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Keynote Speakers

Biographies

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Dr. Rassim Khelifa
HE/HIM/HIS
Concordia University

Ecology

Dr. Khelifa studies community responses to climate change, anthropogenic impacts, sexual selection, and biodiversity conservation, with a primary focus on insects. He also has a broader interest in birds and plants. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Khelifa is a strong advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM. His primary focuses in this area include breaking language barriers for non-English-speaking scientists and promoting equitability in fieldwork.

 

Dr. Khelifa is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Concordia University. He holds two PhDs: one in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Zurich in Switzerland and another in Ecology from Université Mouloud Mammeri in Algeria. In addition to his academic role, he is a member of the IUCN/SSC Dragonfly Specialist Group, which assesses the conservation status of dragonfly species.​

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Dr. Thomas Hossie
HE/HIM/HIS
Trent University

Ethology

Dr. Hossie studies predator-prey interactions, exploring the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that lie at the intersection of behavioral ecology and population biology. His research primarily focuses on amphibians and insects, using these taxa to address broader questions in this field. Currently, his work centers on the ecology of bisexual-unisexual salamander complexes.

 

Dr. Hossie is currently an Assistant Professor in Biology at Trent University. He completed his BSc and MSc at Trent University and his PhD at Carleton University. His PhD investigated the ecology and evolution of eyespots on caterpillars.​​

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Dr. Christina (Chris) Caruso
SHE/HER/HERS
University of Guelph

Evolution

Dr. Christina (Chris) Caruso is a plant evolutionary ecologist.  Over the course of her career she has studied the causes of natural selection on floral traits, the evolution of sexual systems in flowering plants, and the roles of selection and constraint in the evolution of plant functional traits. Currently, her work focuses on the response of native plant populations to pollinator decline.

 

Dr. Caruso is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph.  She completed her BA at Oberlin College (Ohio USA) and her PhD at the University of Illinois. In addition to her academic role she serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Plant Sciences, a University of Chicago Press journal that celebrates its 150th birthday in 2025.

The OE3C 2025 Organizing Committee and Carleton University acknowledge that the land on which we work and study is the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation. We acknowledge the deep and meaningful traditions of knowledge, law, society, nature, and philosophy of the Indigenous peoples of this land. We recognize the historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous people endure across Canada and affirm our commitment to honour and uplift Indigenous voices, traditions, and cultures for the future of reconciliation.

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