Dr. Alex Moore, botanist

Описание: “Science is influenced by people, people are influenced by science,” says Dr. Alex Moore, whose current research is on predator-prey interactions in mangrove forests throughout the tropics. But after moving to Vancouver in 2022 to begin their UBC career as a professor in Botany as well as Forest and Conservation Sciences, Dr. Moore expects to take on conservation and restoration projects along the B.C. coast as well.

Dr. Moore’s approach to studying ecology moves beyond the scientific questions to involve the people who live in the community where the research takes place, or have a vested interest in what happens there. For example, in their nascent research in American Samoa their work considers the islanders’ traditional ecological knowledge and stewardship practices. The input influences how Dr. Moore’s research is conceived, conducted, and how the findings are applied to ecosystem management policies.

“It's important that my work be inclusive and meaningful and exist beyond academia,” Dr. Moore says. “UBC wants your science to be actively applied and have measurable impact. It's nice to be joining a collective of people who have that high on their list of priorities.”

Mangrove forests are found where the ocean meets the land and are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. They provide shelter for shellfish, shrimp, birds, crabs, and fish as well as serving as carbon sinks and protecting against soil erosion. Despite the forests’ importance to creatures and humans alike, there are significant knowledge gaps around how these complex ecosystems function, gaps that have implications for conservation and restoration efforts. Dr. Moore’s work calls for a more holistic appraisal of ecosystem health, including incorporating social and cultural elements.

“The human component is always there,” Dr. Moore says. “I think it has a level of importance that we've historically excluded from our research within ecology and evolution. If we want to truly understand ecosystems, we need to include the knowledge and values of the communities that have shaped and interacted with these environments.”

Those values of inclusion and equity extend beyond Dr. Moore’s research to their teaching, which is geared towards making the classroom a space in which all students can actively engage in their learning.

“In all of my courses, I make it very clear from the very beginning that we'll be talking about science, but we’ll also be recognizing that science informs all of these other social cultural elements and that those things in turn inform how we think about and how we do science. That allows students to see science as it fits within this broader picture of how things work in the world.”