Past researchers

Dr. Christina Neudorf (Earth Sciences)

Christina, originally from Saskatchewan, joined the UFV Luminescence Dating Laboratory (LDL) in 2012 after completing her PhD under the supervision of Richard (Bert) Roberts at University of Wollongong, Australia, on the timing of final deposition of the Toba ash, and associated artefacts, in Madhya Pradesh, India. Funded by a Hakai Postdoctoral Fellowship, Christina led research at UFV on establishing laboratory protocols for optical dating stabilized beach dunes on Calvert Island (BC central coast); she also worked on developing methods for dating ancient First Nation clam gardens on Quadra Island and helped with many other research projects. After completion of her post-doctoral fellowship in 2016, she remained at the UFV LDL as a Research Associate until 2018 when she landed a position as Laboratory Manager, and then Research Assistant Professor, at the E.L. Cord Luminescence Laboratory at Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada, USA.

Justine Stoeckly, BSc Hons (Physical Geography) 2024

Justine has worked as a research assistant in the LDL since 2023. She is beginning her BSc Hons in Physical Geography at UFV on optically dating sediments associated with ancient river terraces in the Thompson Valley, southcentral B.C. in 2025. Justine has also been doing research on dating postglacial stabilization of sand dunes in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, USA, a project that is a collaboration with Natural Resources Canada.

Nicola Ferguson, BSc Hons (Physical Geography) 2024

Nicola has worked as a research assistant in the LDL for the past several years. She is currently completing her BSc Honours in Physical Geography at UFV. Her honours research project is in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada and is on dating the timing of postglacial stabilization of sand dunes in the Albany Pine Barrens, New York State, USA. Her research was supported by two NSERC USRA awards and several other awards. Nicola will begin her MSc research at Simon Fraser University (SFU, Physical Geography) in September 2025 on the dune inventory project (Ontario, Quebec, New York State) that Natural Resources Canada has just begun.

Cassandra Shewchuk, BSc Hons (Physical Geography) 2020

Cassandra worked as a research assistant in the LDL for several years, was awarded an NSERC USRA, and graduated in 2020 from UFV with a BSc (Hons) in Physical Geography. She subsequently completed a certificate in Mining Technology from Queen’s University. Cassandra’s Honors research project at UFV was on detecting porphyry Cu±Mo±Au mineralization using major oxides and pathfinder elements in subglacial till near the Guichon Creek batholith, southcentral BC. Her research was co-supervised by Travis Ferby at the BC Geological Survey and was published in 2020. Cassandra is currently employed as a geologist with Mount Polley Mining Corporation.

Brie Mackovic, BSc (Physics) 2012

Brie graduated in 2014 from UFV with a BSc in Physics. Although her love is theoretical physics, she sought out the LDL for some lab experience. In 2012, she served as a research assistant on our Calvert Island and Kelly Lake projects, conducting both lab and field work via a NSERC USRA award. In 2018, she completed an MSc in Theoretical Physics at University of British Columbia (UBC).

Daniel Huesken, BSc (Physical Geography) 2012

Dan worked for several years as a research assistant in the LDL, earning NSERC USRA awards in 2011 and again in 2012. His work in our lab involved a lot of field work on the BC central coast. Dan graduated in 2012 specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and has worked in this field ever since, from starting his own company to his current role as a Forestry & GIS Consultant at GBF Technical Forestry Inc., Canada.

Rachel Chapman, BA Hons (Human Geography) 2011

Rachel completed her BA (Hons) degree in Human Geography in 2011 but decided that summer to get some science lab and field work experience and landed an NSERC USRA award to do so. In 2012, she helped with field work in southern Chile and Argentina (Patagonia), and she subsequently completed a PhD in Human Geography in 2016 at University of Western Australia. Rachel now works as a policy analyst for the government of Canada.

Kelly McLeod, BSc (Physics) 2010

Kelly was a Physics major who was awarded an NSERC USRA to work as a research assistant in the LDL in 2009. Upon graduation, she went on to an MSc in Environmental Science at University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Winter Moon, BSc Hons (Physical Geography) 2008

Winter worked for several years as a research assistant in the LDL (supported by three NSERC USRA awards) and eventually took on the role as lab manager. Her BSc (Hons) research was on understanding the genesis of a key MIS 3(?) lithostratigraphic unit exposed on the North Shore of Vancouver. Winter also contributed significantly to our early work on understanding postglacial incision of Fraser River in southcentral B.C. Winter currently works as Restoration Field Crew Supervisor for the Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition.

Natashia Cox, BSc (Physical Geography) 2008

Natashia interests at UFV was in Biogeography and Ecology, but she spent the summer of 2008 honing her lab and field skills in the LDL, supported by an NSERC USRA award. After UFV, she became a Registered Biology Technologist and a BC Society of Landscape Architecture Associate. She also holds a professional certification in Ecological Restoration from the University of Victoria. Natashia currently works for the Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition, and sometimes teaches at UFV.

Jennifer Owen (née Godfrey), BSc (Physics) 2006

Jennifer was the first NSERC USRA student employed in UFV’s LDL. In fact, she started working there before the lab was built! During lab construction she was placed in Prof. Dave Huntley lab in the physics department at SFU where she worked on several research projects being conducted by the UFV lab. After graduating from UFV, Jennifer completed an MSc and a PhD (2013) at SFU in Particle Physics. Her PhD work took place at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland, and contributed to the ATLAS Experiment which involved the search for Higgs Boson. Jennifer now teaches physics at Okanagan College.

Matt Taylor, MSc (Physical Geography) 2023

Matt completed his BSc in Physical Geography at University of Edinburgh, UK. He completed his MSc in Physical Geography at Simon Fraser University supervised by Tracy Brennand and Olav Lian. He completed much of his research in UFV’s LDL. His research was on understanding the rate of postglacial incision of Nicola River, southcentral B.C. Matt successfully defended his thesis in 2023 and returned to the U.K. to look for employment.

Jordan Bryce, MSc (Physical Geography) 2022

Jordan completed her BSc (Hons) in Physical Geography at UFV in 2016. While an undergraduate student, she worked as a research assistant in the UFV LDL for several semesters, supported, in part, by three NSERC USRAs. Her Honours research involved understanding and dating (using radiocarbon dating and optical dating) of ancient organic units that underlie some of the modern beaches on Calvert Island, B.C. central coast. She then pursued an MSc in Geography at SFU under the supervision of Olav Lian and Tracy Brennand. Her MSc research, via a Hakai Scholarship, looked at the evolution of a prominent coast landform (isthmus) on Calvert Island. Jordan successfully defended her thesis in 2022 and is now an instructor at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology.

Travis Gingerich, MSc (Physical Geography) 2021

Travis completed his BSc (Hons) in Physical Geography at UFV in 2018, when he won the Faculty of Science Dean's Medal and was elected student speaker at his convocation. While an undergraduate student he worked for several semesters as a research assistant in the UFV LDL, supported, in part, by three NSERC USRA awards. His Honours research involved dating raised beach sediments on Savary Island, B.C. central coast. He then landed an NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship and began an MSc in Geography at SFU, but centred in the UFV LDL, under the supervision of Olav Lian and Tracy Brennand. His MSc research looked at the timing of incision of Fraser River through glacial sediments. Travis successfully defended his MSc thesis in 2021 and is teaching high school math and science in Sudbury, Ontario.

Libby Biln (née Griffin), MSc (Earth Sciences) 2017

Libby completed her BSc in Physical Geography at UFV in 2014. While an undergraduate student, she worked for several semesters as a research assistant in the UFV LDL, supported, in part, by two NSERC USRAs. She then pursued an MSc in Earth Sciences at SFU under the supervision of Olav Lian and John Clague, and, upon the retirement of Clague, Brent Ward. Her MSc research looked at the timing of stabilization of an ancient dune field on Savary Island, central coast, B.C. Libby successfully defended her MSc in 2017 and is now a science teacher in Maple Ridge, B.C.

Justine Riches (née Cullen), MSc (Earth Science) 2016

Justine completed her BSc (Hons) in Physical Geography at UFV in 2011, and she was elected Student Speaker at her convocation. While an undergraduate student, she worked for several semesters as a research assistant in the UFV LDL, supported, in part, by three NSERC USRAs. Justine's Honours research in the LDL involved optical dating of loess-palaeosol sequences in the Rocky Mountain foothills of western Alberta. For this work she won the 2010 Farouk El-Baz student award from the Geological Society of America. She then pursued an MSc in Earth Sciences at SFU under the supervision of Olav Lian and John Clague. Her MSc research, which was supported in part by an NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Graduate Scholarship, looked at the utility of using optical dating to date the evolution of permafrost features in southern Patagonia (Chile and Argentina). Justine successfully defended her MSc in 2016 and is now a science teacher in Mission, B.C.

Andrew Perkins, PhD (Physical Geography) 2015

Andrew was a PhD student in the Department of Geography at SFU. His PhD research was supervised by Tracy Brennand and consisted of a study of the style and pattern of deglaciation on the Fraser Plateau in southcentral B.C. Part of Andrew's PhD research was conducted in the UFV LDL. Andrew successfully defended his thesis in 2015 and is now a permanent Senior Lecturer in SFU's Geography Department.

Michelle Hanson, PhD (Earth Sciences) 2013

Michelle was a PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences at SFU. Under the supervision of John Clague, she studied sedimentary evidence in Montana, USA, for repeated outburst floods from glacial lake Missoula. She spent considerable time in the UFV LDL establishing a chronology for these events. Michelle successfully defended her thesis in 2013, and then began a career as a Quaternary research geologist with Saskatchewan Geological Survey where she reconstructs past glacial environments and tests the applicability of drift prospecting in the region.

Adrian Hickin, PhD (Earth Sciences) 2013

Adrian was a PhD student in the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at University of Victoria, BC. His research, under the co-supervision of Vic Levson and Olav Lian, was on the late Quaternary and early Holocene history of the Dawson Creek region, NE B.C. Adrian did much of his PhD research in UFV's LDL and successfully defended his thesis in 2013. He is now Chief Geologist and Executive Director at the British Columbia Geological Survey.

Dave Sacco, MSc (Earth Sciences) 2008

Dave Sacco completed his BSc (Hons) degree at UFV is 2008, as one of the first two students to complete the then new BSc honours degree in Physical Geography at UFV. His honours research was done in the UFV LDL and looked at dating a lake core collected from the eastern Canadian Arctic. Dave then worked as a research assistant for the British Columbia Geological Survey before beginning is MSc in Earth Sciences at SFU under the supervision of Brent Ward. Dave completed some of his MSc research in the LDL and successfully defended his thesis in 2012. He currently works as a senior surficial exploration specialist at Palmer Environmental Consulting Group.