Erika is a PhD student at Queens University and the Special Projects Coordinator at the Aurora Research Institute, Aurora College. Erika holds a BSc in Environmental Science (York University), an MSc in Geography (University of Victoria), and a Certificate in GIS and Remote Sensing (York University). In 2007 and 2008, Erika spent her summers in Churchill, MB studying the role of benthic algae in controlling the CO2 flux from small tundra ponds. This research culminated in an Honours Thesis. After completing her BSc, Erika went on to complete her MSc at the Water Climate Impacts Research Centre at the University of Victoria. Her MSc Thesis examined the effects of shoreline retrogressive thaw slumping on the aquatic health of small tundra lakes in the upland region east of Inuvik, NT. In January 2011, Erika went to Inuvik, NT on an NSERC Northern Research Internship, which she completed at the Aurora Research Institute (ARI). After finishing her Internship, she was hired as the Special Projects Coordinator at ARI. In this role, Erika leads a number of programs studying the effects permafrost degradation on aquatic systems. She works closely with local community, government, Indigenous, and co-management organizations to develop research programs that are relevant to the people of the Beaufort Delta Region. Community engagement and science communication and outreach are always critical components of Erika’s research programs. Erika started her PhD in 2019. Her research looks at how and why the response of aquatic systems to permafrost thaw varies between contrasting permafrost landscapes across the Canadian Arctic.