Derek Gray

Derek Gray is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. His research focuses on understanding and predicting the impacts of climate change, acidification, invasive species, and anthropogenic disturbances on freshwater ecosystems and zooplankton communities.

• University: Wilfrid Laurier University
• School: Faculty of Science
• Department: Biology
• Email: dgray@wlu.ca
• Office: BA423, Extension: (548) 889-3702

Gray's research spans Arctic lakes, Great Plains ecosystems, and subarctic regions, examining how zooplankton and macroinvertebrates respond to environmental stressors like road dust, salinity changes, and permafrost thaw. Current projects include studying the rehabilitation of Frame Lake and assessing climate-driven impacts on lake biodiversity.

His recent publications highlight salinization as a critical threat to freshwater biodiversity, with studies showing that community-level salt tolerance is unpredictable due to intraspecific variation. Gray collaborates on global lake temperature datasets and has co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles on freshwater resilience and stressor interactions.

Gray supervises students working on zoooplankton, water quality, and ecosystem recovery, including Abbe Binning, Madeline Patenall, and Mercedes Huynh. He is involved in Freshwater Ecology Lab initiatives and maintains open-access datasets on lake water quality and climate change effects.