Grant A. Gardner, Ph.D.

Dr. Gardner is a native of North Bay, Ontario, and has always had an interest in, and passion for, aquatic biology.  After completing an undergraduate degree in Marine Biology at the University of Guelph, he migrated to UBC to do a Ph.D. in biological oceanography followed by a stint as a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Ocean Sciences at Patricia Bay.  During that time, he focused on aspects of zooplankton community composition and in particular on the interplay between community composition and oceanographic factors.  The myriad inlets of the B.C. coast, and the complex exchange of water between the adjacent ocean and the protected coastal waters, were an excellent backdrop for posing and addressing interesting research questions.

In 1979, Dr. Gardner switched oceans, relocating to the Biology Department of Memorial University.  There he continued to work on interactions between inshore and offshore waters, but began to shift his focus towards teaching and administration.  He was involved in the development of the Bonne Bay Marine Station, where he taught for many years in a field environment, with all of its inherent challenges and where things often didn’t go as predicted.  It was enormously satisfying to see the students grow and mature as they integrated their knowledge and applied it in the real world.

More recently, Dr. Gardner has become increasingly involved in academic administration, but keeps his sanity through working with a range of associations that focus on understanding and studying our natural environment.  He is one of the founding members and current Chair of the Board of the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM), and on the core organizing committee for the 5th World Congress of Environmental Education, for which CWF is a major sponsor.  Dr. Gardner is also currently the President of the Coastal Zone Canada Association, and on the Boards of the Atlantic Coastal Zone Information Steering Committee and the Canadian Forestry Association.   In his ‘day job, Dr. Gardner is the Associate Vice-President (Academic) of Memorial University.

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