SFU Faculty of Environment

10/15/2026

Congratulations October 2026 grads! You did it! 🙌 🎓

Thank you to everyone who came to our reception to celebrate!



SFU Alumni
Simon Fraser University

10/14/2026

A summer in the field 🪏🌍

10/08/2026

Next stop: Peru ✈️

Kassandra Chavarria Sosa graduates with her first degree in environmental science this October and is already on to her next!

As an undergraduate student in her program's applied biology stream, Chavarria Sosa pursued an honours thesis analyzing Brandt's cormorant GPS tracks under the supervision of statistical ecologist and environmental science professor Ruth Joy.

She presented her honours research and the work she was doing with her lab at both SFU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium this year, as well as at the Pacific Seabird Conference.

“These experiences led to really interesting conversations and connections with other researchers doing similar work,” she says. “It really opened my eyes to all the different avenues I can take after my studies.”

Now, the new master's student is continuing her work as a graduate student in SFU's School of Environmental Science modelling animal movement data—this time on the Peruvian coast.

Read Kassandra's story: https://ow.ly/sBPw50ZV3xr



Simon Fraser University
SFU Alumni
SFU Faculty of Graduate Studies

09/22/2026

Samantha Thompson is a community-engaged housing researcher joining Simon Fraser University this fall as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography.

Thompson uses feminist care theory to examine the relationships between housing insecurity and the climate crisis with the goal of moving progressive housing policy forward and contributing to renter-driven climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.

“We are currently on a path where the gap between those who are protected from climate crisis impacts and those who are not continues to widen, fueled by those who can afford to pay for new, retrofitted and green buildings and those who are left living in some of the oldest, least climate-safe buildings that are also consequently the most affordable,” says Thompson.

Read more about Thompson and her research: https://ow.ly/RVeu50ZQeHY

09/14/2026

SFU resource economist, Andrés Cisneros-Montemayor, is one of seven SFU scholars to join The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) / La Société royale du Canada (SRC)'s class of 2026, and one of three to be inducted into the RSC's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

As an associate professor in SFU's School of Resource and Environmental Management and director of the Ocean Equity Lab at SFU, Cisneros-Montemayor works to increase benefits for coastal communities by centring equity in marine industries.

Through this work, he has put forward the first global estimates of the economic value of marine ecotourism and seafood consumption by coastal Indigenous communities, and helps to advance equity in international ocean policy.

“It’s a huge honour to be a part of the RSC College, especially because the nominators and reviewers are all part of the College, so it’s a recognition by peers as much as the institution itself. I first came to Canada knowing that I was going into a place without my networks and friends, and this is just that, a new network of peers and friends,” says Cisneros-Montemayor.

Read more: https://ow.ly/fcHq50ZNzmG

09/09/2026

Congratulations to Kirsten Zickfeld, one of seven SFU scholars to be inducted into The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) / La Société royale du Canada (SRC) this year, and one of four to be named a Fellow! Recognition by the Royal Society of Canada is Canada’s top academic honour.

“I am deeply honoured to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. This recognition is especially meaningful to me because it reflects the trust and recognition of my peers and the broader Canadian scientific and scholarly community. I look forward to joining this remarkable national community of scholars, scientists and intellectuals, and to learning from colleagues across disciplines,” says Zickfeld.

Zickfeld is a Distinguished SFU Professor of Climate Science recognized internationally for her work on net zero and carbon budgets.

She has led research that is foundational to our modern understanding of how human-caused carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions impact Earth’s climate.

As a contributor to multiple reports for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change — the leading international body for the assessment of climate change — Zickfeld has helped inform international climate policy, with a focus on strategies to mitigate long-term climate impacts and meet climate goals.

Read more: https://ow.ly/ihQO50ZLF2o

SFU Geography

08/31/2026

Spend a day in the mountains with environmental science major Meghan Smith, a research assistant in the Little Ecology Group at Simon Fraser University!

Smith joined the Little Ecology Group as an RA last fall after approaching her professor, Chelsea Little, who leads the Alpine Horizons Research Initiative in collaboration with researchers from SFU, UBC, the Squamish Nation and BC Parks.

In her role as an RA, Smith completes field surveys of macroinvertebrates and their habitats in freshwater streams near Whistler and Garibaldi.

To learn more about Smith's experience, read the full story here: https://ow.ly/3n4J50ZGL6w

08/13/2026

Hard work is paying off 🎖️

Sustainable business student, Riley Williams, is the recent recipient of two environmental leadership awards!

His multidisciplinary efforts to understand and address the environmental crisis has earned Riley both a Surrey and White Rock Top 25 under 25 Award and a City of Burnaby - Local Government 2026 Environmental Star Award.

Read more about Riley's work at SFU and beyond: https://ow.ly/cKOF50Zzt7J

Beedie School of Business Simon Fraser University

08/05/2026

07/29/2026

Ancient turtle hunting could inform modern conservation throughout the Southern Caribbean according to a new study led by Simon Fraser University researchers in collaboration with NAAM - National Archaeological Anthropological Memory Management.

The study is the first to complete a species-specific identification analysis of sea turtle bones found at centuries-old archaeological sites across Curaçao and Bonaire, shedding light on interactions between the species dating back 1,000-years and giving researchers information they may need to protect populations going forward.

For animals with extraordinarily long lifespans, Christine Conlan, a PhD candidate in SFU’s Department of Archaeology and study lead, explains that this understanding of their history and responses to pressures through deep time is incredibly important when making conservation decisions today.

Read more: https://ow.ly/el1i50ZulU8