Building resilient oceans: Amanda Bates awarded McDonald Fellowship

In a world full of data, Amanda Bates connects the dots between tiny individual organisms and entire ecosystems and discovers patterns and trends in between. What she’s learned is clear: from top to bottom, climate change is reshaping life in our oceans, with both winners and losers.

The purpose of Bates’ research is to understand the ‘bright spots’ – where do we see resilience as ocean systems change due to climate change? Her team studies marine ecosystems from shallow coastlines to coral reefs and the deep sea, translating large, comprehensive datasets into knowledge that is useful for policy makers, with the goal of enhancing conservation outcomes across Canada.

Today, the UVic biology professor and Impact Chair in Ocean Ecosystem Change and Conservation was recognized for her scholarship, international collaborations and visionary research program. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has awarded Bates a prestigious 2023 Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship.

The McDonald Fellowship supports early career researchers to enhance their research capacity so that they can become leaders in their field and inspire others. The fellowship, offered to only six researchers per year, includes a two-year, $250,000 research grant.

“The Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship is a terrific honour that will help advance our work on several major projects,” says Bates. “My team will use this fellowship to examine a variety of ‘ocean weather’ variables, such as shifts in temperature, oxygen levels and pH, and quantify the impacts on marine ecosystems.”

The McDonald Fellowship will also allow Bates to expand the global Reef Life Survey program on the west coast of British Columbia by mapping rocky reef biodiversity patterns.

“It’s great to see Amanda being recognized for her research and scholarship. Amanda isn’t just creating new knowledge, but her collaborations with policy makers, stakeholders and rightsholders have helped to translate science into policy-relevant tools, contributing to conservation efforts and making a difference in the fight against climate change.”

- Peter Loock, UVic dean of science

The goal of Bates’ research is to advance conservation impacts and global understanding of marine ecosystems—but she is also creating hubs of international knowledge exchange along the way. Her research is distinctive in that she involves many collaborators to bring together large datasets. She also leads and participates in many international working groups, including the PAN-Environment working group, which built a comprehensive, global understanding of the immediate conservation impacts from the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Bates is committed to decolonizing science and research based on respectful and inclusive practices with local communities. She’s currently co-leading a large Canada First Research Excellence Fund project in Nunatsiavut, Labrador that works with Inuit communities in the region to combine Inuit knowledge and scientific methods. The goal is to co-produce knowledge to better understand and adapt to changing coastal systems.

She’s currently co-leading a project in Nunatsiavut, Labrador, working with Inuit communities to combine Inuit knowledge and scientific methods. The goal is to co-produce knowledge to better understand and adapt to changing coastal systems.

Bates has a lot on the go for the next two years, but is excited about her current and future projects.

“The momentum that my group can build over the two years of the McDonald Fellowship will allow us to generate new information and partnerships. I’m excited to see how much progress we can make and the impact we can have, and grateful that this fellowship will give me the capacity to focus on my research.”

- Amanda Bates, UVic biology professor and Impact Chair in Ocean Ecosystem Change and Conservation

For more information on Bates’ work, visit her Ocean Conservation Lab. Visit the NSERC webpage for more information on the Arthur B. McDonald Fellowships.

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