About Dr. Melles
I am a spatial ecologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University. I’m fascinated by urban ecology and ecosystem diversity at the local level and across multiple scales.
My work in spatial ecology began with research on birds in terrestrial systems, but then pivoted into aquatic systems. By drawing on my expertise in both areas, I can now tackle ecological questions using both lenses — an approach that often provides a wider, more comprehensive and unique understanding of the land-water connection.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating on applied interdisciplinary research within academia, industry, and government. Some highlights include work with provincial government agencies (e.g., Ontario Ministries of Natural Resources and Forestry; Environment, Conservation and Parks), federal government agencies (e.g., Natural Resources Canada), and local agencies (e.g., Toronto Region Conservation Authority; Toronto Metropolitan University's Urban Water Research Centre). I’ve also worked with international team-science projects on forest fragmentation, as published in Science (external link) , and on global lake warming trends, as published in Nature (external link) .
Ultimately, we want to change the world for the better. To that end, my work moves beyond fundamental observation of ecological phenomena alone, and aims at research findings that translate into actionable initiatives for responsible stewardship of the natural world around us.
Education & Experience
I earned my PhD (Spatial Ecology) from University of Toronto, and my MSc (Forestry and Applied Conservation) from the University of British Columbia.
Before joining Toronto Metropolitan University in 2014, I held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Toronto and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and at Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands, conducting research in aquatic ecology and geostatistics, respectively. I was also an NSERC Visiting Fellow at Environment Canada at the Centre for Inland Waters.
Awards & Honours
Among other distinctions, I’m especially proud of receiving recognition by the following awards:
- Dean's Scholarly, Research and Creative Activity Award (2019), Toronto Metropolitan University, Faculty of Science
- Best-Paper in 2011 Award, International Association for Mathematical Geosciences
Teaching
For a list of the courses I teach, please visit my profile page on the Department of Chemistry and Biology website.