Acadia University’s Canada Research Chair in Coastal Wetland Ecosystems (Tier II) Dr. Mark Mallory has been re-appointed for a second five-year term, as announced today in Toronto by the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science. The chair is valued at $500,000 dollars over five years.

The Government of Canada is investing $173 million in funding to support a total of 203 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 48 post-secondary institutions across the country.

“The Government of Canada is proud to support talented researchers whose hard work will improve our scientific understanding and strengthen Canada's reputation for research excellence. The Chairs’ efforts will also provide us with the evidence needed to inform decisions that help us build a vibrant society and a strong middle class,” said Duncan.

Mallory’s research focuses on coastal habitats and Arctic marine birds, and is addressing important national and international conservation issues.

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“Mark has established an international reputation in environmental science and coastal research,” says Dr. David MacKinnon, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies. “That he built such a reputation at Acadia illustrates both the opportunities a small institution holds for world-class researchers, and the value of small institutions to building Canada’s research capacity.”

Mallory uses avian tracking technology, trace element and pollutant analyses, wetland sediment archives, and modern ecological approaches to determine how the health of coastal ecosystems varies naturally, and is affected by environmental changes. His work stretches from the high Arctic to the southernmost parts of Canada, and across the North Atlantic.

“Coastlines form critical wildlife habitat, and increasingly we are recognizing the connectivity between land and sea that is mediated by wildlife moving between these habitats, notably by marine birds,” he says. “As a consequence, human-induced changes to any of these habitats have the potential to markedly alter this balance, with potentially deleterious environmental effects.”

Mallory’s research will contribute to the development of better tools to assess the health of coastal ecosystems, and identify the factors that influence their long-term sustainability.

“The information obtained by this research will ultimately be used to conserve and restore healthy, sustainable coastal regions, wildlife populations, and provide guidelines for future human activities in these habitats,” says Mallory. “It’s rewarding to have my efforts, and that of my research students and colleagues, recognized with the renewal of the Canada Research Chair. It allows this important work to continue.”

Mallory has achieved an extraordinary record of research accomplishments in his first term as a Tier II CRC, attracting over $2.8 million in research support for 41 students, and producing 71 peer-reviewed papers. This record is a testament to his skill at collaboration. He has participated extensively in scientific collaborations, national and international, with other university researchers as well as many government scientists.  He also engages in industrial research partnerships, working extensively with Ducks Unlimited Canada, and more recently with Baffinland Iron Mines.

In 2014, Mallory was appointed to the prestigious Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

See Canada Research Chairs News Release.

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