Krystal Isbister

2021 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research recipient

Phd student
University of Alberta

Born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, Krystal comes from a long line of farmers. After studying natural resource management and exploring several different environment-related jobs, Krystal finally realized that she, too, was destined to pursue a career dedicated to plants and completed a master’s degree in Plant Science, established FloraTek Consulting, and worked for industrial, First Nation and other government clients, providing technical and training services in applied plant ecology. Through the course of her work, she realized that there was a lack of available native plant material, meaningful involvement of Yukoners and few examples of northern revegetation techniques. To work on these challenges, she began a PhD in land reclamation.

Her research aims to explore community expectations for mining revegetation and develop feasible, culturally relevant revegetation techniques. She believes the best results will be achieved by integrating local, traditional and scientific knowledge.

Learn more about the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research.