Patrice Simon,

Director General, Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON

Patrice began his career as a biologist working for the Gwich’in Renewable Resource Board in Inuvik, Northwest Territories where he worked on the development of management plans for indigenous fisheries in the Mackenzie Delta.  He then join Fisheries and Oceans Canada in the Nunavut office in 1998 as a regional biologist working principally on Arctic Char, Narwhal and Beluga. He subsequently move to DFO headquarters in Ottawa where he held various science advisor positions before becoming Director of Environment and Biodiversity Science Branch in 2008. Patrice has managed a diversity of national science programs including Aquatic Invasive Species, Species at Risk, Marine Protected Areas, Biological Effects of Contaminants and Marine Mammals.  More recently, Patrice has worked on the implementation of several initiatives under the new Oceans Protection Plan including Oil Spill Research, the collection of coastal environmental baseline information and the development of a research program on the impact of underwater noise on whales.  Patrice holds a Bachelor of Science from McGill University and a Master of Biology from University of Waterloo.