Researchers

Born and raised in Calgary, head distiller Laura Carbonell, originally came to Comox to be an extra set of hands and assist Wayward Distillery with fermentation. However, by the time her family was supposed to leave, the distillery had grown so much that Laura was offered a permanent position - one she couldn’t refuse. In her role, Laura looks after all aspects of production, starting with raw ingredients (honey, fruit or wheat), fermentation, distillation, recipe development with Shea, filtering and packaging the spirits. She also manages the production schedule, operations and maintenance of the distilling chambers.

As our NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Sustainable Aquaculture, Dr. Cross led our applied research program in this sector. With over 30 years of regional, national and international consulting and research experience in aquaculture, Dr. Cross contributed an extensive knowledge base to NIC.

Co-Founder and Owner, Naas Foods

Stevie is an Ahousaht member of the Keltsmaht First Nations. He grew up in Tofino and has worked and played in and around the ocean his whole life. Stevie has a passion for the sea and works every day to do his part for his hahoulthlee (territory).

Brent Else is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Calgary. He is Co-Scientific Director of MEOPAR, a marine science network with pan-Canadian and international scope, and Associate Director of the Arctic Institute of North America, Canada’s first and longest-lived Arctic research institute. His research interests include greenhouse gas cycles in high-latitude aquatic environments, ocean acidification, sea ice biogeochemistry, and remote sensing. He is also working on research projects that increase access to relevant scientific data for Indigenous communities. At the University of Calgary he teaches courses on Meteorology, Hydrology, Oceanography and Statistics.

Lucas was a Senior Laboratory Technician for NIC’s Comox Valley Campus. He holds a Masters degree in Geology and has 15 years of experience working in academic and industrial labs in North America and Australia. Lucas facilitated CARTI and NSERC activities, hosted at the Comox Valley Science labs, and believes deeply in the professional and academic development these research bodies can inspire students to attain.

 

Georgie Harrison has been teaching biology courses at North Island College since 2006 and is now retired. Prior to joining NIC, Georgie held teaching appointments at Vancouver Island University and the University of British Columbia. Georgie completed her M.Sc. at the University of Northern British Columbia where she studied the ecology of mountain goats in north-west Alberta. Georgie’s academic training and practical experience is in wildlife ecology and the ecosystems that support wildlife populations. In addition
to her research work in BC, she also has worked in Europe and remote areas of
Argentina, Botswana, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Laos.

Caitlin Hartnett was the campus community coordinator for NIC’s Mixalakwila campus in Port Hardy. Caitlin was responsible for providing leadership at the campus and connecting with the community to develop short and long-term education and training in the region. Since joining the college in 2009, Caitlin has taught English, served on NIC’s Board of Governors, chaired the Adult Basic Education Department and NIC’s Education Council and taken a leadership role in the strategic planning process for the Mixalakwila campus in Port Hardy.

Christine is an educator who has a strong background in science research with a specialty in marine shellfish aquaculture. We had worked as a volunteer for two environmental stewardship organizations located in the Comox Valley. Christine is the lead scientist for the Comox Valley Project Watershed.

Kristina developed the concept for Sea Forest in 2016 as a professional coastal mariner and a first-time wild harvester. Her fascination with sea vegetables was originally sparked in 2015 when she participated in the EU-funded consortium for the development of Seaweed Bioplastics. Returning to work at sea, Kristina teamed up with a chef to curate a menu of locally harvested kelps and seaweeds while operating a luxury passenger vessel throughout Haida Gwaii, the central coast and Vancouver Island. In 2017, she launched a pilot kelp farm in Barkley Sound and immediately set her sights on the Salish Sea. In 2020, Kristina launched the first line of retail food and agricultural products derived from sustainably harvested Pacific Sea Kelp. Kristina continues to act as a mentor in the marine industry as one of a few female captains with over 80,000 nautical miles. One of her hopes for Sea Forest is to introduce kelp aquaculture as a vehicle to inspire youth and local First Nations into seagoing careers.

Erik is committed to growing Rising Tide Shellfish into a regional industry leader. He designed the innovative oyster grow-out system that will be tested during the project and will work directly with the researchers to develop and test the prototype.

Dan McDermid is a founding partner of BC Pacific Oysters, which has been culturing geoducks, oysters, mussels and scallops since 2007.

Dr. Emaline Montgomery is a research associate and biology instructor at North Island College. Her research focus is sustainable invertebrate aquaculture and polyculture. 

Dr. Chris Pearce is a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo where he has been conducting research on sustainable invertebrate aquaculture for the past 18 years.

Biologist, M.C. Wright and Associates Ltd.

Cosmo is a biologist and commercial diver with M.C. Wright and Associates Ltd. He specialized in field-based projects, both in marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Martha was a Learning Centre Coordinator and nursing instructor in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at North Island College. A graduate of the BSN program at NIC, she practiced as an RN in the maternal/child unit of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Comox before coming to work for NIC in the fall of 2010. Martha's academic interests include psychomotor skills learning in BSN students, the role of simulation in nursing education, and supporting scholarly writing in nursing students.

Dr. Serin has his Ph.D in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia. For the past two years, Dr. Serin has organized and overseen the project on the evaluation of M. japonica as a feed additive for beef cattle as a Mitacs postdoctoral fellow in ruminant nutrition for the department of Natural Resource Sciences at Thompson Rivers University

Dr. Ahmed Siah is a molecular biologist who pursued his Postdoctoral studies at the University of Le Havre in France after earning his PhD in Oceanography at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Rimouski, Quebec. He specializes in developing new technologies in the field of aquatic health diagnostics and implementing and validating molecular biology technologies for diagnostics.

Co-founder and Owner, Naas Foods

Jordan oversees the inner workings of Naas Foods, leading the team in seaweed pursuits. He holds a business degree from the University of Victoria where he discovered his passion for kelp. Jordan is dedicated to providing the highest quality kelp and supporting the communities in which Naas operates.

Paul, a registered member of the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw First Nation, blends his traditional teachings with a robust academic and professional background. Mentored by his elders, he integrates cultural knowledge with specialized training in biochemistry, biomedical technology, management, organizational development and therapeutic modalities like Hypnotherapy, Timeline Therapy, and NLP at the master practitioner level. His career spans roles such as Charge Biochemistry Technician at Royal Columbian Hospital, Health Director, and project lead for a survey that facilitated transferring Health Canada services to the First Nations Health Authority. Paul's continuous learning in areas like human resource development, negotiations and addictions counseling complements his dedication to community health, allowing him to harmonize traditional and modern approaches to wellness.

Owner and Senior Biologist, M.C. Wright and Associates Ltd.

Michael is the owner and manager of M.C. Wright and Associates Ltd. with 32 years of Fisheries-related experience in British Columbia. He began his own Nanaimo-based biological consulting company in 1988. Over the past 27 years as a private consultant, Michael’s innovative vision has grown his company to include marine and fresh water services, GIS mapping and custom software programming.