Our team at FIDEL is a blend of individuals from a diverse set of backgrounds including forestry, entomology, evolutionary ecology, population ecology, ecological modelling, remote sensing, GIS sciences, environmental sciences, and pest management.
Dr. Debra Wertman
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
debra.wertman@ubc.ca
Debra is a Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Research Fellow in FIDEL researching red alder health and management in the Greater Victoria Water Supply Area on Vancouver Island. During her PhD in FIDEL (completed 2024), Debra discovered a unique symbiosis between the alder bark beetle, Alniphagus aspericollis, and the newly described fungus Neonectria bordenii, and characterized the impacts of these organisms on red alder in southwestern British Columbia. Her research generated important insights into the evolution of bark beetle–fungus mutualisms. During her MSc in Biology at the University of Victoria (co-supervisor Dr. Steve Perlman), conducted in collaboration with the Canadian Forest Service (co-supervisor Dr. Kathy Bleiker), Debra identified photosensitivity in immature mountain pine beetles. She also holds undergraduate degrees in Biology (BSc Honours) and Visual Arts (BFA) from the University of Victoria. Debra’s broad interests span forest insect evolutionary ecology, herbivorous insect–microbial interactions and species introductions, hardwood-killing bark beetles, and tree decline syndromes.
Lucas Peng
PhD Candidate
lpeng429@mail.ubc.ca
Lucas is a PhD candidate who joined FIDEL in 2022 and started as an MSc. student. His research focuses on assessing the suitable habitat distribution of bark beetles under climate change, in particular, endemic mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and western balsam bark beetles (Dryocoetes confusus). Using remote sensing data, Lucas aims to predict the shift in optimal bark beetle habitat to provide insight in proactive management strategies to reduce ecological impact and subsequent economic loss from potential future outbreaks. Lucas holds a BSc (honors) degree in forest sciences at UBC forestry. In his free time, Lucas enjoys bird watching, running, and model building – model kits, not statistical models :).
Jamie You
PhD Candidate
jaeincanada@gmail.com
Jamie is a PhD student in the Mansfield lab. His research focuses on creating transgenic poplar in order to improve insect resistance. He continues to work with FIDEL, with Dr. Carroll being an important committee member, as he plans to rear many species of insects, to determine the detoxification mechanisms they each harbor to deal with the specialized defense metabolites of poplar. In his free time, Jamie enjoys looking at insects, fishing and playing basketball.
Debra Wytrykush
PhD Candidate
Debra is a PhD candidate currently working for the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development as the Entomologist for the Cariboo Region. Her research focuses on the impacts of a warming environment on the life cycle duration and outbreak potential of the spruce beetle in BC.
Sichen Zhou
MSc Student
zhousichen620228@gmail.com
Sichen began her MSc studies at the University of British Columbia in 2023, after completing a BSc with Honours in Natural Resources Conservation at UBC. Her graduate research examines the abundance and diversity of ambrosia beetles in red alder (Alnus rubra) ecosystems in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, with a focus on introduced species and their ecological impacts. She explores how non-native beetles respond to variations in tree condition and site characteristics. As an undergraduate research assistant, Sichen contributed to Dr. Wertman’s study on alder bark (Alniphagus aspericollis) beetle attack patterns and helped Dr. Pane analyze Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae) population dynamics. These early experiences laid the groundwork for her ongoing work in forest entomology.
Joseph Hover
MSc Student
jhover@student.ubc.ca
Joseph is a MSc student that started in the lab in January 2024. His research is focused on modelling interior Douglas-fir growth in response to western spruce budworm (Choristoneura freemani) defoliation. Additionally, he hopes to determine the efficacy of Btk treatments in protecting tree growth by comparing growth in treated and untreated stands. He holds a BSc in Natural Resource Science from Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and works as a Forest Health Professional for the Ministry of Forests in the Cariboo region. Outside of school, Joe enjoys football, hiking, cycling, and reading.
Bennett Wardman
MSc Student
bwardman@student.ubc.ca
Bennett is MSc student who started with FIDEL in September, 2024. His work focuses on understanding how warming climate impacts mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) development in western Canada, with the goal of updating climatic suitability models for the species. Specifically, he hopes to uncover the extent to which a facultative diapause can maintain a univoltine lifecycle (one generation per year). He holds a BSc in Forestry majoring in Forest Operations (2024) from UBC. In his spare time, Bennett enjoys kayaking, fishing, hiking, and making noise on bass and guitar.
Michelle Yim
Honours Student
mytt830@student.ubc.ca
Michelle is a 4th year undergraduate student in the Forest Sciences program. She recently completed her honours thesis on how stand conditions and forest fragmentation influence beetle diversity in red alder ecosystems. She is currently working as a research assistant with Dr. Debra Wertman on projects involving Neonectria bordenii pathogenicity in red alders, fungal associations and potential predators of the poplar-and-willow borer (Cryptorhynchus lapathi), and pheromone trapping of the alder bark beetle (Alniphagus aspericollis). She will continue her work on the poplar-and-willow borer project in fall 2025. Outside of academics, Michelle enjoys origami, embroidery, hiking, and bug hunting
Siena Lapointe
Honours Student
sienalapointe@gmail.com
Siena is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Forest Sciences program. Currently, she is working as an undergraduate research assistant aiding Debra Wertman on her research with the alder bark beetle (Alniphagus aspericollis). This fall Siena will continue her work in the FIDEL lab by starting her honors thesis, researching the relationship between A. aspericollis and honey fungus (Armillaria) in the lower mainland. She is passionate about the connection between entomology and mycology, as well as anything that involves being outdoors.
Nicolas Kolesnikow
Research Assistant
nicolaskolesnikow@gmail.com
Nick is an 4th year undergraduate student in the Forest Resource Management Program. He has been assisting Sichen with field work since the fall of 2024 and was hired as a research assistant for the summer 2025 season. During this time, he has split his focus between Debra Wertman’s projects; spending time observing Poplar Willow Borer (Cryptorhynchus lapathi) predator and competitor dynamics while aiding in continued Alder Bark Beetle (Alniphagus aspericollis) research. Beyond the lab, Nick is involved in the Faculty of Forestry Undergraduate Society and enjoys spending time hiking and skiing in the outdoors
Dr. Vivek Srivastava
Research Associate
vivek.srivastava@ubc.ca
Vivek is a fresh PhD graduate from the University of British Columbia and currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Faculty of Forestry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry, a master’s degree in remote sensing and GIS and a PhD in forest ecology with specialization in ecological modelling, GIS and applied machine learning. Vivek studies forest invasive species and develops spatial-temporal pest risk models to help detect and mitigate the spread of forest invasives. He specializes in geospatial modelling with a special interest in understanding the underlying mechanisms of forest pest species invasions and developing tools and techniques for assisting decision making around the management of invasive species. Vivek loves to connect with people. In his free time, he enjoys photography, hiking and cooking.
Dr. Jordan Burke
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr Jordan Burke completed his BSc in Entomology (2009) and MSc in Forestry (2011) from the University of Georgia. In 2012, Jordan joined FIDEL to start his PhD. Jordan’s exuberant nature and captivating ingenuity were fundamental parts of FIDEL for the next 7 years. During his time with FIDEL as both a PhD Student and Postdoctoral Fellow, Jordan studied the effects of range expansion on the mountain pine beetle, their fungi, and their hosts in BC and Alberta. Beyond his research, Jordan was also a remarkable teacher and mentor. Jordan’s enthusiasm for forest entomology was captivating and inspiring. Within his teaching, Jordan brought his quintessential enthusiasm for forest entomology which always made his classes both engaging and inspiring.
Jordan lost his battle with cancer in July 2019. The Jordan L. Burke Memorial Award in Forestry was established in 2020 through the support of family, friends, colleagues, and the Faculty of Forestry to honour his memory and celebrate the joy he brought to our lives.
Dr. Stan Pokorny
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
stanley.pokorny@ubc.ca
Stanley Pokorny is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who joined FIDEL in 2014. His work focusses on understanding climate change-driven range expansions and the novel trophic interactions they generate using mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) as a model system. He has been appointed as a Teaching Assistant by the Faculty of Forestry 7 times for 4 different courses and has been appointed as a Sessional Lecturer 4 times, 3 times at UBC Vancouver and once at Beijing Forestry University in China. Upon completion of his thesis, he plans to continue with FIDEL as a Post-Doctoral Researcher examining the efficacy of Beauvaria bassiana as a biological control agent for mountain pine beetle.
Alex Pane
PhD Student
Apane@uw.edu
Alex is a PhD student at the University of Washington, co-advised by Dr. Carroll and Dr. Patrick Tobin. Insects are strongly affected by climate and changes in climate because many of their physiological processes are regulated by temperature. Consequently, warming temperatures have critical ramifications to insect populations, including more frequent and/or more intense outbreaks. Using historical aerial detection survey data (1960-2018) from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, Alex is attempting to quantify how the spatial and temporal dynamics of bark beetles, defoliators, and their interactions at local and regional scales have changed through time. He is also measuring how natural enemy communities influence the dynamics of two native forest insect species in Washington, Douglas-fir beetle and western spruce budworm, both of which have a propensity for outbreaks east of the Cascade Mountain Range, but not west.
Antonia Musso
PhD Candidate
Antonia completed her BSc and MPM at Simon Fraser University before beginning her PhD research with Dr. Maya Evenden (University of Alberta) and Dr. Carroll in 2016. Her current research investigates the dynamics, dispersal, and host selection by mountain pine beetle (MPB) in Canada’s boreal forest. Antonia has performed field and lab experiments to examine the attack dynamics and host choice of MPB in the novel host jack pine and evolutionarily naïve lodgepole pines in Alberta as well as dispersal capacity using computer linked flight mills.
Marcos Riquelme
PhD Student
Marcos holds a BSc in Biology with emphasis in Microbiology and Parasitology from the University of Panama and a MSc in Forestry from Northern Arizona University. He recently started his PhD at the University of British Columbia where he joined FIDEL and the Tree Ring Lab (TRL). Marcos completed his undergraduate thesis by working with foliar endophytic fungi and his master’s thesis by examining wood drying rates and wood-infesting insect dynamics in post-thinned forest stands. For his PhD, Marcos will be evaluating fuel development through time and their impact on wildfire behavior of mountain pine beetle affected stands.
Carmen Taylor
Research Assistant
Carmen holds both a BSc in Forest Sciences (Honours) and Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management (MGEM) from UBC Forestry. She has worked on multiple projects within FIDEL during four work terms. She completed her undergraduate honours thesis studying the influences of novel host monoterpenes on fungal associates of the mountain pine beetle. This project was an extension of the research initiated by Dr. Jordan Burke (post-doctoral fellow) and Dr. Carroll. Carmen has also worked with Debra Wertman on her investigation into the dynamics of alder bark beetle (Alniphagus aspericollis). More recently, Carmen has extended her MGEM research project investigating the effects of road disturbance on forest insect outbreaks in collaboration with Dr. Carroll and Stan Pokorny.
Erin Stewart
Research Assistant
Erin completed her BSc in Natural Resources Conservation majoring in Science and Management from UBC Forestry in the spring of 2020. She has worked with the lab since the summer of 2019, assisting with multiple projects. She has primarily assisted with fieldwork for the Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae) and alder bark beetle (Alniphagus aspericollis) projects, sampling in locations across British Columbia. She has also assisted with alder bark beetle and mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) lab studies. Erin will be starting her MSc at Trent University studying conservation physiology and ecology of freshwater fishes within the Raby Lab in January 2021.
Anthony Robinson
MSc Student
Anthony completed his MSc thesis in 2015. He investigated the impacts of invasive mountain pine beetle populations on evolutionarily naïve lodgepole pine forests, and modeled the potential spread of epidemic populations through the boreal forest. He is now the owner/ director of LSJ Publishing Ltd, a Canadian publishing company that runs two acclaimed Forest Industry Publications, the Logging and Sawmilling Journal and TimberWest Magazine.
Marc-Antoine Leclerc
MSc Student
Marc-Antoine obtained his BSc in Forest Sciences and MSc (2018) from the University of British Columbia. His MSc research, co-supervised by Dr. Lori Daniels, examined the effects of mule deer winter range management on the three major disturbances of the interior dry forests of British Columbia: the western spruce budworm, wildfire, and the Douglas-fir beetle. While completing his BSc, Marc-Antoine was also a research assistant in FIDEL, the UBC Tree-Ring lab and Avilés Lab. Marc-Antoine is currently a PhD candidate at l’université du Québec à Chicoutimi working on reconstructing spruce budworm and wildfire events in the mixed boreal forest over the past 10,000 years under the supervision of Dr. Hubert Morin.
Wesley Brookes
MSc Student
Wes obtained his BSc in Forest Sciences and MSc (2019) from the University of British Columbia. His MSc research, co-supervised by Dr. Lori Daniels, examined historical and contemporary disturbances by fire, western spruce budworm and Douglas-fir beetle in central interior dry forests of British Columbia.
Amberly Tai (Marciniak)
MSc Student
Amberly received her BSc in Forest Sciences from the University of British Columbia and then completed her MSc with FIDEL in 2015. Her research focused on climate change-driven shifts in the interactions between the western spruce budworm and Douglas-fir beetle in the dry interior forests of British Columbia. She is currently Administration and Programs Assistant at Forestry Innovation Investment.
Dr. Clive Welham
Research Associate
Dr. Clive Welham obtained his PhD from Simon Fraser University, with a specialty in ecological modeling. Following a Killam Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Botany Department at UBC, he joined the Forest Ecosystem Modeling Group in the Faculty of Forestry, as a Research Associate. His work in FIDEL focusses on the development and application of a mountain pine beetle (MPB) population and spread model. The model, MPBSpread, has been used to evaluate the efficacy of current MPB control policies and explore alternative options. Dr. Welham is also an Adjunct Professor at Nanjing Forestry University, in China. He is a co-founder of two consulting firms, in which he holds Managing Director positions.
Dr. Brad Seely
Research Associate
Dr. Brad Seely received his PhD in terrestrial ecology from the department of Biology at Boston University in 1996. Following that, he worked as a post-doctoral fellow developing the FORECAST model in the Forest Ecosystem Management Simulation group with Dr. Hamish Kimmins at UBC. He is presently working as research associate in the Department of Forest Resources Management at UBC where has been involved in research to develop and test forest ecosystem management models at multiple spatial scales. His specific interests lie in exploring options for sustaining and improving the flow of ecosystem services from forest resources and evaluating the potential long-term impacts of climate change on forest health, growth and development. He has worked extensively with FIDEL to evaluate the impacts of management alternatives to mitigate the impacts of mountain pine beetle and other biogenic disturbance agents on forest resources.
Julia Thain
Honours Student
juliathain01@gmail.com
Julia is an undergraduate student entering her 4th year of the Forest Sciences program in the Faculty of Forestry. She will be primarily assisting Taylor Holt and Debra Wertman in the lab and field this summer with their research on the alder bark beetle (Alniphagus aspericollis) system. She will be writing her honours thesis on the olfactory response of alder bark beetles to Neonectria volatiles, a proposed symbiont of the Alder bark beetle found in red alder trees.
Holden Payne
MF Student
payneholden@gmail.com
Holden is a MF student in his second year who joined the FIDEL Lab in Fall of 2022. He is a TRANSFOR-M student through both the University of British Columbia (MF) and the University of Life Sciences and Natural Resources (BOKU) in Vienna, Austria (MSc). He is currently co-advised by Dr. Carroll (UBC) and Dr. Sigrid Netherer (Institute of Forest Entomology at BOKU) to explore disturbance regime synergies across the pacific northwest of the United States and the Province of British Columbia. His work focuses on how at broad spatial scales bark beetle outbreaks may impact subsequent wildfire extents, severities, and effects. Using Aerial Detection surveys and satellite imagery from both the U.S and B.C he hopes to better understand the linkages between morality from beetle outbreaks and subsequent fire behaviour, going back as far as the mid-20th century. He holds a BSc in Ecosystem Management & Forestry and Environmental Science from the University of California, Berkeley where he completed his undergraduate thesis on the use of novel silvicultural regimes as replacements for vegetation control methods in mixed conifer forests.
Anna Tobiasz
MSc Student
anna.m.tobiasz@gmail.com
Anna a Registered Professional Forester with experience in landscape-level planning and forest operations across various regions of British Columbia. Anna holds a BSc in Forest Ecology and Management from the University of Northern British Columbia and a MSc in Forestry from UBC, where her research focused on modelling stand susceptibility to endemic and epidemic populations of Douglas-fir beetle in coastal forests. As part of the UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest team, she carries out strategic and landscape-level planning. In her other role as a Lecturer for the Faculty of Forestry, she contributes to various programs through teaching and as the Coordinator for the Masters of Sustainable Forest Management program. Her interests lie in disturbance ecology and helping others explore the complex dynamics of forest ecosystems and management.
Taylor Holt
MSc Student
taylor.holt@ubc.ca
Taylor is a MSc student who joined the FIDEL lab in the fall of 2021. Her work focuses on the coastal, hardwood-infesting bark beetle, the alder bark beetle (Alniphagus aspericollis). This work aims to shed light on various life history strategies to elucidate drivers of skewed sex ratios and unusual overwintering behaviours. Taylor grew up exploring forests and picking up bugs in the East Kootenays of BC. She started officially studying Forestry at the University of Victoria, completing an honours thesis on weevil resistance in Sitka spruce trees and two co-op work terms with the Ministry of Forests in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke, BC with her trusty sidekick Moose (pictured here). She currently holds a BSc (Honours) in Biology with a concentration in FOrest Biology from the University of Victoria.
Dr. Kate Mitchell (nee Kitchens)
PhD Candidate
kate.kitchens@ubc.ca
Kate earned her PhD working collaboratively with FIDEL and the UBC Tree Ring Lab (Dr. Lori Daniels) between 2018 and 2025. Her research investigated the spatial and temporal dynamics of subcortical insect outbreaks after wildfire events in dry, interior Douglas-fir forests. She found that the presence of woodboring beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae, Cerambycidae) was much more widespread across the post-fire environment than previous research has suggested, and that woodborers have the potential to significantly moderate the success of Douglas-fir beetle outbreaks immediately following wildfires. She continues to work with FIDEL on the final question of her PhD thesis regarding the larger spatial and temporal implications of these findings. Since 2024, Kate has been employed by the BC Ministry of Forests as the Provincial Forest Entomologist, and she holds a BSc (Honours) in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.