College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Education:

• Ph.D.,  Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, 2023
• M.Sc.,  Biology and Global Health Systems, University of Western, 2017
• B.E.S.,  Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 2014

Background:

My research addresses grand challenges at the water–society interface and is shaped by collaboration with governments, communities, and the private sector to remain responsive to real-world needs. I study the resilience of freshwater environments, examining their capacity to withstand and recover from environmental disturbances, the conditions that drive transitions between ecological states, and the consequences for ecosystems and society. Central to this work is the study of cyanobacterial blooms as a global threat to water security. More recently, I have expanded my research to include wetlands, examining how climate change and human activities affect species of conservation concern. Together, these efforts seek to understand how environmental pressures amplify risks to freshwater ecosystems and the communities that depend on them, and to translate that knowledge into evidence-based strategies for risk mitigation.

Research Interests:

• Aquatic ecosystem responses to global environmental change and multiple stressors
• Harmful algal blooms, water quality, and the environmental drivers of algal toxin production
• Linking water quality change to organismal health and ecological responses.
• Developing science-based tools and management strategies to improve aquatic ecosystem health and conservation

Selected Publications:

Erratt, K. J., Creed, I. F., Blais, J. M., Favot, E. J., Gushulak, C. A. C., Korosi, J. B., McMullin, D. R., Rego, L. W., Simmatis, B., Sivarajah, B., Vinebrooke, R. D., Wood, S. A., & Smol, J. P. (2026). Paleolimnology uncovers environmental drivers of cyanobacterial blooms, species shifts and toxin emergence. Harmful Algae, 154, 103089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2026.103089

Erratt, K. J., & Freeman, E. C. (2024). Cyanobacteria in the Anthropocene: Synanthropism forged in an era of global change. Water Environment Research, 96(6), e11066. https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.11066

Erratt, K. J., Creed, I. F., Lobb, D. A., Smol, J. P., & Trick, C. G. (2023). Climate change amplifies the risk of potentially toxigenic cyanobacteria. Global Change Biology, 29(18), 5240–5249. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16838 

Erratt, K. J., Creed, I. F., Freeman, E. C., Trick, C. G., Westrick, J., Birbeck, J. A., Watson, L. C., & Zastepa, A. (2022). Deep cyanobacteria layers: An overlooked aspect of managing risks of cyanobacteria. Environmental Science & Technology, 56(24), 17902–17912. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c06928