- Assistant Professor for Landscape Ecology
- Department of Biology
- University of Toronto, Mississauga
When Helene first visited Canada in 2003 to collaborate with a colleague at the University of Toronto regarding the spatial analysis of landscapes, she had little idea that in January 2007, she would start a career as a professor of Landscape Ecology at this same university.
Born in Zurich, Helene obtained a Diploma in Geography (Master’s equivalent) at the University of Zurich, a Master’s degree in Statistics at the University of Neuchatel, followed by her Doctorate in Environmental Sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in conjunction with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL Birmensdorf). Helene’s scientific journey includes 2.5 years as a postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Switzerland with WSL Birmensdorf, where she became a Senior Scientist in 2006. Helene obtained her Habilitation in Landscape Ecology at ETH Zurich.
As Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Helene loves the breadth of her responsibilities as a researcher, teacher, and contributor to the university and to the international scientific community. Helene’s research program is directed toward understanding how human landscape modification affects biodiversity. The research in her dedicated Spatial Ecology and Landscape Genetics Laboratory falls into three broad areas: (1) assessing and interpreting spatial patterns within plant communities (Spatial Ecology), (2) relating species diversity to landscape patterns and landscape change (Metacommunity Ecology), and (3) testing landscape effects on gene flow (Landscape Genetics).
One current project involves research in Germany, evaluating a landscape connectivity initiative that was started twenty years ago. Her research assesses whether the reconnecting of fragmented patches of calcareous grassland through rotational sheep grazing was successful at increasing genetic exchange between patches and promoting dispersal of seeds that would enable plants to re-colonize formerly abandoned grasslands.
Helene currently teaches Landscape Ecology as well as Biometrics, an introductory statistics course for biologists. She loves bringing to life the abstract subject of statistics for her students and empowering them to apply scientific methods to answer biological research questions. Helene also teaches an ongoing, innovative graduate course in Landscape Genetics, which runs parallel within eight universities across Europe and North America. Landscape Genetics is an interdisciplinary field that integrates Population Genetics, Landscape Ecology and Spatial Statistics.
Helene’s spouse lives in Switzerland where he is a Senior Lecturer at ETH Zurich. She says, “of course it is difficult to be apart, but with modern technology like Skype, we can see each other every day and this helps a lot”. She continues, “when I step out of the airplane in Switzerland I step right into my Swiss life.” Whenever Helene returns from Switzerland, she brings Frey dark chocolate, her favourite spice mixes, bouillon, cheese and pizzoccheri, saying, “food is culturally really important and connects you to who you are and to your cultural heritage, your Heimat.”
“It is very easy for Swiss people to blend into Canadian society. In many ways, daily life is similar, and the two mentalities are quite compatible”, Helene describes life in Toronto, “of course I miss my husband, friends, family and the mountains, but there are always two sides, accepting the position at the University of Toronto was a great decision, and I enjoy living here.”
Follow us: