Vicki M. Zhang

Vicki M. Zhang

PhD Candidate

University of Toronto

I am a field ecologist, writer, and educator.

I am a PhD Candidate in the Kotanen Lab at the University of Toronto at Mississauga. For my graduate work, I am investigating the risk of invasive species at the edge of the Arctic. Other current projects include: using statistics, data visualization, and mathematical modeling in R and Python for science communication; developing best practices for mentorship and pedagogy in university-level science courses, outreach, and research.

I completed my Honour’s Bachelor of Science in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. My undergraduate thesis work was supervised by Locke Rowe and David Punzalan, where I investigated the distributions and range shifts of two ambush bug species, Phymata americana and P. pennsylvanica.

Apart from science, I do a lot of athletics, including running, paddling for the Liquid Assets dragon boat team, and playing table tennis. In my downtime, I also read a lot.

Interests
  • terrestrial invasion ecology in northern latitudes
  • effects of global and climate change on biodiversity
  • science communication and outreach
Education
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Science, in progress

    University of Toronto Mississauga

  • Honours Bachelor's of Science, 2019

    University of Toronto

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