Jean Polfus

Senior Species at Risk Biologist Environment and Climate Change Canada

  • Kelowna BC

Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellow working on caribou conservation in the NWT using non-invasive methods, traditional knowledge & sciart.

Contact

Biography

Jean Polfus is a Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellow. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Manitoba conducting genetic and traditional knowledge studies on caribou populations in partnership with the Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę Gots’ę́ Nákedı (Sahtú Renewable Resources Board) and five Ɂehdzo Got’ı̨nę (Renewable Resources Council) in the Sahtú Region, Northwest Territories, Canada. Her project built a comprehensive understanding of the identities and relationships among caribou populations and Dene people in order to inform and prioritize management efforts. She is committed to an approach to conservation that respects the lives and experiences of people that depend on natural resources for their livelihood, facilitates cooperative long-term problem solving, improves the performance of ongoing research, and affirms the value of community caribou stewardship.

Areas of Expertise

Ecology
Ecology - Animal Movement and Space Use
Conservation Biology
Conservation Genetics
Environmental Science
Wildlife Conservation
Wildlife Ecology
Wildlife Management
Wildlife Photography
Illustration
Photography and Image Making
Field Work
Environmental Policy
Biodiversity
Natural Resource Management
Population Genetics
Environmental Issues
Subarctic Ecology
Sciart
Non-invasive Conservation Methods
Caribou Recovery
Community-based Indigenous research
Traditional Knowledge
Community Based Participatory Research
Community Based Research
Indigenous communities

Accomplishments

Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellow

2016-05-05

This fellowship seeks to support early-career scientists to conduct and communicate world-class research that informs conservation and management issues relevant to Canada. Conservation science includes natural, social, and interdisciplinary research pursuits.

Wilburforce Fellowship in Conservation Science

2015-05-01

In 2015 Jean was one of 20 conservation professionals to received the Wilburforce Fellowship in Conservation Science. The newly established one-year fellowship included training workshops focused on enhancing science communication skills.

Education

Dartmouth College

BA

Environmental and Evolutionary Biology

2006

University of Montana

MS

Wildlife Biology

2010

University of Manitoba

PhD

Natural Resources and Environmental Management

2016

Affiliations

  • Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship

Languages

  • English

Media Appearances

The Art and Science of Studying Caribou

Arctic Deeply  online

2017-02-02

Profile as part of the "Emerging Leaders in Arctic Research" series.

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Jean Polfus live on Denendeh Sunrise - Caribou Research Interview

CKLB Radio Yellowknife  radio

2017-01-20

Live morning radio interview.

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Reindeer riddle: How do you tell caribou apart?

New Scientist  print

2016-12-14

Studying indigenous names for the animals may help us clear up a decades-long mix-up over caribou classification and reverse population decline.

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Event Appearances

Ɂełexé Eghálets’eda (Learning Together): Advancing sustainable strategies for caribou research through cross-cultural collaboration

Public Presentation hosted by UAlberta North and Faculty of Native Studies  University of Alberta

2016-10-06

Articles

Creative convergence: exploring biocultural diversity through art

Ecology and Society

2017-02-28

Polfus, J. L., D. Simmons, M. Neyelle, W. Bayha, F. Andrew, L. Andrew, B. G. Merkle, K. Rice, and M. Manseau. accepted. Creative convergence: exploring biocultural diversity through art. Ecology and Society.

Ancient diversification in glacial refugia leads to intraspecific diversity in a Holarctic mammal

Journal of Biogeography

2016-12-16

Polfus, J. L., M. Manseau, C. F. C. Klütsch, D. Simmons, and P. J. Wilson. 2016. Ancient diversification in glacial refugia leads to intraspecific diversity in a Holarctic mammal. Journal of Biogeography. doi:10.1111/jbi.12918.

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Łeghágots'enetę (learning together): the importance of indigenous perspectives in the identification of biological variation

Ecology and Society

2016-05-05

Polfus, J. L., M. Manseau, D. Simmons, M. Neyelle, W. Bayha, F. Andrew, L. Andrew, C. F. C. Klütsch, K. Rice, and P. Wilson. 2016. Łeghágots'enetę (learning together): the importance of indigenous perspectives in the identification of biological variation. Ecology and Society. 21(2):18

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