Tor Kitching

Background

About Tor Kitching

My name is Tor Kitching, I have most recently finished my contract with the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission as coordinator for the the International Year of the Salmon Team. As Coordinator, I helped plan and run the 2022 IYS Synthesis Symposium held in Vancouver, BC, in October, assisted and managed the Northern Hemisphere Pink Salmon Experts Working Group, and managed IYS finances. Prior to this I completed my MSc in the Integrated Fisheries Lab at Dalhousie University’s Department of Biology, where I studied the effects of climate warming on life-stage transitions in Atlantic Salmon and Bullethead Parrotfish. I most recent experience is in salmonid life history ecology, data management and analysis, and science communication. For my thesis, I developed models to quantify the role that environmental and human factors play in the timing of maturation transitions and used these empirical predictive frameworks to demonstrate how life history strategies may change in the face of climate warming. To build these models, a comprehensive understanding of salmonid ecological theory and its application to statistical models was necessary. It was through these projects that I have become interested in how fisheries research can inform stakeholders and decision-making entities to best serve fisheries-reliant populations. As an early career scientist, my goal is continued learning. Throughout my Undergraduate I was focused on developing my skills in the lab and in the field, however, when it came to analyze the data that I and my fellow lab members had collected I felt like I did not have the necessary knowledge. I have pursued this goal in part through my Masters degree, where I joined the integrated fisheries lab at Dalhousie university because I wanted to improve my analytical and statistical abilities. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning coding languages such as R, Python, html, and look forward to any chance to progress. I believe what sets me apart from other candidates is my experience with the complete flow of research, from field to analysis to presentation. I think that it is more and more important for analysts to have domain knowledge and direct communication with researchers in the field. Moreover, my experience in multiple lab groups has nurtured strong interpersonal skills that help me to manage in high stress environments. For these reasons I hope to work towards a research-based career and to use my knowledge to contribute to academic research, policy, and ocean technology.