Berry Environmental Resilience Research & Innovation Lab
Dr. Lauren Erland’s Lab at The University of the Fraser Valley, Chilliwack Campus
Ey swayél. The BERRi Lab is based on the Canada Education Park Campus of the University of the Fraser Valley on the territory of the Stó:lō People (People of the River) in Ts’elxwéyeqw (Chilliwack) Tribal Territory which comprises seven communities: Ăthelets (Aitchelitz), Shxwhá:y (Shxwa:y Village), Sq’ewqéyl (Skowkale), Sxwoyehálá (Squiala), Th’ewá:li (Soowahlie), Ch’íyáqtel (Tzeachten), and Yeqwyeqwí:ws (Yakweakwioose). We are uninvited guests on this land and are grateful to be able to live, learn and work here. We encourage others to learn on whose land you reside and recommend native-land.ca as a helpful first resource, and if you are in BC The BC Assemble of First Nations map. Some resources on the Ha'lq’eméylem language and pronunciation are available here and through the Stó:lō Nation here and here.
In the BERRI Lab all Ways of Knowing are valued, diversity is celebrated, and most importantly plants are the coolest! Welcome!
The BERRI Lab is a CFI funded research lab. We have instrumentation for untargeted and targeted metabolomics studies, in particular of plant hormones & plant growth regulators (Bruker Elute+ with Bruker Impact II q-TOF with VIP HESI source), plant tissue culture and micropropagation (Autoclave, Class A2 biosafety cabinets), bioactivity screening (microplate assays) and fruit quality assessment. The lab space supports our field and lab based activities.
If you are interested in collaborating, or wish to inquire about graduate student or trainee positions, or support for fellowship (e.g. NSERC) applications please reach out directly by email @ lauren.erland@ufv.ca or check out the Join Us page.
For information on the BERRi Research Centre please visit the UFV Website for the Centre here!
Dr. Lauren Erland
Assistant Professor & Canada Research Chair, Tier II in Berry Horticulture
PhD Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph (2019)
MSc Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, UBC Okanagan (2015)
Dr. Lauren Erland runs the Berry Environmental Resilience Research and Innovation (BERRI) Lab and is Director of the associated BERRI Research Centre which aims to enhance sustainability and resilience of berry horticultural systems in the Fraser Valley & beyond. Her research focuses on understanding how plants perceive and respond to changes in their environments, through the language of plant hormones. She is interested in how this can be applied to understand and predict climate change resilience and vulnerability of Canadian plant species. She has a particular interest in Vaccinium species (cranberry, huckleberry, lingonberry, blueberry), understanding how traditional and commercial species respond to stress, to promote food security and sovereignty.
Dr. Erland also serves as Communications Director for the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists (www.cspb-scbv.ca), is a member of the Explorer’s Club (TM’19 www.explorers.org) and is a Expedition Botanist with Adventure Canada (www.adventurecanada.com).
Dr. Sarah Lane
Postdoctoral Fellow
Sarah Lane is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of the Fraser Valley. Sarah’s primary research interest is exploring metabolomic responses of plants to nutrient and other abiotic stresses. She also has a keen interest in medicinal plants and how plant specialized metabolites can impact human health. Her work has often been multi-disciplinary, and she enjoys looking at her work through different aspects of science to answer questions. Sarah loves to share her passion for research, learning, and science communication with others, and enjoys teaching and mentoring in the lab and in the broader community.
Dan Gaudet
PhD Student
Daniel Gaudet is a PhD student at University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus. Dan’s research interest involves the metabolomic and hormonomic changes in response to environmental stress. By using a combination of tissue culture models, analytical chemistry techniques and microscopy, he hopes to better understand how plants develop and deal with temperature stress. His work will hopefully lead to the development of strategies to improve crop resiliency in the face of climate uncertainty.
Sarah Koeppe
Technician
Sarah Koeppe is a Technician at the University of Fraser Valley with a BSc in Plant Science and a MSc in Plant Agriculture. Her research interests involve plant pathology and berry crops like strawberries, blueberries, and brambles. She also has an interest in native plant species. In her master’s, her research surrounded molecular plant pathology and RNA interference as a control method. She is continuing to broaden her expertise in the field of berry and plant pathology research. Sarah loves to learn about these fields and talk with others about them, and one day she aspires to be able to share this love for plant pathology and berry crops through teaching.
Sophia Rose-Snelgrove
Undergraduate Researcher
Sophia is an undergraduate student at the University of the Fraser Valley pursuing a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Economics. Since she can remember, she has always had an interest in plants. She is fascinated by how they interact with their environment, human biochemical pathways, and how they are used in natural medicine. After graduating, Sophia desires to pursue a career in Naturopathy.
Emily Foster
NSERC USRA Undergraduate Researcher
Emily is entering her third year as a Bachelor of Science student, majoring in Biology at UFV. With a special interest in ecology and a lifelong passion for nature, she shares her enthusiasm with young learners through the Forest Explorers Program. Which she runs as a recreation leader with the City of Abbotsford.
Fabiola Cruz Alderete
Undergraduate Researcher
Currently pursuing her second year in the Bachelor of Environmental Studies with a minor in Global Development at UFV, she has a particular interest in ecology and conservation, which she shares through her Cascade column, *The Environmentalist*. After graduating university, she hopes to attend graduate school to become an environmental researcher.
Stéfhane Brachmann
Research Intern
Stéfhane is an internal researcher at UFV through the Emerging Leaders in the Americas (ELAP) program. She is a student of Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology at the Federal Technological University of Paraná in Brazil. She is passionate about nature and the interaction between plants, soil and microorganisms. After graduating, she aspires to advance her education and start a career dedicated to researching and working with her parents.
Casandra Smit
Undergraduate Researcher
PREVIOUS STUDENTS:
2024 - 2025
Rosa Sprungman, Directed Study, Evaluating the Microbiometer
Sebastian Molina Ticas, Honours Student, Karrikin impacts on Vaccinium germination
Susan Gu, Directed Study, Gibberellin effects on Fragaria germination
Haley Dekker, Elílá:lhp (Salmonberry) Rubus spectabilis: Softwood & Semi-Hardwood Cuttings Propagation Trial
Kiona Zacher, Directed Study Student, Smoke exposure effects on growth and chlorophyll in strawberry
Nykita Wigley, USRA, Impacts of in-field warming on cranberry
2023-2024
Isabelle Siemens, Directed Study Student, Can cranberry chemical communicate climate change?
Nandish Khandelwal, Directed Study Student, Exploring the potential of microalgae carbon capture waste as a soil amendment in strawberry cultivation
Rajpal Singh Mann, Effect of soil fertilizer patchiness on biomass in new cranberry field establishment
Elisha Marks, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Cranberry responses to in field warming
Alison Goeres, Directed Study Student, Effects of bioenhancer on soil quality, growth and microbiome in strawberry
Deepinder Sandhu, Directed Study Student, Impacts of in-field warming on cranberry quality & antioxidant capacity
Thomas Johnston, Undergraduate Research Assistant, Responses of strawberries to bioenhancer and fertilizer regimes
Weston Johnsrude, Directed Study Student, Non-target impacts of agricultural applications of melatonin
Alex Pennock, Directed Study Student, Impact of smoke-derived plant growth regulating molecules on native and endemic Okanagan plants
Stephanie Laframboise, Directed Study/Work Study Student, Impacts of environmental warming on cranberry phenology and stress
2022-2023
Mack Frost, Directed Study Student, Can GA3 and tryptophan increase flower production in strawberry?
Tyler Osterbeck, Internship Student, Re-vegetation after the Christie Mountain Wildfire
David Gardner, Directed Study Student, Antioxidant potential of cranberries