Convocation 2026: Emma Atkinson, PhD in Biological Sciences

Emma Atkinson, PhD in Biological Sciences

Growing up next to Stanley Park in Vancouver, Emma Atkinson spent her childhood immersed in nature, cultivating a deep curiosity for the natural world that would ultimately shape her scientific career. Driven by this investigative spirit, and a love for animals, she arrived at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia as an undergrad with the intention of becoming a vet, only to discover her true calling lay beneath the surface, where things got significantly wetter and a whole lot fishier. A research project introduced Emma to marine ecology, sparking a lasting connection to the discipline and the research process itself. This newfound passion fueled her academic journey all the way through a master's and a PhD at the University of Alberta.

Under the guidance of her PhD co-supervisors, Dr. Mark Lewis and Dr. Stephanie Green, Emma embarked on a research program that took her to British Columbia to study the population biology and fisheries management of marine invertebrates — focusing specifically on the commercial spot prawn fishery on Canada’s west coast.

“I spent a couple of years working in the summer as a fishery observer collecting in-season data on commercial boats, talking to fishermen who were very curious and observant and had lots of ideas for my research,” she says. “I found the experience of trying to link local observations to mathematical models very rewarding.”

Her innovative approach did not go unnoticed. In 2021, Emma was awarded the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship in recognition of her academic achievements and scientific objectives.

Emma welcomed the complex nuances of the scientific process throughout graduate school, recognizing that true progress is rarely linear. Successfully navigating research setbacks that ultimately blossomed into entirely new, fruitful areas of discovery, Emma is graduating as a scientist who embraces the unexpected, letting ‘the tides of life and research take me where they take me.’

Congratulations Emma!

Which faculty, program and department are you graduating from?

A PhD in Biological Sciences.

Where did you grow up, and what led you to choose this area of study?

I grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. Neither of my parents are scientists or academics, but both my sister and I pursued biology. For the first five years of my life, we lived in a small apartment in the West End of Vancouver right next to Stanley Park. My mum, Cate, took us out into the park every day no matter the weather. My sister and I spent a lot of time mucking about in puddles and in the forest. I think that is probably where my curiosity for the world around me originated.

I have always loved animals and am a generally curious person, but originally when I started my undergraduate degree, I thought I wanted to be a vet. Pretty quickly I realised that I wanted more freedom to pursue my curiosity than felt possible with the hustle that was necessary to get into vet school so I abandoned that plan. I didn't know anything about research, but one of my first year Teaching Assistants encouraged me to look into working in a research lab, so I reached out to one of my professors, Dr. Isabelle Cote, and that was how I stumbled into marine ecology. She and her graduate students were extremely generous with their time and mentorship and that was how I got interested in fish and research.

What has been the focus of your doctoral research, and what was the most surprising and/or impactful thing you learned?

My doctoral research focused on the commercial spot prawn fishery, an important but relatively understudied trap fishery in British Columbia. Spot prawns are unique because they are sequential hermaphrodites — they begin life as males before transitioning to and completing their lives as females — and the fishery in BC is unique because it is managed in real-time based on how many females are being captured. The fishery stays open longer or shorter depending on the female catch rate. I used population models, field experiments and long-term survey data to investigate how the fishery management framework interacted with the unique lifecycle of spot prawn.

One of my studies found that the current management framework may inadvertently drive variability in the length of the fishery because of spot prawns' hermaphroditic lifecycle. Early on in my program, I spent a couple of years working in the summer as a fishery observer collecting in-season data on commercial boats. I spent a lot of time hanging out on fish boats talking to commercial fishermen, who were very curious and observant and had lots of ideas for my research. Some fishermen observed that when the fishery stayed open for longer in a given region, the season was shorter the subsequent year. This makes sense because fishermen are catching both female spot prawns and males, and the male spot prawns which survive the fishery in one year transition to female the following year. When males get fished down during a longer fishery season, there are fewer females the following year and this feedback loop leads to highly variable fishing seasons. I was able to explore this phenomenon using population models, which allowed me to explore alternative management approaches that could reduce fishery variability. The specific result was interesting, but more generally I found the experience of trying to link local observations to mathematical models very rewarding.

More generally, the most impactful thing I learned was just how dramatically invertebrate fisheries (e.g., fisheries for prawn, crab, sea urchins, etc.) in British Columbia have grown in the past several decades. Prior to my doctoral research, I studied wild Pacific salmon which understandably received a lot of research attention on the Pacific coast.

My doctoral research on spot prawns felt like a sort of portal into what feels like an underappreciated world of marine invertebrate fisheries. As many finfish fisheries have declined, the importance of marine invertebrate fisheries in BC has grown but the science to inform them has lagged behind. Marine invertebrates are now important sources of economic and food security for local communities and First Nations across the coast, and now is the time to be addressing many persistent knowledge gaps.

Tell us about your favourite professor and/or class.

I started my doctoral program just before the pandemic struck, so unfortunately did not get to interact with as many professors in-person as I would have liked. In my first term, I took a course with Dr. Rolf Vinebrooke, who brought a real spark to every class. He was a very encouraging, curious teacher who took a deep interest in everyone's research. Years later, he was the external examiner for my thesis defence, and it was fun to come back full circle and discuss my research with him.

Did you take on any leadership or volunteer roles while you were a student?

I took over running a monthly discussion group in the biology department called 'Philosophy Pints'. Once a month, graduate students (and some keen undergraduate students) got together at the University Club to have a beer and discuss some topic to do with how and why we engage in science. It was one of my favourite parts of grad school. Science is sometimes framed as a clear-cut endeavour, but it is actually a deeply philosophical and nuanced activity. I think grad school is the perfect time to get a bit philosophical.

Did you face any significant challenges while you were a student, and if so, how did you respond?

Multiple aspects of my grad school experience taught me to accept and even embrace non-linear progress. The pandemic struck six months into my PhD and just as I was getting ready for my first field season. I ended up having to pivot my plans, but those pivots ultimately led to fruitful research directions that otherwise I might not have discovered. I dealt with several major injuries and health challenges that disrupted my research but also left me profoundly grateful for aspects of my health and mobility that I had previously taken for granted. These setbacks always felt catastrophic in the moment, but in the end I learned to (well, still am learning to) take a longer view and let the tides of life and research take me where they take me.

What advice do you have for current or future students?

It's easy to feel an impulse towards intensity or rush when it comes to grad school. There's no one way to be successful as a grad student, which comes with freedom but also makes it easy to question what you do and how you do it. Most of my advice is with the benefit of hindsight and is influenced by other smart people I crossed paths with:

• Take time at the start of your program to read widely and think deeply about your research. Thoughtfully developed research questions take longer on the front end but are easier to execute and write up.
• You don't have to be miserable or exhausted to be a productive graduate student. Consistent work over long periods adds up and developing meaning in other parts of your life makes it easier to maintain consistency when things get hard in your research.
• Prioritize working with good people (your supervisor, your lab, your collaborators) over working on the flashiest research topic. This might be a personal preference, but I was very fortunate to work in a research group that cultivated curiosity, kindness and rigour. I cared about conducting interesting, high-quality research but the collaborative and mentorship environment was just as important and I am sure it will continue to shape how I approach my work.

How do you plan on celebrating convocation?

I will actually be heading back to the Broughton Archipelago in British Columbia, where I did my PhD fieldwork, which is one of my favourite places in the world.

What's next after graduation?

I just started a postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Kyle Wilson at Simon Fraser University where I'll continue to work on research to do with marine invertebrates and their fisheries.