Francis Wiese

About Francis Wiese

I am an applied system thinker interested in affecting global change through robust science, innovation, partnership building, strategy, visioning, governance, and policy. I spent the last 30 years working around the world, designing, implementing, and managing large inter-disciplinary, multi-institutional science programs that address important socio-ecological issues related to climate change, the ocean, and its uses. My emphasis has been on solving complex real-world issues while increasing sustainability, equity, and climate change awareness and action. This has taken me far beyond my initial training in marine science and included anthropogenic stressors, climate change, resilience, system science, environmental policy, adaptive management, governance, theory of change, and change management. To gain a diversity of perspectives into today’s complex socio-ecological challenges, and be effective in partnership building, I have worked for and with academia, government, non-profits, and industry in a variety of roles. To maintain scientific credibility, I have maintained a diverse publication record, am a technical reviewer for over 20 international journals, and serve on a variety of national and international science panels, boards, committees, and working groups. I am a strong advocate for teamwork, co-production, equity, and the power to create and implement vision for change. For all this, communication is key and as such I am a prolific and engaging public speaker within academia, industry, the media, and with the general public.

Experience

1. Marine Ecology Lead

   Baird & Associates

   Jan 2026 — Present

Education

• University of Victoria

  B.Sc, Marine Sciences

• Memorial University, Newfoundland and Labrador

  Ph.D., Conservation and Marine Biology

  1998 — 2002

• University of Bern

  Pre-Diploma, Zoology/Animal Biology

  1989 — 1991

Skills

• Research
• Program Management
• Ecology
• Synthesizing
• Analytical Skills
• People Skills
• Communication Skills
• Presentations
• Marine Biology
• Marine Conservation
• Fish
• Proposal Writing
• Environmental Science
• Wildlife
• Fisheries
• Science
• Aquatic Ecology
• Environmental Policy
• Statistics
• Coastal
• Natural Resource Management
• Biodiversity
• Environmental Education
• Conservation Biology
• Oceanography
• Science Communication
• Scientific Writing
• Scuba Diving
• Biology
• Ecological Restoration
• Zoology
• Water Quality
• Wildlife Biology
• Endangered Species
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Aquaculture
• Environmental Issues
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Environmental Awareness
• Natural Resources