Larissa Thelin

Larissa Thelin is a spatial ecologist and science communicator, specializing in researching and teaching about the ways that climate change affects vulnerable species and ecosystems. She earned a BA in Geography, specializing in Natural Resource Management, from Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo (Canada), followed by an MSc in Ecology from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. For her MSc thesis she investigated the space use of Davis Strait polar bears in relation to harp seals and changing sea ice conditions. Her work was supervised by Dr. Andrew Derocher, a long-time friend and partner of Polar Bears International, who introduced Larissa to the Polar Bears International team. Larissa serves as a Field Ambassador at our interpretive centers in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, and Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. She also contributes articles and video content. She is passionate about science communication and pursues creative ways to bridge the gap between academia and public awareness, using writing and content creation to do so. Larissa currently lives in the south Okanagan valley in British Columbia, where she was born and raised.