Welcome to the lab!

We study the causes and consequences of animal behaviour within the context of species conservation. Our focus is largely on the role of individual behavioural variation and environmental variation plays in affecting fitness and disease outcomes for bats and caribou. We use a range of contemporary statistical analyses to test competing hypotheses that span a broad range of ecological scales. The implications for our work are wide-ranging and our goals are to contribute to the development of theory and methods, while also contributing to the conservation and management of species at risk.

As a lab group, we prioritize lab culture and shared responsibility for our collective learning. We encourage students to work with lab mates and collaborators, while I provide mentorship for students throughout the entire research process. Given our lab dynamics, it is also common for incoming students to seek additional mentorship from more senior students or post-docs in the lab group. Some of our group activities include weekly lab meetings, monthly writing groups, joint lab meetings with other labs in our department, and departmental seminars. We also like to have fun in the lab and in the field - see what we've been up to by following our lab Instagram page.

If our research and lab environment sounds like something you are interested in, please get in touch anytime! If you are interested in hearing about the lab and want to get in touch, that's great, but please make sure you send me information about yourself (who are you? what are you doing now?), an up to date CV, and an unofficial transcript. There are no guarantees that I will have openings at the time you get in touch.
Most of the lab has been busy in the field this summer. We took a short break to attend the Canadian Society for Ecology & Evolution (CSEE) in Sherbrooke in early July. Nearly the entire lab attended and by all accounts, a great time was had by all. Attending conferences with the lab is one of the most exciting parts of my job as I get to observe them present their work to an academic audience and network with friends and colleagues. 

After the conference, many of us went back into the field to collect the valuable data we need for our theses! Check out the lab instagram for updates on our fieldwork. 

Stay tuned and for more content from the lab, you can follow me on Bluesky at @qwebber.bsky.social and on Instagram @uog_web_lab.