Meet the MGEM Faculty

Dr. Nicholas Coops

MGEM director
Head of Forest Resources Management (FRM)

Instructor:
GEM 520 – Remote Sensing for Ecosystem Management
GEM 521 – Advanced Earth Observation and Image Processing

Professor
Canada Research Chair in Remote Sensing
Head of Integrated Remote Sensing Studio (IRSS)
Forest Resources Management

My main research focus is the use of remote sensing technology to assess forest resources, both for conservation and production applications. I am specifically interested in advanced forest inventory techniques using high spatial resolution optical remote sensing imagery and LIDAR, use of remote sensing for the ecosystem and carbon accumulation modelling for biodiversity, production and greenhouse calculations, and detection of damaging agents in forests using spectral forest condition mapping.

In MGEM I am one of the faculty mentors and teach introductory and advanced remote sensing courses.

Selected Publications

Hermosilla, Txomin; Wulder, Michael A.; White, Joanne C.; Coops, Nicholas C.; Hobart, Geordie W. (2017) Updating Landsat time series of surface-reflectance composites and forest change products with new observations. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 63, 104-111

Coops, Nicholas C.; Hermosilla, Txomin; Hilker, Thomas; Black, T. Andrew (2017) Linking stand architecture with canopy reflectance to estimate vertical patterns of light-use efficiency. Remote Sensing of Environment 194, 322-330

Bolton, Douglas K.; Coops, Nicholas C.; Hermosilla, Txomin; Wulder, Michael A.; White, Joanne C. (2017) Assessing variability in post-fire forest structure along gradients of productivity in the Canadian boreal using multi-source remote sensing. Journal of Biogeography 44, 1294-1305

Rickbeil, Gregory J. M.; Hermosilla, Txomin; Coops, Nicholas C.; White, Joanne C.; Wulder, Michael A. (2017) Barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) behaviour after recent fire events; integrating caribou telemetry data with Landsat fire detection techniques. Global Change Biology 23, 1036-1047

Goodbody, Tristan R. H.; Coops, Nicholas C.; Tompalski, Piotr; Crawford, Patrick; Day, Ken J. K. (2017) Updating residual stem volume estimates using ALS-and UAV-acquired stereo-photogrammetric point clouds. International Journal of Remote Sensing 38, 2938-2953

Dr. Kathleen Coupland

MGEM Program Coordinator
Lecturer

Instructor:
GEM 500 – Landscape Ecology and Management
FCOR 599 – Project Proposal Development and Proof of Concept

My role within the MGEM community is multifaceted. I am responsible for coordinating the day-to-day activities within the program, as well as providing dedicated support to the students and the MGEM teaching team. I have been connected to UBC Forestry’s professional master’s programs since 2014 when I was a student in MGEM’s sister program, the Masters of Sustainable Forest Management.

Research Interests

My research focuses on the application and development of novel classification schema onto forests with the aim of trying to quantify non-timber forest values. I specifically have focused on trying to quantify educational values present for forestry education with urban forests, using UBC as a case study. This research utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods and included a LiDAR canopy analysis of every tree on the UBC campus.

Selected Publications

Polinko, A. D., & Coupland, K. (2021). Paradigm shifts in forestry and forest research: a bibliometric analysis. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 51(2), 154-162.

Coupland, K., Magalhães, J., & Griess, V. C. (2022). Connecting Forestry Learning Objectives to Urban Forest Types. Journal of Forestry, 120(3), 256-270.

Dr. Paul Pickell

Assistant Professor
Forest Resources Management 

Instructor:
GEM 510 – Geographic Information Systems for Forestry and Conservation
GEM 511 – Advanced Geographic Information Systems for Environmental Management
FCOR 599 – Project Proposal Development and Proof of Concept

Paul Pickell earned his Bachelors of Arts and Sciences from The Evergreen State College in 2011, with his area of interest being sustainability and environmental studies. He later completed his Ph.D. at The University of British Columbia in forestry. He has worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia, a lecturer at Simon Fraser University, and more recently as a remote sensing scientist with the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Teaching for the MGEM Program.   Paul has been teaching geographic information systems at The University of British Columbia since 2017. He has also taught remote sensing, biogeography, urban forestry field school, research methods, and scientific writing. Currently, he is writing an open-access textbook on geographic information systems. 

Selected Publications

Pickell, P.D., Chavardès, R.D., Li, S., Daniels, L.D. (2020). FuelNet: An Artificial Neural Network for Learning and Updating Fuel Types for Fire Research. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing

San-Miguel, I., Coops, N.C., Chavardès, R.D., Andison, D.W., Pickell, P.D. (2020). What controls fire spatial patterns?: predictability of fire characteristics in the Canadian boreal plains ecozone. Ecosphere 11: e02985

Pickell, P.D., Coops, N.C., Ferster, C.J., Bater, C.W., Blouin, K.D., Flannigan, M.D., Zhang, J. (2017). An early warning system to forecast springtime human-caused fire activity from satellite-observed greenness. Scientific Reports 7: 14190

Dr. Ignacio Barbeito

Assistant Professor
Silviculture

Instructor:
GEM 540 – Linear Regression Models and Introduction to Spatial Statistics

Ignacio Barbeito is interested in refining novel silvicultural practices designed to guide the establishment and management of forests under global change. He uses a combination of field measurements, remote-sensing data and modelling. Much of Ignacio’s work to date has examined long-term experiments to address current questions about how to achieve resilience of forest stands to extreme events, and balance trade-offs such as for timber production, biodiversity and other ecosystem attributes and services.

Selected Publications

Mateusz Liziniewicz, Ignacio Barbeito, Andis Zvirgzdins, Lars-Goran Stener, Pentti Niemisto, Nils Fahlvik, Ulf Johansson, Bo Karlsson, Urban Nilsson (2022). Production of genetically improved silver birch plantations in southern and central Sweden Silva Fennica 56

Mostarin Ara, Ignacio Barbeito, Christer Kalén, Urban Nilsson (2022). Regeneration failure of Scots pine changes the species composition of young forests Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 37

Kamil Kędra, Ignacio Barbeito (2022). Estimation of Individual Norway Spruce Crown Metrics Using a Smartphone Device Journal of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Science 90

Dr. Janette Bulkan

Associate Professor
Forest Resources Management (FRM)

Instructor:
FCOR 511 – Working with Diverse Knowledge Systems in Sustainable Natural Resources Management

Research Interests

• Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD)
• Indigenous and forest-dependent peoples
• Community forestry
• Illegal logging
• Forest certification
• Food sovereignty

Selected Publications

Smith, Tonya; Koskas; Bulkan, Janette (2023). ‘Loved to Death’: Conflicts between Indigenous food sovereignty, settler recreation, and ontologies of land in the governance of Líl̓wat tmicw BC Studies 126(Winter 2022/23), 13–38

Ogura, S., Forwell, S., Backman, C., Lincoln, N. K., & Bulkan, J. (2023). Meaning of small grains cultivation as a traditional occupation in Japan Journal of Occupational Science

Lopez de la Lama, Rocio; Bennett, Nathan; Bulkan, Janette; Boyd, David; Chan, K. (2023). A legal assessment of private land conservation in South America Conservation Biology

Lindsay Cuff

Assistant Professor
Transdisciplinary Communication

Instructor:
FCOR 510 

My approach to teaching is learner-centered, supportive and experiential. I am inspired by the Universal Design for Learning Principles and strive to weave real-world applications into the classroom, creating a space for learning that is rooted in my students’ experiences and everyday lives.

Selected Publications

Cuff, L. (2011). Two Truths and a Lie. Grain, Vol. 38 (4).

Cuff, L. (2010). Chance Evolutions. NY Arts Magazine, 15: 12-13. New York: NY.

Cuff, L. ( 2009). Wolves: A Libretto for Two Flashlights, Matrix, 83: p 6. Montreal, QC.

Cuff, L. (2009). On Atrocity and Grace: A Contrapuntal Vision, The Malahat Review, 166: 83-89. The University of Victoria, BC.

Dr. Neil Leveridge

Assistant Professor
Transdisciplinary Communication

Instructor:
FCOR 510 

Dr. Neil Leveridge is a distinguished Communication Strategist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Wood Science, Faculty of Forestry at UBC. With an extensive background in academia, he has previously held lecturer positions at Vantage College, UBC, National Taiwan Normal University, and Da Yeh University, Taiwan. Dr. Leveridge is currently dedicated to indigenizing his courses and revolutionizing assessment and communication practices for forestry practitioners, with a focus on decolonization.

As an active contributor to the field, Neil holds the esteemed position of President of BC Teachers of English as Additional Languages (BC TEAL). Demonstrating his leadership, he recently chaired the BC TEAL 2023 conference, which attracted over 500 delegates and was proudly hosted by the Faculty of Forestry, UBC.

Selected Publications

A. N. Liu, Y. T., & Leveridge (2015). Enhancing L2 vocabulary acquisition through implicit reading support cues in e-books British Journal of Educational Technology

Aubrey Neil Leveridge (2015). The removal of target language captioning supports Intelligent design of interactive multimedia listening software

Harry Seely

Instructor:
GEM530

Harry Seely is a PhD Candidate in the Integrated Remote Sensing Studio at UBC Forestry. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Guelph, specializing in wildlife conservation. Later, he completed the MGEM program and began working on his PhD dissertation. Harry’s research is focused on applying deep neural networks to estimate forest biomass from airborne laser scanning data. His other research interests include machine learning, data fusion, urban forestry, and science-based environmental policy development. 

Harry will be teaching Geospatial Data Analysis (GEM530).

Selected Publications:

Seely, H., Coops, N.C., White, J.C., Montwé, D., Winiwarter, L. and Ragab, A., (2023). Modelling tree biomass using direct and additive methods with point cloud deep learning in a temperate mixed forest. Science of Remote Sensing, 8, p.100110.

Ordóñez, C., Wheeler, M.A., Raynor, K., Panza, L., Seely, H. and Adamovic, M., (2022). Advancing research on urban greenspace experiences and perceptions in disadvantaged communities: A social housing perspective. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 77, p.127754.