People

PI

Gregory L. Owens

Greg is an Assistant Professor of department of Biology at the University of Victoria. He completed his MSc in Biology at the University of Victoria studying opsin gene expression in the four-eyed fish Anableps anableps. He then did a PhD in Botany at the University of British Columbia using genomics to study hybridization in sunflowers. Greg recieved the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship to work on structural variation in sunflowers at the University of California, Berkeley.

Graduate Students

Martin Liu

Martin is a master’s student interested in plant population genetics, phylogenetics, biodiversity, and speciation. He is particularly interested in plants of the Pacific Northwest and tropical climates. His current work is on the genetics of Lupinus microcarpus, a BC-endangered species with disjunct populations in California and Chile. He is also the resident plant enthusiast and cares for his growing collection of indoor houseplants (300+ unique species/cultivars/hybrids of succulents, topicals, orchids, and aquatics) and his native plant garden.

Kinga Kotulska

Kinga is passionate about exploring the marine wildlife around Vancouver Island! During her undergrad in microbiology (UVic) she studied the genetic basis of copper rockfish inlet populations on the west coast. Continuing with these interests, her masters research focuses on supporting sustainable fisheries management by designing a DNA methylation clock to accurately estimate the age of multiple rockfish species. Outside of the lab she enjoys diving and hiking!

Ethel Wai

With an interest in using genomic data and technologies to support ecosystem restoration, Ethel is a MSc student studying inbreeding depression in bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) populations to further examine how genetic variation influences their fitness. Born and raised in Vancouver, she completed her undergrad at the University of British Columbia in Biology, where she looked at effects of ocean acidification on coralline algae. Outside of the lab, she enjoys crocheting, baking, and weightlifting.

Undergraduate Students

Riley Coombs

Riley Coombs is an undergraduate student in marine biology, with an interest in genetics and evolutionary biology. His honours project focuses on studying the extent of introgression and hybridization between the many different species of rockfish. Born and raised in small town Alberta, he is thankful for his newfound oceanside home. Outside of the lab, he enjoys baking, basketball, and beach days.

Luna Zickfeld

Luna is an undergraduate student studying Marine Biology. After spending the past year working with the Kelp Rescue Initiative, she is interested in further exploring thermal priming as a mechanism for enhancing thermal tolerance. Her directed studies project focuses on analyzing DNA methylation sequencing data from tissue samples collected as part of a thermal tolerance experiment, comparing primed and unprimed adult kelp outplanted in the field off Hornby Island. In her free time, she loves spending time outdoors with friends, playing sports, hiking, and birdwatching.

Ezra Parsons

Ezra is an undergraduate student studying Math and Biology.




Former lab members

  1. Sophie Leitch - Directed Studies (2026)
  2. Indigo Hill- Directed Studies (2026)
  3. Aimee DeLong - Directed Studies (2025)
  4. Jordan Bemmels - Postdoctoral researcher (2022-2025)
  5. Julia Hemley - Directed studies (2025)
  6. Andrew Carney - Directed studies (2025)
  7. Justin Merondun - Visiting PhD student (2023-2024)
  8. Kinga Kotulska - Directed studies (2024)
  9. Martin Liu - Directed studies (2023)
  10. Nathan Sykes - MSc student (2022-2024)
  11. Koa Planedin - Honours student (2023-2024)
  12. Jeremy Binet - Directed studies (2024)
  13. Silas Porter Crenna - Directed studies (2023)
  14. Cam Bass - Undergrad research associate (2023-2024)
  15. Kaede Hirabayashi - MSc student (2021-2023) - Research associate at UBC
  16. Adam Gheis - Honours student (2022-2023)
  17. Alex Pinch - Undergrad research associate (2022-2023)
  18. Sara Wuitchick - Postdoctoral researcher (2022) - Assistant Professor at Mount Royal University
  19. Ethan Dhaliwal - Directed studies (2021) - Medical student at UBC
  20. Dixita Basumatary - Directed studies (2021)
  21. Koa Planedin - Co-op Research student (2021)