Our Team. Your Team.
Senior Experts You Can Rely On
Indigenous communities, industry and governments alike are increasingly interested in creating a new format of collaboration that aligns Indigenous Knowledge and western science. MSES is at the forefront of uniting these knowledge bases and ensuring clarity and understanding of potential changes to ecosystems and culturally-sensitive areas.
The following profiles demonstrate that all associates of the MSES network have:
–Years of working experience in the industry
–High academic degrees of international standing
–A record of expert services and testimony at the international level
Dr. Petr Komers has led ecological assessments in Canada, USA, Europe, Asia and Africa. His experience includes multi-million dollar industry and research projects, leadership of international and multidisciplinary teams, and development of environmental standards. As part of his 20+ years of working experience he resided in 6 countries, is fluent in 6 languages, worked with proponents, governments, stakeholders and NGOs. He routinely acts as an expert witness, a referee of scientific manuscripts, and as an examiner at university thesis defenses.
Ms. Abbie Stewart is a terrestrial ecologist that has been working as an environmental consultant since 2001. She routinely conducts EIAs, provides third party reviews, leads academic research projects, and gives lectures on wildlife impact assessment. Ms. Stewart’s core expertise is in the ecology of moose and other large mammals, and the development of bio-statistical analyses. As a project manager of large multi-disciplinary EIA reviews, she has assimilated information from discipline expert reviewers with a focus on developing integrated reports that address the questions and concerns of either Aboriginal communities or review boards. She earned a Master’s degree in Landscape Ecology from the University of Calgary.
Ms. Shannon Gavin earned a Master’s degree in Conservation Ecology from the University of Calgary (Canada) where her research focused on the effects of linear disturbances on wildlife habitat and behaviour. She has over ten years of academic and environmental impact assessment experience in wildlife biology with a specialization in human development impacts to wildlife and landscapes. Ms. Shannon Gavin has provided scientific expertise on a range of projects with Aboriginal communities, regulators and developers in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. She has extensive experience in project management, technical workshops and providing expert technical reviews for wildlife and biodiversity ranging from small local development projects to large multi-disciplinary third party reviews.
Dr. Brian Kopach is a broadly trained ecologist with over ten years of academic research and resource management experience in ecosystems across western and northern Canada. He has extensive experience designing ecological field studies, and in the collection and analysis of data for both vegetation and wildlife studies. He has led, or assisted with, research and conservation related projects for public and private sector organizations in Canada and the United States, including the Canadian Wildlife Service, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Ducks Unlimited. Mr. Brian Kopach earned a Master’s degree in Biogeography from the University of Victoria (Canada), and a PhD at the University of Calgary (Canada) examining the ecological and evolutionary consequences of species interactions among alpine plants.
Dr. Megan Thompson is an aquatic ecologist with more than ten years of academic and research experience dealing with pollutant and climate change impacts on lakes and rivers. Dr. Megan Thompson’s studies have focused on the limnological impacts of terrestrial linkages and inputs like permafrost thaw and effluent release on freshwater systems. She has published papers, given talks and lectured on northern limnology, permafrost hydrology and chemistry, geomorphology, statistics and anthropogenic environmental impacts on lakes and rivers. Dr. Megan Thompson’s core training is in the fields of aquatic ecology and limnology, but she has also completed studies in Northern planning and development, including traditional ecological knowledge, participatory research and conflict resolution. Dr. Megan Thompson received her Ph.D. from the University of Victoria (Canada) after completing research into the nature and impacts of permafrost thaw on nearby lakes in the Mackenzie Delta area of the Northwest Territories.
Dr. Sheri Gutsell is a plant ecologist with interests in plant population and community ecology. She earned a PhD. from the University of Calgary, where her research focused on understanding the mechanisms that drive ecological patterns at individual, population, and community scales. Over the past 17 years, she has worked as a scientific advisor and technical reviewer for various Indigenous communities across Canada on a wide variety of industrial and infrastructure development applications. She has reviewed, advised, and testified at hearings on assessments of project impacts on vegetation components (wetlands, forestry, old-growth forests, rare and sensitive plant species and communities, and plant species of traditional importance) and on cumulative effects, mitigation, monitoring, and reclamation. She also reviews and advises on vegetation, wetland, and reclamation research plans.
Ms. McCallum is a hydrogeochemist with over 13 years of experience as a Hydrogeochemistry / Hydrogeology consultant in the environmental field, with a focus on aqueous geochemical data interpretation, aquifer characterization and water supply studies. She has earned a Master’s degree in Hydrogeology from the University of Calgary (Canada). Ms. McCallum has provided technical guidance and expertise in the interpretation of physical, chemical, stable isotope and hydrogeological data for various projects in the sectors of Oil and Gas Industry, Agriculture, Environmental Firms, Government Agencies and Private Landowners. She has worked as a lead scientist in the development of local to regional scale hydrological/hydrogeological assessments, water management plans, groundwater monitoring and water sourcing studies.
Dr. Ave Dersch has extensive traditional knowledge experience through her work and research with several First Nation communities. Her Ph.D. dissertation research involved looking at the application of traditional knowledge to past, present and future land use with the Swan River First Nation. Over the years, she has assisted with traditional land use studies, archaeological assessments and research examining contaminants in key cultural plant resources and water.
Ms. Gargus is a scientist with MSES and a recent graduate from the University of Calgary (Canada) with a concentration in Geography. Her current focus is on supporting research, report building, and project administration; including development of budgets, scoping future work, and communication with clients. Prior to Ms. Gargus joining our team here at MSES, she had an active role in the undergraduate science community at the U of C, including her past roles of VP Communications with the Environmental Science Student Association and Advocacy Team Member with the RePlastic YYC Community (which focuses on innovative re-purposing of plastic waste). Ms. Gargus also conducted research in McLean Creek, Alberta, on the success of bioengineering in boreal area riparian zones.
Mr. Boyer is a biologist with MSES and is a graduate of the Environmental Science program at the University of Calgary (Canada) with a concentration in Biology. He has conducted research on water quality and fish habitat, specifically on sediment loading from off-highway vehicle trails and crossings. Mr. Boyer has extensive experience in field sampling and data analysis. He is well versed in the fields of aquatic ecology, limnology and hydrology.
“… your team has been awesome…” – Woodstock First Nation
