Member Spotlights
Dr. Kyle Plotsky
Postdoctoral Fellow, Carleton University
I work in the human dimensions of natural resources with a particular interest in understanding how people think about and value their environment to improve management. After being born and raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta, I moved to Lethbridge to complete my undergraduate and master’s degrees. Although both degrees were in Psychology, my honours research had people throwing darts at faces while my master’s research looked at canine vocal anatomy as an analogy for human language evolution. My doctoral work in Geography at the University of Calgary was supposed to focus on behavioural plasticity in wild canids. As with many programs, my work shifted and ended up being more of an analysis and critique of canid livestock depredation management in North America. My shift back to ‘human’-focused research was cemented during my first postdoc in Veterinary Medicine where I worked on the socioeconomics of bison health management in northern Canada. Much of my spare time is spent hiking, camping, snowshoeing, cooking, or gaming (video, board, tabletop).
Dr. Christi Bubac
Postdoctoral Fellow, Carleton University
Christi joined the TRIA-for team in May 2024. She received a BSc from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and subsequently earned her MSc in Integrative Genomics from Black Hills State University in South Dakota. Christi’s MSc graduate research focused on a population genetic assessment of the Virginia’s warbler – a species expanding its range northward. From the University of Alberta, Christi earned her PhD in Ecology researching the genetic basis of maternal performance traits in grey seals of Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Outside of academia, Christi has worked on several population monitoring and wildlife research projects involving North Atlantic right whales, Steller sea lions, wolves, sea turtles, and black-footed ferrets with agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Her primary research interests include conservation genetics and assessing the evolutionary potential of species. Christi’s other interests include just about any outdoor activity with her dogs and learning the banjo.