The faces behind BugQuest
Meet the Team!
BugQuest is powered by a diverse team working behind the scenes at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG). From program design and education to shipping, collections, lab work, data analysis, and reporting, each step depends on many hands and shared expertise. Just as important, every participating school and community site is part of the BugQuest team – contributing local knowledge and bug samples that make this national effort possible. BugQuest is built on collaboration, curiosity, and discovery. And we’re all on this adventure together!
Leadership Team
Ross Stewart
Project Manager
Ross grew up in South Africa, where spending time outdoors sparked an early interest in plants, insects, and the relationships between them. Over time, this curiosity shaped his path into biodiversity science, with a particular interest in insect-plant interactions and how large-scale sampling can reveal patterns that are otherwise difficult to see.
Ross completed his PhD from the University of Johannesburg, working on insect–plant interactions using DNA barcoding and nationwide Malaise trap surveys across South Africa. His experience running large sampling efforts, along with a long-standing passion for biodiversity, drives his commitment to making insect research open, welcoming, and relevant to people beyond academia.
Project Support Team
The Project Support Team keeps the wider BugQuest project on track. They help coordinate planning, timelines, records, and day-to-day project needs, and work across teams to make sure the different parts of BugQuest stay connected and organized.
Jayme Sones
Suzanne Bateson
Correspondence Team
Christine Stewart
Isaiah Dowling
Reid Harrop
The Correspondence Team is the main point of contact for BugQuest participants. They review applications, respond to questions, and help direct messages to the right team members when needed. They also help make sure participants receive clear information and timely updates, so communication stays smooth throughout the project.
Public Engagement Team
The Public Engagement Team looks after BugQuest’s public-facing presence. Through the website, social media, and other online materials, they share project updates, highlight Canadian insects and biodiversity, and help more people discover BugQuest. They also support recruitment efforts and are developing a BugQuest blog, which is planned for launch in the Fall.
Laura Chow
Madison Gardiner
Kit Handling Team
Raina Schmuck
Jana Wisniewski
The Kit Handling Team manages the distribution of BugQuest kits across Canada. They pack and ship materials, make sure each kit is accurate and complete, and help coordinate the return of Quest bottles from schools and community partners. Their role is to keep the kit and shipping side of the project organized and reliable.
Bug Handling Team
Once BugQuest participants send in their collected Quest bottles, the Bug Handling Team – a group of experts who work in the Collections Unit at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics – takes over. They receive bottles from across the country and carefully log each one into the collections database to ensure accurate tracking and data quality. The team then prepares the bottles for laboratory work, moving them efficiently into the bulk processing queue for DNA analysis.
Bug DNA Team
At the heart of the scientific process, the Bug DNA Team – made up of members of the Genomics Unit at the CBG – carries out bulk DNA extraction on the collected bug bottles. Using advanced molecular techniques, they isolate genetic material and prepare it for sequencing and DNA barcoding. Their work transforms physical specimens into meaningful biodiversity data, allowing species identification and the creation of biodiversity reports shared with BugQuest participants.
Principal Investigator
Paul Hebert
Director, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
Paul Hebert is an evolutionary biologist whose research for the past 25 years has sought to advance understanding of the diversity, distribution, and interactions of animal species. He is well-known as the ‘father’ of DNA barcoding. He is an Officer in the Order of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and has four honorary degrees. He received the 2018 Heineken Prize for the Environment, the 2020 MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity, the 2024 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth & Environmental Science, and the 2025 Nobel Sustainability Trust Award for Outstanding Research and Development in the Field of Biodiversity.