![DSCN4800.JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37629_fc42212559b8419e80886c921796ce71~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_402,h_302,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/DSCN4800_JPG.jpg)
Jorge García Molinos - Associate Professor (准教授)
I am an aquatic ecologist broadly interested in global change ecology and macroecology.
Email: jorgegmolinos[at]arc.hokudai.ac.jp
Office: Room 2 - 1st Floor, Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University
![wordCloud.png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37629_8e545146d91a484d9f5b0844f0a3ef38~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_459,h_358,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/wordCloud.png)
As you can see from the figure on the left (a word cloud made from the abstracts of a random subset of our papers), our research interests are wide but they all evolve around improving our understanding of the impacts of climate change and other human impacts on biodiversity, from local to global, the consequences of those impacts to ecosystems, including humans, and how we can use that knowledge to make for a more sustainable future. Our research focuses mainly on aquatic ecosystems, both marine and freshwater, but we are also interested in terrestrial environments (after all I hold a BSc in Forestry!). Though challenging, we try to balance both empirical and theoretical/modelling work.
The following interview provides a general overview of the research and philosophy at our group. The interview transcript can be read here (Japanese version available here)
Lab members
![steve.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37629_288816ac26624d999775ec564b09ea46~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_18,w_241,h_174/fill/w_306,h_221,al_c,lg_1,q_80,enc_auto/steve.jpg)
Dr. STEPHEN C. SAKAPAJI
Arctic Research Center - Hokkaido University
Postdoctoral Researcher 2022-
sakapajisteve[at]arc.hokudai.ac.jp
Steve has research interests include climate change adaptation and resilience, sustainable development, food security, and sustainability. He has worked with indigenous and ecological knowledge systems, climate change risk assessment and community-based adaptation in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. He is currently working under the RISE project assessing climate change impacts on traditional food systems to explore adaptation priorities for resilience-building and sustainability.
![Emmilce Morillas Master's degree student](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37629_fc7aad8a098240f08e31ec197105acc0~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_79,w_1424,h_1028/fill/w_306,h_221,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Emmilce%20Morillas%20Master's%20degree%20student.jpg)
EMMILCE MORILLAS
Arctic Research Center / Graduate School of Environmental Sciences - Hokkaido University
MSc student 2023-2025
I am from Bolivia and I studied Biology at Mayor de San Andrés University. I am interested in plant-pollinator dynamics and urban ecology. I also consider that environmental education is essential for conservation, especially in urban ecosystems. My Master’s degree research at Hokkaido University focuses on the impact of urbanization on insect-pollinator communities in Sapporo City.
![irene.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37629_5c51dc03d0904fbab978cdae6c0761fa~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_153,y_0,w_974,h_719/fill/w_299,h_221,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/irene.jpg)
Dr. IRENE ALABIA
Arctic Research Center - Hokkaido University
Postdoctoral Researcher 2016~
irenealabia[at]arc.hokudai.ac.jp
Irene is interested in fisheries and satellite oceanography studies. She is currently hired under the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ARCs II) project to study the effects of climate variability and climate change on the biodiversity patterns and range changes of fish and invertebrates in the Bering Sea and adjacent Arctic waters. Check Irene's recent papers in Diversity and Distributions and Science of the Total Environment for some more context on the work she's up to.
![Annisa_Picture_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37629_9736a177dceb45b99d12602e0c15ba27~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_367,w_2584,h_1866/fill/w_306,h_221,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Annisa_Picture_edited.jpg)
SAJIDAH S. ANNISA
Arctic Research Center / Graduate School of Environmental Sciences - Hokkaido University
MSc student 2023-2025
annisa.a23[at]elms.hokudai.ac.jp
I have a BSc in Biology from U. Mulawarman in Indonesia. I'm fascinated about mammal ecology and the application of camera traps. Given the significant roles that mammals play in ecology, it is imperative that we manage their habitats with great care. My master's research investigates how the ecotones surrounding the habitat of the Japanese northern pika affect its interactions with other animals.
![IMG_1523.JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37629_a3ea0fb2547b407f85692de8f140cf15~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_293,y_151,w_1517,h_1130/fill/w_297,h_221,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/IMG_1523_JPG.jpg)
TOMOKI SAKIYAMA
Arctic Research Center / GS Environmental Sciences - Hokkaido University
PhD student 2020-
I am interested in how microclimates may offer refugia that facilitate species persistence, and how the management of those refugia can contribute to biodiversity conservation under climate change. In the PhD course, I am planning to study the Japanese pika (Ochotona hyperborea yesoensis), a cold-adapted and low-mobile species occurring in Hokkaido, Japan. I will look into the range shifts of the species and the connectivity among their habitats.
Co-supervised students
![Xochitl_Elias.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d37629_117ff16d54e343e2978c5bd4544aedc2~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_67,w_512,h_378/fill/w_306,h_226,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Xochitl_Elias.jpg)
XOCHITL ELIAS
Universidad de Vigo - Spain
PhD candidate 2020~
Under the direction of Dr. Elena Ojea at the Future Ocean's Lab, Xochitl's PhD (due to start in April 2020) will address the impacts of climate change on fishery-dependant socioecological systems. As one of the case studies of her thesis, she will join us at Hokkaido University to look at the effects of tropicalization on Japanese coastal temperate socioecological systems. This work will link with our current research project on this very important issue.
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Past members
Postdocs
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Dr. Zhixin Zhang (2021; current affilitiation: Research Fellow at Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology)
PhD students
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Dr. Isaac Brito-Morales (2017-2021 - University of Queensland, external supervisor; "Climate velocity in the ocean and its implications for conservation")
MSc students
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Elijah Caldwell (2019-2021; "Perception of fishermen towards invasive salmonids in Hokkaido and the contribution of citizen science to their long-term monitoring")
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Muhammad Taimoor Siddique (2020-2022; "Risk from future climate change to Pakistan's protected area network: a composite analysis for hotspot identification")
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Miki MacAlinn (2021-2023; "Assessment of river sediment and nutrient loading into coastal waters of Northern Okinawa Island (Japan) in relation to coral reef communities")
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Rafaela de Albuquerque (2017-2019 - University of Queensland, external supervisor, "Designing climate-proof marineprotected areas: a case study in South America")
Visiting researchers and students
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Izabella Baisheva (2023, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany)
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Samuel Ross (2019, Trinity College, Ireland)
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Jackson Johnstone (2019, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA)