Dr. Michelle Lynn D’Souza (she/her) is a molecular ecologist whose work broadly focuses on biodiversity conservation, community engagement, and knowledge mobilization. Her research primarily addresses the intricate problems related to the identification and quantification of species diversity in complex ecosystems using DNA technologies.

Michelle is currently the liaison between the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG) and McCain Foods Ltd. on the ‘Farms of the Future’ project that aims to showcase how regenerative farming practices and the latest agricultural technology and innovations can be implemented at scale. Her research strives to acquire comprehensive baseline data on soil biodiversity and identify the agricultural practices fostering biological communities that enhance soil productively.

In her 10 years at the CBG, she has helped forge partnerships with several global networks, providing institutional support for projects in Costa Rica, Ghana, Honduras, South Africa, and the UK. Valuing science literacy and the power of storytelling has led her to create a digital body of work that increases the accessibility of scientific research including videos, websites, and an online science magazine (www.barcodebulletin.com).