Our people

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: 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: 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: K. Ma

Supervisor: A. Doxey

Supervisor: K. Müller

Supervisor: T. Charles

Supervisor: Julie Messier

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.

Supervisors: Todd Holyoak

Supervisor: J. Neufeld

Supervisor: Rebecca Rooney

Supervisors: A. Doxey / J. Neufeld 

Supervisors: H. Swanson

Dissertation/Research Area: 

Tara is studying the sources of variability affecting fish omega-3 fatty acid profiles in freshwater lakes. Her work is part of the Northern Water Futures project and will be carried out in the Dehcho region of the Northwest Territories. 

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: David Spafford

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

Supervisors: Paul Craig

Supervisor: Kirsten Müller & Monica Emelko

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:  Moira Glerum & Andrew Doxey

Dissertation/Research Area:

My project involves investigating the origins of proteins involved in mitochondrial diseases. I'm using a bioinformatics based approach to try to demonstrate that these proteins have additional functions outside of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. 

Supervisor: T. Charles

Dissertation/Research Area:

Maya is studying global regulation in Sinorhizobium meliloti in response to environmental conditions. Her research is specifically focused on the production of polyhydroxybutyrate and how its regulation is connected to regulation of other cell systems.

Supervisor: B. Duncker

Supervisor:  Rebecca C. Rooney

Contact for: Dixon Research Group

Supervisor: M. Marsden

Supervisor: Barb Katzenback

Dissertation/Research Area:

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

Supervisor: H. Swanson

Dissertation/Research Area:

Jared is studying how anthropogenic processes influence lower trophic productivity and fish habitat use in Nunavut's Kivalliq region, near the community of Baker Lake. Jared's research is in partnership with Agnico Eagle Mines Limited.

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: S. Lolle

Supervisor: D. Rose

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

Supervisor: Roland Hall

Supervisors: B. McConkey & J. Neufeld

Supervisor: H. Broders 

Supervisor: B. Dixon

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

Supervisors: K. Müller & J. Witt

Supervisor: M. Servos

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: Paul Craig

Supervisor: P. Craig

Contact for: Hug Research Group

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: Heidi Swanson

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: 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.

Supervisors:  T. Charles & P. Chou

Supervisor: K. Ma

Supervisor: R. Rooney

Supervisor: K. Müller

Supervisor: Bernard Duncker

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: R. Rooney

Supervisor: Dale Martin

Supervisor: Z. Leonenko

Supervisor: A. Doxey

Dissertation/Research Area:

Briallen is exploring metagenomic protein annotations to see if differing annotation techniques can increase the functional information available for remote homologs. She is also working on creating a prioritization scheme for functional characterization of domains of unknown function.

Supervisor: B. McConkey

Supervisor: A. Doxey

Supervisor: J. Neufeld

Supervisor: T. Holyoak

Supervisor: Heidi Swanson

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

Supervisor: R. Hall

Supervisor: Brian Dixon

Supervisor: H. Swanson

Supervisor: S. Chuong & M. Smith (WLU)

Supervisor: D. Rose

Dissertation/Research Area:

Nardo's work focuses on protein expression using Eukaryotic systems, evaluation of enzymatic activity and substrate specificity as well as inhibition. 

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: B. Reed

Supervisor: Mark Servos

Dissertation/Research Area: 

The aim of Kirsten's project is to examine various reproductive endpoints in rainbow darter in order to understand the effects of wastewater exposure and wastewater treatment plant upgrades in the Grand River. Kirsten is interested in multiple levels of biological organization, including gene expression, steroid production and intersex severity.

Supervisor:  Kirsten Müller

Supervisor: S. Chuong & M. Smith (WLU)

Supervisor: Hugh Broders

Dissertation/Research Area:

Lori is studying Nova Scotia bats by conducting a pre- to post-introduction White-nose syndrome study of the summer breeding population using ultrasonic acoustic monitors.

Supervisor: K. Müller & A. Doxey

Dissertation/Research Area:

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

Supervisor: R. Rooney

Supervisor: Kesen Ma

Supervisors: Mark Servos and Rebecca Rooney

Dissertation/Research Area: 

Hillary is studying changes in the trophic ecology of young-of-the-year walleye in the southern Grand River, Ontario, using stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon. She is also working toward identifying priority spawning habitat using acoustic telemetry. 

Supervisor: Trevor Charles

Supervisor: R. Hall & B. Wolfe (WLU)

Supervisors: R. Rooney 

Dissertation/Research Area:

Jordan is studying how anthropogenic disturbance affects avian community composition in peatland ecosystems.

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.

Supervisor: M. Power & J. Witt

Supervisor: Brian Dixon

Supervisor: R. Rooney

Supervisor: Hugh Broders

Dissertation/ Research Area:

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

Supervisor: Roland Hall