Sarah Naughtin
Curriculum Vitae · January 2026
MSc Student, Team Shrub
Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, UBC
naughtin@student.ubc.ca
I am a quantitative ecologist focused on understanding vegetation change in response to climate and disturbance across diverse ecosystems. My work integrates field ecology, spatial analysis, and statistical modelling to investigate the drivers of vegetation dynamics. I am eager to broaden my experience across different ecological systems and contribute to research that provides actionable insights for ecosystem management and conservation planning.
Education
Master of Science
2024–presentUniversity of British Columbia · Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship
Thesis: Boreal forest understory vegetation change and its drivers across latitude
Supervisor: Dr. Isla Myers-Smith · Expected graduation: September 2026
Bachelor of Science, Fisheries and Wildlife
2020–2024Michigan State University · Concentration: Conservation Biology
Award: Dean's List
Research Experience
Graduate Research Assistant
2024–presentUniversity of British Columbia · Supervisor: Dr. Isla Myers-Smith
Investigating boreal forest understory vegetation dynamics across the Yukon Territory using species distribution modelling to estimate current and future shrub distributions under alternative climate models.
Conducted remote field surveys (summer 2025) across boreal forest, treeline, and tundra in the Yukon.
Managing and analyzing large spatial datasets: field vegetation surveys, circumboreal occurrence records for 19 shrub species, high-resolution CHELSA climate data, and Landsat ABoVE tree canopy cover.
Two manuscripts in progress: a review of boreal shrub dynamics and a research paper on modelling understory vegetation change across latitude.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
2023–2024Michigan State University · Quantitative Fisheries Center · Supervisor: Dr. Chris Cahill
Utilised Template Model Builder to model whitefish population growth in Lake Huron to inform stock assessments.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
2021–2023Michigan State University · Supervisors: Dr. John Robinson & Dr. Antonio Castilla
Reconstructed the biogeographic history of Fraxinus pennsylvanica over the last 21,000 years using integrated SDM and pollen-density modelling.
Completed over 1.3 million simulations using the R package holoSimCell, leveraging MSU's Institute for Cyber Enabled Research HPC resources.
Research published in Ecography (2025).
Publications
Ecography · 2025
Integrating genomic data and simulations to evaluate alternative species distribution models and improve predictions of glacial refugia and future responses to climate change
Naughtin S.R., Castilla A.R., Smith A.B., Strand A.E., Dawson A., Hoban S., Abhainn E.A., Romero-Severson J., Robinson J.D.
doi: 10.1111/ecog.07196 →Presentations
The International Biogeography Society Biannual Meeting
2026Aarhus, Denmark · Poster
Naughtin S.*, Smith A., Williams J., Myers-Smith I. Modeling boreal forest understory vegetation change across latitude in the Yukon.
ArcticNet Annual Meeting
2025Calgary, AB · Poster
Naughtin S.*, Smith A., Williams J., Myers-Smith I. Modeling boreal forest understory vegetation change across latitude in the Yukon.
South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center Fall Meeting
2023Lubbock, TX · Poster
Naughtin S., Castilla A.R.*, et al. Evaluating support for alternative species distribution models with population genomic data and ABC.
Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting
2022Montreal, QC · Poster
Naughtin S.*, Castilla A.R., et al. Evaluating support for alternative species distribution models with population genomic data and ABC.
Professional Service
American Fisheries Society — Michigan Chapter
2023–2024MSU Student Concerns Committee Chair
MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club
2021–2023Vice President (2023) · Habitat Chair (2021–2022)
Awards
Northern Scientific Training Program
2025$3,400
Thomas H. Schwarze Memorial Scholarship
2020$2,700
Dean's List
2020–2024Michigan State University
Certifications
Wilderness First Aid
2025Coast Medical Training
Pilot Certificate (Basic Operations)
2025Transport Canada
Possession and Acquisition License (PAL)
2024RCMP
Canadian Boaters License
2012Transport Canada
Skills
Software & Programming
- R (enmSdmX, biomod2, ggplot2, ...)
- Bash scripting
- QGIS
- Adobe Lightroom & Illustrator
Analytical
- Species Distribution Modelling
- Approximate Bayesian Computation
- Template Model Builder
- Spatial data analysis
Field & Project
- Vegetation surveys
- Plant identification
- Remote field logistics
- Scientific writing
Societies
Ecological Society of America · The International Biogeographic Society · Association of Polar Early Career Scientists · Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution
References available upon request.