Kelsey N. Lucas, PhD (she/her)

Assistant Professor

Biological Sciences, University of Calgary

kelsey.lucas [at] ucalgary.ca

I am fascinated by how the amazing behaviors marine and aquatic animals do arise from the inner workings of their bodies and the physical laws that govern them. My interests include aquatic ecology and biomechanics, environmental change, STEM education, museums, and science communication. These interests drive my professional endeavors and lead me to target a range of scientific and educational problems. Outside the lab, I enjoy running, baking, gaming, drawing, and photography; I drew or took all uncredited images across the website, except for personnel photos.
  Image credits: Left: A. Hajji; Right: D. Kennedy

Current lab members

Angelina Hajji, PhD student

angelina.hajji [at] ucalgary.ca

Angelina is currently interested in investigating human stressors on marine ecosystems and animals. Outside of academia, she is the founder of Keep The Earth Fresh (a nonprofit environmental organization) and is deeply committed to educating the public, building a community, and fostering conservation and sustainability efforts.
https://www.keeptheearthfresh.org/​

Michael Chung, MSc student

michael.chung1 [at] ucalgary.ca

Michael is interested in the functional morphology and biomechanics of fishes and how these incredibly diverse organisms interact with the physical world around us. He currently studies the relationship between body shape, temperature, and life stage on swimming performance in the Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). He is also interested in ecology, physiology, and energetics, and how they can not only survive, but even thrive in extreme environments like the deep-sea or polar regions. When not in the lab, he enjoys cooking, weightlifting, and gaming.

Emma Aboud-McConnell, Undergraduate

Aidan Hamilton, Undergraduate

Charlotte Leung, Undergraduate

Mohib Sherbaz, Undergraduate

Lab alumni

Graduate students

Duncan Kennedy, MSc (2024)

Duncan studied the pectoral fins of chimaeras - an ancient group of cartilaginous fishes closely related to sharks, skates, and rays. He built a fin-flapping robot to mimic their unique locomotion and to uncover the relationship between pectoral fin morphology, movement, and force production from an ecological perspective. Before receiving a master's degree in biomechanics, Duncan received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary.
Undergraduates
Emily Duan, BSc (2024)
Julie Siemens, BSc (2024)
​Shreya Pillai, BSc (2024)
Christinne Falguera, BSc (2023)