Our people

Supervisor: Kirsten Müller

Supervisor: B. Moffatt & A. Doxey

Supervisor: A. Doxey & J. Hirota

Dissertation/Research Area: 

A transcriptomic analysis of the effects of tobacco and cannabis smoke extracts on lung epithelial cells in vitro and the efficacy of standard combination inhaled therapies at attenuating smoke-induced changes in the lung epithelium. 

Supervisor: Brian Ingalls

Supervisor: J. Neufeld

Dissertation/ Research Area:

I study novel bacteria that can efficiently break down toxic nitrogenous waste (ammonia and urea) in engineered wastewater treatment system.

Supervisor: A. Doxey

Supervisor: K. Müller

Supervisor: Julie Messier

Supervisor: Bruce Reed

Supervisor: H. Broders

Dissertation/Research Area:

I study the behavioural ecology and landscape use of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) on Prince Edward Island. My research is a collaboration with Parks Canada and I work primarily in Prince Edward Island National Park.

Supervisor: Adam Yates

Supervisors: Todd Holyoak

Supervisor: J. Neufeld

Supervisor: Mark Servos

Supervisor: Kim Cuddington

Dissertation/Research Area:

I’m researching how to incorporate temperature into population models of invasive Asian carp to better predict the severity of their invasion in the Great Lakes.

Supervisor: Roland Hall

Supervisor: M. Power

Dissertation/Research Area: 

Jacob is using stable isotopes to examine the feeding ecology and thermal niche of an imperiled freshwater fish; Silver Shiner.

Supervisor: Mark Servos

Co-Supervisor: Barbara Katzenback

Supervisors: Paul Craig

Supervisor: Kirsten Müller & Monica Emelko

Supervisor: Jozef Nissimov

Supervisor: Brian Dixon

Supervisor: Paul Craig

Contact for: Dixon Research Group

Supervisor: M. Marsden

Supervisor: Liam McGuire

Supervisor: Barb Katzenback

Dissertation/Research Area:

Investigating elements of innate immunity in the skin of the North American wood frog.

Supervisor: B. Duncker

Supervisor: Trevor Charles

Supervisor: Z. Leonenko

Dissertation/Research Areas:

My research focuses on the effects of neuroprotective molecules and antimicrobial peptides on Alzheimer's disease pathology.

Supervisor: M. Power

Dissertation/Research Area:

Britney is determining the thermal and oxygen physiological tolerances of the imperilled Eastern Sand Darter to help recovery biologists define the critical habitat of the species to make accurate conservation management decisions. 

Supervisor: D. Rose

Supervisors: P. Craig

Supervisor: L. Hug

Dissertation/Research Area: 

Nikhil is examining viral diversity and virus-host interactions in municipal landfills. He is also aiming to identify new CRISPR-Cas systems from microbes in these sites. 

Supervisor: Roland Hall

Co-Supervisor: Brent Wolfe

Supervisor: Roland Hall

Supervisor: B. Dixon

Supervisor(s): B. Katzenback & P. Craig

Supervisors: K. Müller & J. Witt

Supervisor: B. Dixon

Supervisor: K. Müller

Supervisor: H. Swanson & M. Power

Dissertation/ Research Area:

Using stable isotopes to determine the rates of mercury accumulation in Nunavut's inner Frobisher Bay Arctic marine food web. This information will be used to compare future changes to mercury dynamics induced by climate change in order to better understand the fate of Arctic char as a reliable diet source for Inuit. 

Supervisor: Andrew Doxey

Supervisor: Liam McGuire

Contact for: Hug Research Group

Supervisor: Andrew Doxey

Supervisor: P. Craig and B. Katzenback

Dissertation/Research Area:

Heather is studying the effects of multiple stressors on fish populations and stress levels by measuring environmental DNA (to identify organisms present) and RNA (to measure stress levels). This will extend from the use of microRNA as a sub-lethal biomarker within tissue, to a biomarker within the water column, as well as understanding the dynamics of DNA secretion and degradation in different environmental conditions.

Supervisor: R. Hall

Dissertation/Research Area:

Studies the impacts of legacy mining projects in the Northwest Territories on lakes in the Yellowknife area using paleolimnology and particularly looks at how mining-associated metals like arsenic vary over space and time.

Supervisor: A. Doxey

Supervisor: L. Hug

Dissertation/Research Area:

Grant's research focuses on the changes to the soil microbiome through the winter transition. Microbes are still active even under the ice and have implications for climate change, agriculture, and biogeochemical cycling. 

Supervisor: David Rose

Supervisor: L. Hug

Dissertation/Research Area:

Lisa is studying microbial diversity and function at waste management sites, and investigate biofouling that occurs in a landfill gas capture system. Her research will determine means of disrupting or preventing biofilm formation, and therefore increase the efficiency of gas capture.

Supervisor: Rebecca Rooney

Supervisor: R. Hall

Dissertation/Research Area:

Mitchell's research centers around using long-term records of past environmental change obtained from lake sediment cores to improve our understanding of the roles of natural processes and human activities on hydroecological condition in the Peace-Athabasca Delta.

Supervisor:  Trevor Charles

Supervisor: K. Ma

Supervisor: K. Müller

Co-Supervisor: M. Emelko

Supervisor: Brian Dixon

Dissertation/Research Area:

My research is focused on investigating differences in immune performance between diploid and triploid Chinook salmon through MHC genotyping and T cell counts.

Supervisor: Bruce Reed

Supervisor: Trevor Charles

Supervisor: Liam McGuire

Supervisor: Dale Martin

Supervisor: B. McConkey

Supervisor: Andrew Doxey

Supervisor: Brendan McConkey

Supervisor: Michael Power

Supervisor:  Rebecca C. Rooney

Supervisor: J. Neufeld

Supervisor: Mark Servos

Supervisor: Heidi Swanson

Supervisor: Kim Cuddington

Research areas: plant functional ecology; phenotypic variation and integration. 

Supervisors: Dale Martin

Supervisor: Mark Servos

Supervisor: David Spafford

Supervisor: R. Hall

Supervisor: Brian Dixon

Supervisor: Barb Katzenback

Supervisor: H. Swanson

Supervisor: Dr. Roland Hall

Dissertation/Research Area:

Laura is working towards identifying major drivers of seasonal and spatial variation in lake carbon balance across a northern floodplain landscape. 

Supervisor: M. Beazely 

Supervisor: B. Reed

Supervisor: Marc Aucoin

Dissertation/ Research Area:

Exploiting the immunogenic aspects of baculovirus for a multipronged vaccination strategy involving in vivo production of virus-like particles.

Supervisor:  Kirsten Müller

Supervisor: Paul Craig

Supervisor: Adam Yates

Supervisor: K. Müller & A. Doxey

Dissertation/Research Area:

Vanessa's research involves the genomic study of an invasive red alga species. 

Supervisor: Mungo Marsden

Supervisor: H.Swanson

Supervisor: Trevor Charles

Supervisor: R. Hall

Supervisor: B. McConkey

Supervisor: R. Rooney

Dissertation/Research Area:

Courtney is studying the effects of an invasive grass, Phragmites australis (European Common Reed), and large-scale herbicide-based restoration efforts on wetland communities and processes. Her work has a specific focus on plant community assembly, efficacy of restoration approaches, and secondary productivity (invertebrates) and at-risk bird species' (e.g. Barn Swallow) response to invaded, restored, and uninvaded habitat in Long Point, a World Biosphere Reserve.

Supervisors: Paul Craig 

Supervisor: M. Power & J. Witt

Supervisor: Brian Dixon

Supervisor: Trevor Charles

Supervisor: Hugh Broders

Supervisor: Hugh Broders

Dissertation/ Research Area:

I study the diversity and population genetics of bat ectoparasites, including bat fleas and mites. 

Supervisor: Roland Hall

Co-Supervisor: Brent Wolfe

Supervisor: K. Müller

Dissertation/ Research Area:

The presence of cyanobacteria within water samples taken from lakes within different ecozones in Canada that are used as drinking water sources. Using the cyanobacterial communities present, I help to determine the quality of water by detecting potential toxin producers as well as factors that could be influencing cyanobacteria growth and bloom formation. 

Supervisors: Zoya Leonenko & Michael Beazely

Supervisors: Heidi Swanson

Supervisor: Brian Dixon

Dissertation/ Research Area:

To determine how probiotics can be used to enhance the immune response of triploid Chinook salmon used in aquaculture against bacterial pathogens.

Supervisor: Roland Hall

Co-Supervisor: Brent Wolfe

Dissertation/ Research Area:

Studying the role of an upstream tributary involved with ice-jam flooding and it’s potential influence on hydrological changes in a northern Canadian delta. She analyzes lake sediment cores to help characterize the influence of upstream climate on the hydrology of the delta. 

Supervisor: Trevor Charles

Supervisor: Heidi Swanson

Supervisor: Roland Hall

Supervisor: Todd Holyoak