Meet the Principal Investigator

Gary Burness, PhD

I am an ecological and evolutionary physiologist. My research focuses on animal energetics, particularly how animals allocate energy among the competing demands of metabolism, immunity, growth and reproduction. Because all living organisms use energy, students in our lab work with various species, from birds to fish to mammals, depending on the research question of interest.

Current lab members

  • Taylor Brown, PhD Candidate

    Taylor completed her BSc (Hons) at Acadia University and her MSc. at York University. She is interested in the factors that cause the stranding of fledgling seabirds each year in coastal communities. Her current research takes place in Newfoundland where she is working on both Atlantic puffins and Leach’s Storm Petrels. This research is conducted in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Toronto Zoo.

    Personal website

  • Megan Heft, PhD Candidate

    Megan completed her BS (Hons) at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. She is interested in the interaction between artificial light at night and temperature regulation in birds. Currently, she is working with nest-box breeding tree swallows

    Personal website

  • Emma Byers, PhD Candidate

    Emma recently converted from an an MSc to PhD. Her thesis is research explores causes and consequences of phenotypic variation in butterflies. Emma is co-supervised by Dr. Michelle DiLeo (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry).

  • Morgan Jaggard, MSc student

    Morgan completed his BSc (Hons) at the the University of Guelph. He is studying whether sustained energy expenditure in animals is limited by their risk of overheating.

  • Anna Lane, BSc (Hons) student

    Anna is a Biomedical Science undergraduate student who holds a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council award (NSERC-USRA). Anna is studying how artificial light at night impacts immune function in wild birds.

  • Eric St-Hilaire, BSc (Hons) student

    Eric is studying the effects of ambient temperature on butterfly morphology, physiology and performance. Eric is co-supervised by Dr. Sarah Jamieson (Department of Biology)

Past lab members