People

Tang Tang just completed her undergrad degree in the Honours Biology and PNB program.  She joined ABEL initially working with Eli to examine how social ranks affect learning preferences and capacity in cichlids. Next she did her 4th year thesis on bat sibling rivalry and parent-offspring conflict.  Tang Tang is co-supervised by Dr. Paul Faure.  Her thesis project was so successful that she has decided to stay for a co-supervised MSc project which begins in the fall of 2025 on the same topic.  When she is not in the lab, Tang Tang enjoys going camping, holding bats, and trying to beat her record in the countries of the world quiz. 

Ainsley joined ABEL officially in September 2022 but spent part of last summer on Vancouver Island, in the field working with the ABEL BC Midshipman crew.  Ainsley's MSc research will focus  of female plainfin midshipman.  We know a great deal about males  in this species but Ainsley will be examining female decision  making  and investigate the factors that influence their mate selection and nest choices.  Ainsley received a BSc from the University of British Columbia in biology, where she completed an Honours Thesis with Dr. Jeffrey Richards and Dr. Tammy Rodela on how pre-exposure to ammonia effects zebrafish tolerance to subsequent exposure.  She also received a BEd from Simon Fraser University, specializing in secondary teaching.  In her free time she loves to hike and hang out with her dogs.

Eli is interested in animal learning and cognition, and will be working on social cognition in cichlids. He received his B.Sc. in Biology from Carleton University in Ottawa, where he completed an Honours thesis studying the behavioural effects of artificial light at night on Bluegill sunfish with Dr. Steve Cooke. His research will focus on differences in learning in various species of cichlids with various social structures and breeding strategies. Eli’s research will be co-supervised by Dr. Culum Brown from Macquirie University.

Reyad is in the first year of his masters.  He first joined ABEL in the summer of 2023 as a BIOLOGY 4F06 project student where he worked on round goby population monitoring project with PhD student, Sina Zarini.  He then completed his undergraduate thesis in the lab with a focus on the alternative reproductive tactics in round goby by working on experiments investigating the effects of sneaker presence on reproductive behaviour.  For his MSc research Reyad is examining parentage in the round goby. He is comparing paternity rates of guarder versus sneaker males based on microsatellite markers as well as studying how nest quality and density influence paternity rates.  Reyad is co-mentored by Dr. Bryan Neff from the University of Western.  Apart from academic work, Reyad enjoys cooking, geocaching, and going on hikes. 

Mackenzie is interested in fish communication and social interactions, and how anthropogenic noise can affect behaviour and reproduction. She is studying the impact of motorboat noise on plainfin midshipman fish, specifically how it influences mate attraction, parental care, and reproductive success. Mackenzie received her B.Sc. in Biology (Marine Biology concentration) from the University of Victoria, where she completed an Honours Thesis with Dr. Francis Juanes on the effects of boat noise on plainfin midshipman aggression and territoriality. Her M.Sc. is co-supervised by Dr. Juanes and she is stationed on the West Coast, where she carries out her field-based research.