Pasan Samarasin
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
401 Burrard St, Vancouver BC. V6C 3R2
2010 – 2015 Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toronto
Research focus: Conservation biology & Population genetics
Thesis: From genes to communities: Effects of habitat change over space and time on fish diversity.
(Advisors: Dr. Helen Rodd & Dr. Brian J. Shuter)
2007 – 2010 Master of Science, University of Toronto
Research focus: Population genetics & Molecular phylogenetics
Thesis: Population differentiation, historical demography and evolutionary relationships among widespread common chaffinch populations.
(Advisor: Dr. Allan J. Baker)
2002 – 2006 Honours Bachelor of Science, University of Toronto at Mississauga
Forensic Science & Biology Specialist program
Thesis: Explaining Indigent deaths in the City of Toronto, 1999-2004.
(Advisors: Dorothy Zwolokowski & Dr. James Edwards)
2020 - current Recovery planner, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Vancouver BC
2017 - 2020 Stock identification biologist, Pacific Salmon Commission, Vancouver BC.
2015 - 2017 Post-doctoral researcher, University of Toronto
Advisors: Dr. Nicholas E. Mandrak & Dr. Scott M. Reid
2005 – 2007 Research assistant, Zebrafish behaviour genetics laboratory, University of Toronto at Mississauga
Supervisors: Margarette Sison, Dr. Robert Gerlai
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) Marine Fishes Species Specialist Subcommittee Member
Journals refereed: Conservation Genetics, Hereditary, Journal of Applied Ichthyology, Oecologia
2014 Teaching assistant, Conservation Biology, University of Toronto
2010 – 2014 Teaching assistant, Adaptation & Biodiversity, University of Toronto
2013 Teaching assistant, Introduction to Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of Toronto
2011 – 2012 Teaching assistant, From Genomes to Ecosystems in a Changing World, University of Toronto
2007 – 2009 Teaching assistant, Organisms in their Environment, University of Toronto
2014 Fundamentals of Ecology for Conservation. in Conservation Biology, University of Toronto
2014 Fundamentals of Evolutionary Biology & Genetics for Conservation. in Conservation Biology, University of Toronto
Samarasin P., Reid SM., and Mandrak NE., 2017. Optimal sampling effort required to characterize wetland fish communities. Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences 74(8): 1251-1259. LINK
Samarasin P., Shuter BJ., and Rodd HR., 2017. After 100 years: hydroelectric dam-induced life-history divergence and population genetic changes in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Conservation Genetics 18(6): 1449-1462. LINK
Samarasin P., Shuter BJ., Wright SI., and Rodd FH., 2017. The problem of estimating recent genetic connectivity in a changing world. Conservation Biology 31(1): 126-135. LINK
Samarasin P., Minns CK., Shuter BJ., Tonn WM., and Rennie MD., 2015. Fish species diversity and biomass in northern and southern Canadian lakes: northern lakes are more diverse and have greater biomass than expected based on species-energy theory. Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences 72(2): 226-237. LINK
Samarasin P., Latham SJ., Guthrie CM., and Araujo HA., 2019. What can we learn about the return migration of Fraser River sockeye salmon from catches in Alaska? North Anadromous Fish Commission Technical Report 15: 40-43. LINK
Samarasin P., Garvin MR., Gostel, M., and Dyer, R. 2010. The tortoise, the hare, and the buck: Relative efficiency of three common molecular markers and their associated costs for landscape genetic research. National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS).
Samarasin P., Latham SJ., Guthrie CM., and Araujo HA., 2019. What can we learn about marine distribution of Fraser River Sockeye salmon from Fraser Sockeye caught in Alaska? Salmon Ocean Ecology in a Changing Climate – NPAFC IYS Workshop. Portland, OR, USA.
Latham SJ., Samarasin P., Guthrie CM., Walker SB., Araujo HA., and Alexander RF., 2018. What can we learn from annual samples of Fraser River Sockeye caught in Alaska? Coastwide Salmonid Genetics meeting, Mukilteo WA, USA
Samarasin P., Reid SM., and Mandrak NE., 2016. Sampling effort requirements for wetland fishes and Occupancy modelling of Species at Risk. Oral presentation at the annual meeting on Species at Risk Program, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, ON, Canada
Samarasin P., Reid SM., and Mandrak NE., 2016. Sampling effort requirements for wetland fishes. Oral presentation at the Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), Guelph ON, Canada.
Samarasin P., Godabout L., Rodd HR., and Shuter BJ., 2014. Hydroelectric dam induced life-history and genetic changes in Sockeye salmon. Oral presentation at Genomes to Biomes meeting (Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution), Montreal, Canada.
Samarasin P., Shuter BJ., and Minns CK.,. 2014. Fish diversity in northern Canadian lakes: a comparative study. Oral presentation at 9th Annual Atwood Colloquium, Toronto ON, Canada.
Samarasin P., Shuter BJ., Minns CK., and Rennie MD. 2013. Fish diversity and biomass in small subarctic lakes: higher than expected relative to southern Canadian lakes. Oralpresentation at American Fisheries Society meetings, Little Rock AR, USA.
Samarasin P., Shuter BJ., Minns CK., and Rennie MD. 2013. Fish diversity and biomass in small subarctic lakes: higher than expected relative to southern Canadian lakes. Oralpresentation at Canadian Society of Zoologists meeting, Guelph ON, Canada.
Samarasin P., Garvin MR., Gostel, M., and Dyer, R. 2010. The tortoise, the hare, and the buck: Relative efficiency of three common molecular markers and their associated costs for landscape genetic research. Report and oral presentation at the synthesis meeting in the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis, Santa Barbara CA, USA.
Samarasin P. and Gross MR. 2010 Conservation Units: Do they matter for conserving pacific salmon? Poster presentation at the Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes meeting, Vancouver BC, Canada
Samarasin P. and Baker AJ. 2009. Comparison of tree building methods for recently diverged common chaffinch populations (Fringilla coelebs) using multilocus sequence data. Oral presentation at the American Ornithologists’ Union meeting, Philadelphia PA, USA.
Samarasin, P. and Gross MR. 2008. Hybridization and its evolutionary implications for conservation. Poster presentation at the International Congress for Conservation Biology meeting, Chatanooga TN, USA.
Samarasin, P., Zwolokowski D., and Edwards J. 2006. Explaining Indigent deaths in the City of Toronto from 1999 – 2004. Report and presentation, at Annual Forensic Science Day at University of Toronto, Mississauga ON, Canada.
2021 Essentials for Leading the Self, Simon Fraser University School of Continuing Studies
2019 Project management, Pacific Salmon Commission
2017 Bayesian salmon stock assessment, Pacific Salmon Commission
Managing Project Timeline workshop, MITACS
Time Management workshop, MITACS
Teaching Fundamental Certificate, University of Toronto
2016 Foundations of Project Management, University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
Conflict Resolution Fundamentals, University of Toronto Graduate Professional Skills program
Expanding Leadership Toolkit - Deepening Fundamentals, University of Toronto Graduate Professional Skills program
Introduction to Research Data Management, University of Toronto Graduate Professional Skills program
Essentials of Productive Teams workshop, MITACS
2015 High Performance Computing Summer School Certificate, Compute Canada
2013–2015 Toronto Debate Toastmasters Club, Toronto
2011– 2014 How to Effectively Communicate and Resolve Conflicts in a Group, University of Toronto Graduate Professional Skills program
How to Facilitate and Coordinate a Group, University of Toronto Graduate Professional Skills program
2009 – 2012 Federick P. Ide Award for research in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
2007 – 2008 Graduate Entrance Scholarship
2002 – 2006 Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship for Academic excellence
2002 – 2006 Dean’s Honour List, University of Toronto
Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution
American Fisheries Society
Society for Conservation Biology – Toronto Chapter
Golden Key Honour Society (inducted in Spring 2003)
University of Toronto Biology Environmental Action Team (2011 - 2015)
2012 – 2014 U of T Biology Environmental Action Team – Promotions coordinator
2006 – 2008 Alzheimer’s Society of Peel – Friendly visitor and fundraising events