Justin Kreller – MSc Student (co-supervised with Joe Bennett, Carleton University)

Justin joined the team in our inaugural semester (September 2023) after being selected for the Weston Family Conservation Science Fellowship Program at the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Justin’s research, co-supervised by Dr. Emma J. Hudgins and Associate Professor Joseph R. Bennett, is focused on building models to map the distribution and forecast the spread of some of Canada’s most invasive plant species in relation to landscape connectivity and climate change. The results of Justin’s project will help forecast the future burden of invasive plants and inform land stewardship and conservation efforts across Canada.

Like most biology students, Justin enjoys being outdoors and performing fieldwork, notably through recent work as a Student Biologist at the National Capital Commission. Justin also makes regular contributions to the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, a project that has enabled him to take part in a canoe trip along the upper Winisk River as well as survey northeastern Ontario as a Wildlife Technician. It is this same passion for the environment that had pushed Justin to shift his career path towards conservation and pursue Fish & Wildlife Conservation Technician studies at Sault College (OCD, 2023) following his degree in Biomedical Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ottawa (BASc, 2020).

Outside of school and work, Justin can be found practicing sports, birding, camping/hiking, reading, enjoying music, or walking his sweet German shepherd, Atlas.