Having spent much of his younger life in Alberta, Max's perspective on farming shifted after moving to Newfoundland and Labrador and being exposed to agriculture on marginal lands. In 2022 he received a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science from Memorial University, and began his graduate work on northern farms in Labrador under Dr. Adrian Unc.

His work focuses on how clearing forests for agriculture and applying locally sourced organic amendments to boreal Podzols impacts the stability of soil organic carbon (SOC). He aims to provide actionable insight to farmers for enhancing SOC storage to support resilient, climate-smart agriculture, acknowledging the need for food security and sovereignty in the north.

Research interests

• Agricultural land-use change in boreal regions for food security in Canada's north
• Carbon storage and stability on marginal northern lands
• Deep SOC storage under agriculture in land-use-converted boreal Podzols

Education

• PhD student, BEAS, Memorial University of Newfoundland (2022-present)
• BSc (Hons), Environmental Science (biology), Memorial University (2018-2022)