Research

Currently researching the dynamics of the invasive freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii, and its impacts on zooplankton community composition and freshwater fish recruitment in lakes in British Columbia. Field work sampling is completed in collaboration with a Citizen Science project at Hotel Lake, BC. Data collected will be used to construct an Ecopath with Ecosim model of energy and nutrient flows within the food web of Hotel Lake. 

Research Areas:

Ecosystem Ecology, Biological Limnology, Invasive Species Impact Assessment, Zooplankton Population Dynamics
 

Teaching

Teaching Assistant

  • ENVR 200 · Introduction to Enironmental Science 
  • ENVR 205 · Environmental Science in Practice I 
  • ENVR 300 · Introduction to Research in Environmental Science 
  • ENVR 401 · Climate Action Lab 3
  • ENVR 410 · Energy, Environment, and Society
  • EOSC 116 · Mesozoic Earth: Time of the Dinosaurs 

Graduate Academic Assistant

  • Pacific Museum of Earth · Facilitating interactive earth science educational programs for elementary school classes 

Teaching Certifications

  • Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Associate 

Education

PhD Oceanography: The University of British Columbia (2023-present). Supervised by Dr. Evgeny Pakhomov in the Marine Zooplankton and Micronekton Laboratory.

BSc Environmental Science: The University of Western Ontario (2018-2023).

Conference Presentations 

Halay, D. S., Pakhomov, E. A., 2025, March. Bloom dynamics of the freshwater invasive species Craspedacusta sowerbii in Hotel Lake, British Columbia. In 2025 Fresh Blood for Freshwater Conference. (Presentation and abstract). 

Halay, D. S., Lambert, B., Pakomov, E. P., 2024, March. Understanding trophic dynamics in a Canadian freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii population through zooplankton analysis. In 2024 Pacific Ecology and Evolution Conference. (Poster and abstract).