Samuel Richard

2021 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research recipient

Master’s student
Carleton University

Samuel’s research is multidisciplinary, bridging natural and social sciences with a focus on Indigenous engagement. The Carleton University master’s student is studying common eider duck breeding ecology using coastal survey data collected by Inuit communities. Working in the Belcher Island archipelago, Hudson Bay, Samuel is combining new data with historical survey data to determine the current nesting population size of eiders and quantify changes in their population size and distribution over time in response to environmental factors. His research aims to inform Inuit communities and government agencies as they work together to establish a protected area in the region and to support sustainable eider harvest of this species given their significance and importance in Inuit culture.

He is also examining the social aspects involved in the long-term collaborations between Inuit communities and federal scientists, using coastal surveys of common eiders as a case study. By bridging Inuit and federal researchers’ perspectives, he will determine keys to success and lessons learned from this unique, 60-year partnership. His thesis will be an important resource for other national and international Indigenous communities, striving to engage in community-led research partnerships.

Learn more about the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research.