Paul Galpern
Positions
Associate Professor
Contact information
Background
Educational Background
PhD University of Manitoba, 2012
BEd University of Toronto, 2001
MSc University of Toronto, 2000
BSc University of Toronto, 1997
Biography
Research
I am co-director of the Agriculture, Biodiversity and Conservation Lab (theABClab.ca). Please visit our website to learn more about what we do.
The ABC lab has three major research areas:
- Agriculture: We study the sustainable intensification of agriculture, and explore whether changes to landscape management can lead to mutually beneficial solutions for food, farmers, biodiversity and climate.
- Biodiversity: We love bees, beetles and other invertebrates, and research the ecosystem services supplied by these species.
- Conservation: We study the theory and practice of conservation at landscape scales, typically through the lens of landscape ecology. We focus on prairie, mountain and urban ecosystems in Western Canada.
Work by my students and trainees often has a strong entomological, geospatial, or quantitative emphasis. Our approach is multidisciplinary, posing questions and drawing on theory in the disciplines of landscape ecology, conservation biology, community ecology, and agricultural sustainability. To do this work, we incorporate methods from remote sensing, agricultural entomology, agronomy, spatiotemporal statistics, machine learning, and genomics.
Examples of currently active research projects (Updated May 2024):
- Ecosystem services to prairie crops provided by insects and other arthropods (e.g., pollination, pest regulation and weed control)
- Marginal areas and naturalized vegetation in crop fields as a nature-based solution (for climate and biodiversity objectives). See our Prairie Precision Sustainability Network for more.
- Environmental monitoring for the Agrivoltaics Research Park at University of Calgary's W.A. Ranches (e.g., the effects of co-location of beef pasture and solar panels for above-ground and below-ground ecosystem function).
- Pollinator conservation at landscape scales
- Climate change impacts on wild bee populations in mountain systems
- Methods and applications for precision agricultural data.
Teaching
Teaching well is very important to me. I began my career as high school teacher (2001 to 2008). This experience continues to inspire me, and it has shaped the design and philosophy of my teaching. I strive to improve how we deliver post-secondary education and have introduced several novel teaching and assessment approaches in my courses. For example, I use specifications grading, in some courses, to give students more control over the mark they receive.
Courses I teach regularly:
- Conservation Biology (BIOL 451) - In alternate years
- Environmental Science Field Course II (ENSC 501)
Research
Areas of Research
In the News
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