Position: Associate Professor, Ecosystem Ecology and Climate Change
Office Location: B246D
Phone: 403-440-5126
Email: fnwaishi@mtroyal.ca
Office Hours: Varies every semester, but feel free to stop by!
Degrees:
Ph.D. Ecosystem Science and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University
MSc. Environmental Science and Climate Change, Manchester Metropolitan University
BSc Soil Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria
Dr. Felix Nwaishi joined the Department as an Assistant Professor in the summer of 2018 from the University of Waterloo, where he was working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Since joining the department, he has established a well-funded program of research and scholarship in the area of ecosystem ecology and climate change, which informs his teaching in ecology and research methods. His teaching philosophy emphasizes experiential learning, with the goal of equipping students with the knowledge and practical skills required to address complex ecological problems, especially in response to human disturbances and climate change impacts. Student training through undergraduate research assistantship and graduate student supervision is at the core of Dr. Nwaishi’s research program, with an average of five students working in his Lab every summer. This creates opportunities for students to gain real-world project experience while building connections with industry partners, consultants, government agencies and Indigenous communities.
The long-term goal of his research is to build on the mechanistic understanding of ecological processes and the integration of Indigenous Knowledge to develop sustainable strategies for mitigating the impact of human and natural disturbance on vital ecosystem functions and services (e.g., water quality and environmental health), which humans and wildlife depend on. He acknowledges the invaluable role of Indigenous Knowledge in the design of effective environmental monitoring and conservation programs, especially in regions affected by climate change impacts and the legacies of human development. Dr. Nwaishi has played a key role in the design of ecological restoration and monitoring programs to remove the footprint of resource mining industries in Western Canada. The outcomes of his research have informed environmental policy development for sustainable use and exploration of natural resources in our environment.
His current research programs are funded by government agencies from the federal to municipal level, which include the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF), Alberta Innovates Grant and the City of Calgary Research Funds. Dr. Nwaishi welcomes opportunities to contribute his knowledge towards finding sustainable solutions to environmental challenges, especially by taking an interdisciplinary approach to advance the integration of Indigenous Knowledge in ecological, environmental health and climate change research.