Stan Yavno ’10, Ph.D. Environmental and Life Sciences, Windsor

Stan Yavno was drawn to Trent University due to ecology and life-history of invasive fish expert, Dr. Michael Fox.  Stan shares that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with Professor Fox as his faculty advisor who has, for years, been working on a collaborative effort with researchers from Europe on the spread of pumpkinseed sunfish.

Stan became interested in the study of invasive fishes during his MSc at the University of Windsor, which eventually led him to work with Dr. Fox.  “During my time at Trent I was able to collaborate with many researchers who study pumpkinseed and other invasive species, which helped me to develop new studies to better understand the invasion success of the species,” said Stan.  

Another element of Trent that stood out for Stan was its close proximity to rivers and lakes.  “As a biologist, it is important to have easy access to environments where we can collect samples, or areas that we can conduct field experiments,” explained Stan. “This makes both laboratory and field-based research more feasible, and opens the door to numerous projects that would not be considered practicable in more urban institutes.”  

During his time at Trent, Stan had the opportunity to work on a project that involved collaboration scientists from several countries and organizations - including scientists from France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Currently, Stan is conducting a 2-year postdoc at Tel Aviv University in Israel.  “I hope to continue making important strides in the study of fishes, and the ecology of invasive species,” said Stan. “Trent is an ideal institution to pursue research in both of these fields.”

Awards and Scholarships received at Trent University:

• Arnold Berliner Award for Best Paper of the Year (2014)
• Dean’s Excellence Award (2011-2014)
• Lopes Family Award (2011, 2013-2014)
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) (2011-2014)
• Jack Matthews Research Scholarship (2012)
• French American EnLS Scholarship (2011)
• Dean’s PhD Scholarship (2010-2011)
• President’s Medal Recipient (2015)