Speakers and Panelists

Dr. Rebecca Tharme is an internationally recognized aquatic ecologist and environmental water management specialist with nearly three decades of experience working across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. As Director of Riverfutures Ltd. and Adjunct Principal Research Fellow at Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute, she collaborates with governments, development agencies, NGOs, researchers, and communities to advance sustainable water management. She also chairs the global Water Future Working Group on Rivers, Flows and People. Dr. Tharme has held leadership roles with organizations including The Nature Conservancy and the International Water Management Institute and is a widely published author on environmental flow science and policy. Her work focuses on balancing the needs of people, rivers, and ecosystems while advancing water security, biodiversity conservation, and river resilience worldwide.

Dr. Wendy Monk is an ecohydrologist whose research advances the understanding and management of freshwater ecosystems in a changing climate. She is an Ecohydrology Research Scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, a Visiting Research Professor at the University of New Brunswick, and a Fellow of the Canadian Rivers Institute. Her work integrates hydrology, aquatic ecology, and socio-cultural knowledge systems to better understand environmental change and support sustainable water management. Dr. Monk develops innovative tools and approaches for environmental flows and nature-based solutions that inform river management, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity conservation. Through collaboration with researchers, policymakers, and communities, she helps strengthen the resilience of freshwater ecosystems across Canada.

Dr. Kristine Taniguchi-Quan is a hydrologist and geomorphologist specializing in stream hydrology, environmental flows, and ecosystem resilience. Her research focuses on understanding how climate change, land-use change, and water management decisions affect rivers and stream ecosystems. As a member of the California Environmental Flows Framework (CEFF) technical team, she works with partners across California to apply environmental flow science to challenges such as stormwater capture, wastewater reuse, dry-season diversions, and water resource management. Her work supports the development of ecohydrology targets that protect stream health while meeting human water needs. Since joining the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) in 2018, Dr. Taniguchi-Quan has become a leading contributor to sustainable water management and streamflow science.

Dr. Eric Stein is a nationally recognized aquatic ecosystem scientist with more than 20 years of experience in water quality, ecohydrology, bioassessment, and aquatic resource management. As Head of the Biology Department at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP), he leads multidisciplinary research on wetlands, streams, estuaries, and coastal ecosystems. His work focuses on understanding the impacts of human activities on aquatic systems and developing science-based tools to support environmental decision-making. Dr. Stein’s expertise spans stormwater monitoring, wetland assessment, hydrologic analysis, restoration planning, and environmental policy implementation. He also serves on numerous scientific advisory panels and technical workgroups that help shape water quality and ecosystem management strategies across California and beyond.

Nathanael (Nat) Bergbusch is an environmental scientist and policy analyst whose work focuses on water sustainability, environmental governance, and climate resilience. His research examines environmental flows, water governance, sustainability assessment, eutrophication, and environmental justice. His earned his PhD studying collaborative governance and impact assessment for developments affecting environmental and cultural water systems, drawing from Canadian and international case studies. As a Post-Doctoral Scholar in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, he researches sustainable water use and agricultural practices across Canada using interdisciplinary natural and social science approaches. Dr. Bergbusch is a member of the Prince Edward Island NSERC Alliance team and the University of Waterloo’s WAMPUM Lab, where he contributes to advancing sustainable water stewardship and climate adaptation solutions.