Our Team

Living with Water brings together a diverse, multidisciplinary team of researchers and solution seekers to support human and more-than-human communities living along British Columbia’s South Coast prepare and adapt for sea level rise and the cascading effects of flooding.

The team of researchers are from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Simon Fraser University (SFU), the University of Waterloo (UW), Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) in partnership with First Nation (FN) government staff and decision-makers from various levels of government
in B.C.

The project is funded through the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions through its Theme Partnership Program. Theme projects involve interdisciplinary teams of researchers and climate solution seekers (from the private and public sector) working together on thematic areas of high complexity and impact – from project outset, to results implementation. These projects generate new knowledge, build international leadership within British Columbia’s research community, and help drive further innovation in critical thematic areas.

Coordination

  • Vanessa Lueck

    PICS Researcher-in-Residence, Coastal Adaptation

    Dr. Vanessa Lueck joins PICS as a Researcher-in-Residence on the Living with Water project. Her research and work include justice and equity, sustainable coastal adaptation, adaptation governance, the role of insurance in climate adaptation, complex adaptive systems, and innovative solutions. In the Living with Water project, she is focusing on the role of indigenous knowledge and values, nature-based solutions, and innovative governance solutions to drive local sustainable coastal climate adaptation processes.

    She has been active in governance and sustainability at all scales ranging from local health care policy implementation to international climate change conferences and marine awareness for the maritime industry. Lueck holds a PhD in Sustainability from the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, a JD from University of Minnesota Law School, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago.

  • Kees Lokman,

    Project Principal Investigator

    Associate Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia, and Director of the UBC Coastal Adaptation Lab.

    Kees Lokman is Associate Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on design challenges related to sea level rise adaptation, water and food shortages, and the energy transition. He directs the UBC Coastal Adaptation Lab, which aims to develop novel planning, design, and policy solutions for coastal adaptation based on the co-production of knowledge among researchers, decision-makers, and Indigenous communities. This work has been funded through various agencies and municipalities, including Natural Resources Canada, the Dutch Creative Industries Fund, and the City of Vancouver.

Solution Seekers

  • David Roulston

    Manager of Municipal Infrastructure, District of Squamish.

  • Eric Balke

    Senior Restoration Biologist, The Nature Force, Ducks Unlimited Canada

  • Matt Osler

    Project Engineer, City of Surrey

  • Amir Taleghani

    Senior Flood & Drainage Planning Engineer, City of Vancouver

  • Angela Danyluk

    Senior Environmental Specialist, City of Vancouver

  • Sarah Dal Santo

    Climate Action and Sustainability Manager, Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Researchers

  • Jantsje van Loon-Steensma

    Assistant Professor Climate Adaptation and Nature Based Flood Protection Water Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University and Research

  • Tara Martin

    Professor of Conservation Decision Science in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia

  • Stephanie Chang

    Professor, School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) and Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability (IRES) University of British Columbia

  • Maggie Low

    Assistant Professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning, UBC

  • Brent Doberstein

    Associate Professor, Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo

  • Andréanne Doyon

    Assistant Professor and REM Planning Director

Research Assistants

  • Jonathan Behnke

    Master Student, Advanced Studies in Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia

  • Shaieree Cottar

    PhD Student, University of Waterloo

  • Ben Cross

    PhD Student, University of Waterloo

  • Thy Huynh

    Thy Huynh

    Maser Student, University of Waterloo

  • Devon Jones

    Master student, University of Waterloo

  • Julia Kidder

    PhD Student, University of British Columbia (School of Community & Regional Planning)

  • Jennifer Magel

    PhD Student, University of British Columbia

  • Tira Okamoto

    Master Student, Simon Fraser University

  • Anwen Res

    Master Student, Simon Fraser University

  • Simone Rawal

    Master Student, University of British Columbia

  • Felicia Watterodt

    Master Student, University of Waterloo

Past Team Members

Tsjerk van Doornik, Master Student, Wageningen University & Research

Mathidle Jung, Master Student, Wageningen University and Research

Kendra Scanlon, Master Student, University of British Columbia

Benji Eisenberg, Master Student, University of British Columbia

Rachel Killoh, Master Student, University of British Columbia

Alvin Thompson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UBC Coastal Adaptation Lab