Sara Cannon

Sara Cannon is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of British Columbia, affiliated with both the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries and the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. Her work bridges coral reef ecology, climate change impacts, and Indigenous data sovereignty, focusing on the central Pacific Islands and British Columbia.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Geography, University of British Columbia (2022)
  • M.Sc. in Geography, University of British Columbia (2017)
  • B.S. in Marine Biology, University of California Santa Cruz (2014)

Research Themes center on:

• Interactions between global climate stressors and local environmental threats
• Decolonizing conservation practices and data governance
• Climate justice and Pacific Island community resilience
• Marine biodiversity conservation under warming scenarios

Scientific Publications reveal trends in:

• Quantifying cumulative effects on salmonid and coral reef ecosystems
• Macroalgae responses to human disturbances
• Indigenous data sovereignty in environmental stewardship
• Policy recommendations for equitable fisheries management

Honors & Funding:

• Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Mitacs Elevate Fellowship
• Mitacs Indigenous Pathways Initiative grant

Advocacy includes:

• Leading the Decolonizing Conservation Reading List
• Addressing racial/gender inequities in geoscience conferences
• Collaborating with First Nations on salmon ecosystem conservation