Louise Archer

Dr. Louise Archer is a Polar Bears International Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Her research combines ecological modelling and bioenergetics to understand how polar bear populations will respond to rapid Arctic warming and resulting declines in sea ice. She earned a BSc in Zoology from University College Cork (Ireland), an MSc in Computational Biology from Imperial College London (UK) followed by a PhD in Ecology from University College Cork, where she focused on the effects of warming temperatures and reduced food availability brown trout energetics. Louise’s passion for northerly ecosystems was ignited by her time spent doing research in Iceland.

For her postdoc at University of Toronto Scarborough, she is using bioenergetic theory to develop models of polar bear energy uptake and expenditure (termed “energy budgets”). These energy budget models will be used to forecast how polar bear reproduction, survival, and population dynamics will be affected by future sea-ice loss to aid in proactive conservation efforts. Though her work at the interface of biological modelling, ecology, and conservation, Louise has also developed a strong interest in understanding the most effective ways to communicate scientific information to diverse audiences.

Originally from Ireland, she is now based in Toronto and spends as much time as possible exploring the Canadian outdoors.