Jeff (Che-Wei) Chang

Jeff (Che-Wei) Chang is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, supervised by Dr. Suzanne Simard and Dr. Christopher Chanway. Originally from Taiwan, Jeff completed his six-year forestry degree with research spanning silviculture, forest fire management, and community forestry—where he published work on the UBC Wiki platform. He later developed an independent research system on Spiranthes orchids and their mycorrhizal fungi, attracting attention from international researchers. His doctoral research investigates the interactions between endophytic fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (endophytic diazotrophs) in promoting plant growth. One chapter focuses on lodgepole pine thriving in nitrogen-poor sites of Interior BC, while another, in collaboration with the Kwiakah Nation, explores endophyte–microbe relationships under eco-cultural restoration. In his free time, Jeff enjoys hiking, composing music, exploring food, and playing table tennis.

Natalia Mondi

Natalia Mondi, originally from the Big Island of Hawaii, has been a field technician with The Mother Tree Project & Program since 2021. In 2024, she graduated from UBC’s Faculty of Forestry with a degree in Forest Sciences, completing an honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Suzanne Simard that explored microbial community ecology and the impacts of variable retention logging.

Continuing under Dr. Simard’s mentorship, she is now pursuing a master’s degree within an interdisciplinary, interuniversity initiative led by the Kwiakah First Nation. Her research examines soil carbon dynamics and microbial relationships shaped by Kwiakah eco-cultural regenerative forest treatments. Beyond her academic work, Natalia enjoys drinking matcha, surfing, swimming, dancing, hiking, and taking long walks through bogs.

Ari Murphy-Steed

Ari Murphy-Steed grew up on Sinixt and Ktunaxa territory in Nelson BC, and began working on the Mother Tree Project as a field technician and eventually Crew Lead in 2018. Ari completed a Bachelor’s in Natural Resources Conservation at UBC in 2021, and is now a PhD candidate supervised by Dr. Simard. Through their graduate work, Ari works with the Kwiakah First Nation, and helped establish and coordinate the Kwiakah Research Cluster, for interdisciplinary research in service of Kwiakah’s goals. In collaboration with Mother Tree Project & Program Partners including the Ma’amtagila Nation, Ari’s research investigates the long-term impacts of clear cut harvesting on coastal forest ecosystems, aiming to support community stewardship planning and practice. Beyond their graduate research, Ari is an active community organizer, avid climber, and singer in a local choir.

Eva Snyder

Eva was born in Vancouver, BC and grew up moving around BC and the Yukon. She started with the Mother Tree Project in 2016 as a field crew member during initial site layouts, and has continued on with the project for the past four years as a field and lab technician. Eva began her forest-sciences education at Selkirk College in the West Kootenays and finished her Bachelor’s degree in Urban Forestry at the University of British Columbia. She is currently pursuing a PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Suzanne Simard.  Her research is based in BC’s Western redcedar forests, investigating the role of below-ground microbial feedbacks for tree defences and inter-species carbon flow.