Evan Richardson is a Polar Bear Research Biologist with the Wildlife Research Division in the Science and Technology Branch of Environment Canada. Evan is originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba where he completed his undergraduate degree in Zoology at the University of Manitoba. He began working in western Hudson Bay as an undergraduate student doing research on arctic and red fox den site selection. Evan began working on polar bears in 2001 for his MSc. and continued studying polar bears for his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta. He has been involved in polar bear research in several of Canada’s polar bear subpopulations including the western Hudson Bay, southern Beaufort Sea, northern Beaufort and Viscount Melville polar bear populations.
Evan’s research interests are broad and include understanding the evolutionary ecology of polar bears, their mating systems, population genetics, habitat selection and the influence of stressors (e.g. contaminants, climate, industrial development) on polar bear populations. Evan also works with aboriginal organizations to try help integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into polar bear management. He has been a member of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group since 2013.
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1. What are the primary responsibilities and tasks in your current job?
I conduct polar bear research across Canada on a variety of topics including demography, health, movements and habitat use, genetics and diet. I also provide science advice to several federal departments as needed. -
2. How did you get this position?
I did a M.Sc. with Dr. Ian Stirling who was Environment and Climate Change Canada’s polar bear research scientist for 37 years. After completing my M.Sc. I was hired a term biologist for the Mackenzie Gas Project with the Canadian Wildlife Service. While in this position I started my Ph.D. at the Universirty of Alberta on polar bear genetics. Following the completion of my Ph.D. I was re-classified to a research scientist position that I now occupy. -
3. Had you always intended to pursue a non-academic career? If not, what led you to it?
Yes. The primary benefit of being a non-academic is that you are engaged in the conservation and management of species through federal legislation and have a greater opportunity to make sure science is front and centre when management decisions are being made.
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4. What would you have done differently to be better prepared for your current position? Which choices in the past were successful?
I don’t think I would have done anything differently other than having a better work life balance. I think one of the keys to success to a career in science is seizing opportunities to gain experience in your relevant field and networking as much as you can. It is not just what you know but also who you know when it comes to be aware of opportunities to further your career. -
5. Are there opportunities in your working place for candidates having a PhD degree?
Opportunities in my organization for Ph.D.’s typically come through advertised job competitions for research scientists. -
6. Do you have any advice for working towards this career?
Work hard, get relevant experience, publish or perish, and network as much as you can.