PEOPLE

Photo: Timothée Poisot

Developing a culture of computational biodiversity science requires an integrated, collaborative and multidisciplinary training environment that will generate a strong sense of affiliation among fellows, researchers and partners.

BIOS²  is a join initiative between Concordia University, Université de Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, UQAM, UQAR, Université Laval, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia and University McGill as well as government employees, NGOs and the private sector.

BIOS² fellows are graduate students and postdocs with diverse backgrounds and experiences who share a passion for biodiversity and a curiosity for computation.

The team was assembled for its multidisciplinary expertise, training philosophy and its experience in supervision of high qualified personnel (HQP) and conducting collaborative research. All co-applicants are committed to developing a new training environment and to the emergence of a new culture of data- driven services to collaborating organizations.

We are connected to the major hubs in biodiversity science and high performance computing across Canada: the Québec Center for Biodiversity Science, the Université de Montréal Biodiversity Center, Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, and UBC’s Biodiversity Research Center. These networks facilitate exchanges and collaboration among scientists across Canada, and they all have as a primary objective the training HQP in biodiversity science. Participants also have significant experience with collaborative projects such as the design of a green belt in the Montreal area, designing biodiversity monitoring programs and climate change impact assessment on the Canadian forest sector. 

The diversity of supporting organizations is also a strong asset for interdisciplinary training experience, including all levels of government (local, regional, provincial, federal), NGOs, biodiversity monitoring programs, citizen science, as well as heavy industry. 

Importantly, the team includes outstanding female mentors, from academia and non-academic sectors, who will play a vital role in changing the face of leadership and instating balance in the male dominated computing sciences.

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