Having spent much of his younger life in Alberta, Max’s perspective on farming shifted drastically upon being exposed to agriculture on marginal lands after moving to Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2022 he received a B.Sc. (Hons) in Environmental Science from Memorial University, and his childhood interest in soils and farming was revived after beginning his graduate work on northern farms in Labrador under the supervision of Dr. Adrian Unc. Currently, his work focuses on understanding how clearing forests for agricultural use on boreal Podzols impacts the stability of extant and newly-formed – of recycled organic waste and crop residue origin – soil organic carbon (SOC). Through this work, Max wishes to provide novel and actionable insight to farmers for enhancing SOC storage to support a resilient climate-smart agriculture in the wake of climate change-facilitated uncertainties, acknowledging the realized need for food security and sovereignty in the north.
Research interests:
- Agricultural land use change (LUC) in boreal regions for food security in Canada’s north
- Carbon storage and sequestration on marginal northern lands
- Deep SOC storage under agriculture in LUC boreal Podzols
Education history:
- PhD student, BEAS, MUN, NL (2022-present)
- BSc (Hons), Environmental Science (biology), MUN, NL (2018-2022)
