills
Event Administration & Science Outreach
2019
2019 & 2018
2018 & 2017
School group Scientific Cruise Leader
I lead a school group cruise with Zephyr Marine explaining ongoing research at Woods Whole Oceanographic Institute, my own research, some sampling techniques used in marine biology, and identification of local flora and fauna observed on the trip.
Soapbox Science Speaker
Presented my research in a fun and accessible way for kids in grades 4-6 to get excited about math and how it can be used to understand the natural world.
Organizer & Presenter, Science Rendez-vous
Science Rendez-vous is the largest science festival in Canada drawing 300,000 attendees and hosted by Canada's top research institutions to engage the public in scientific discovery and research. Together with two other teammates from Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Royal Ontario Museum, I planned the theme and activities that would be on display and coordinated with members of the EEB department and Royal Ontario Museum for contributions to the booth. I also personally contributed as a presenter of my own station within the booth explaining my own and other researcher's work in a fun and interactive way to the visiting public.
2018
Scientista Mentor
I provided advice and mentorship to Women in STEM through an event organized through Scientista.
2013 & 2014
Plant, Insect and Bird Identifier
The bioblitz is an annual effort featuring natural history walks around campus taken on by the community of the UBC Okanagan campus to educate and share expertise on species identification across a wide range of taxa, including lichens, plants, insects, birds and occasionally mammals present on campus. I provided expertise in identification of insects, birds and plants to others engaged in the event.
2008 - 2011
Volunteer Science Demonstrator for the Central Okanagan Science Centre
I provided science demonstrations and entertainment to children and parents of all ages at festivals ensuring a fun and educational experience for all.
Credentials & Skills
2020
Skills for Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence
(Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre)
2017
SAFEtalk Suicide Prevention Certificate (University of Toronto
2019
Python (Data Carpentries Workshop MIT)
2017
Scientific and High-Performance Computing Certificate (SciNet)
2016
PADI Open Water Diver Certification (PADI)
2015
R (Ecological Models and Data in R Summer Field Course BMSC)
2015
Coastal Plant Survey Methods & Identification
(Coastal Community Ecology Summer Field Course BMSC)
2015
Survey Methods for Coastal Wildlife (BMSC Summer field course)
2015
Marine Invertebrate Behaviour Experimental and Field Methods (Marine Behavioural Ecology Summer Field Course BMSC)
2015
Seaweed Identification and Field Methods
(Seaweeds Summer Field Course BMSC)
2015
ArcGIS (University of British Columbia)
2015
WHMIS Core Training for Laboratory Personnel Certificate
2014
Plant identification & Field Methods (Flora of BC Summer Field Course UBC)
2014
Bird Identification & Field Methods (Ornithology Summer Field Course UBC)
2009
Standard First Aid with CPR-C and AED (St. John's Ambulence)
Community and Volunteering Activities
2021 - 2022
EEB Ally promoting Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in the EEB Department
2018 - 2023
Atwood Colloquium in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Scientific Illustrator and Web Designer
2020
Student Seminar Presenter
2019
Hart House Underwater Club Member and Assistant Volunteer
2021
Gave a free online Intro to R Workshop for the Global Society for Genetics and Genome Biology (GSGGB) Undergraduate Group
2021
Atwood Colloquium in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Volunteer Coordinator
2018 & 2017
Panel Discussion Leader, Applying to NSERC Workshop
2017
Mental Health Committee Member
2017
Panel Discussion Leader, Applying to Graduate School Discussion Panel
2017
Assistant Sport Rep. for Wycliffe College
2017
Atwood Colloquium in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Volunteer
2017
Student Seminar Presenter
2014
Food Bank Collector, UBCO Trick or Eat Food Drive
2014
Auctioning Artist, North Okanagan Shuswap Brain Injury Society
2014
Volunteer Educator, S.A.L.T.S. (Sailing & Life Training Society
Recognition & Awards
2018
NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master's (Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada)
2013
Deputy Vice Chancellor's Scholar (University of British Columbia)
2015
Western Canadian Universities Marine Sciences Society Scholarship (Bamfield Marine Science Centre)
2013
Chancellor's Scholar (University of British Columbia)
2012
B.C. Provincial Exam Scholarship (BC Ministry of Education)
2012
Passport to Education Scholarship (BC Ministry of Education)
2011
Taiwan International Science Fair 4th Place
2010
Top 25% in Canada Caley Contest for Mathematics
2010
BC Innovation Council Award
2010
Team Canada 2010 Taiwan International Science Fair
2009
University of Western Ontario Scholarship
2009
Canada-Wide Science Fair Bronze medal
2008
University of Western Ontario Scholarship
2008
Canada-Wide Science Fair Bronze medal
2008
Society for Women in Innovation, Science and Technology Award
Peer Review Activity
2022
Peer reviewed for OIKOS.
2020
Peer reviewed for Basic and Applied Ecology.
2021
Peer reviewed for Ecology.
2023
Peer reviewed for Ecology Letters.
2023
Peer reviewed for American Naturalist.