- Ecosystem services
- Lakes
- Water quality
- Harmful algal blooms
- Nature Futures Framework
- Transdisciplinary sustainability research and education
Spence is a water quality scientist that engages in inter- and transdisciplinary research to better understand water quality challenges and collectively work towards solving these problems.
Spence is a postdoctoral researcher with the PLURALAKES project at the SRC, which aims to co-develop pathways towards desired futures for lake ecosystems. In the PLURALAKES project, Spence works to synthesize and weave co-produced knowledge across three case study lakes. Furthermore, she supports the coordination of the project and stakeholder engagement processes in each case study.
She completed a PhD in Environment and Sustainability from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada in September 2025. Spence worked with Dr. Helen Baulch and Dr. Patrick Lloyd-Smith, taking an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the impacts of changing water quality on lake ecosystem services, including the provision of drinking water and the enjoyment of cultural services such as recreation. In this research, Spence collaborated with end-users, including government agencies, interest groups, community members, and drinking water suppliers to better understand the impacts of changing water quality, as well as opportunities to manage these impacts.
Spence completed a MSc. in Environmental Science from the University of Koblenz-Landau in Landau, Germany, specializing in water quality and environmental economics. Her master’s research focused on the toxicity of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems. Additionally, Spence holds completed a B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences at Royal Roads University. Her capstone project was the creation of a management plan for an endangered species in several lakes on Vancouver Island for the regional government.
She is a member of the Transdisciplinary Sustainability Education Collaboration for Transformations in Sustainability (TRANSECTS) network, and a founding member of the Student and Trainee Advisory RoundTable (START) for TRANSECTS. Danielle is also a member of several networks including Global Lake Ecology Network (GLEON) and the Society for Social-Ecological Systems (Soc-SES).
Awards and achievements
• Provost’s College Award for Outstanding Teaching, University of Saskatchewan, 2025
• 2025 ASLO Student Presentation Award, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
• Provost’s Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher Award, University of Saskatchewan, 2024
• PhD Excellence Scholarship, School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, 2020–2024
- Spence, D.S., Reed, M.G., et al. Intercultural networks deepen learning for transformative sustainability education: lessons from co-designing transdisciplinary international learning labs. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 76, 101567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2025.101567
- Spence, D. S., Baulch, H. M., & Lloyd-smith, P. (2023). Collaborative valuation of ecosystem services to inform lake remediation. Environmental Science and Policy, 150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103595
- Spence, D. S., Schuster-Wallace, C. J., & Lloyd-Smith, P. (2023). Disparities in economic values for nature-based activities in Canada. Ecological Economics, 205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107724
