Marcel Pinheiro

Dr. Marcel Pinheiro's focus is zoology of the invertebrates, primarily benthic invertebrates and those that carry out a parasitic lifestyle. His undergraduate teaching focuses on exposing students to the diversity of eukaryotes, both single- and multi-celled, and striving to provide students with the chance to encounter these organisms in the field. Further, Dr. Pinheiro utilizes various technologies to enhance student engagement and writing in his classroom – at all years of study.

Dr. Pinheiro is currently not active in research, but serves on graduate student advisory committees, and regularly provides peer review for several journals. Dr. Pinheiro's past research centred on the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, used as a tool for toxicology, in interactions with bacterial and animal viruses, and how these organisms may function as parasites of fish.

• Parasitology

• Invertebrate Zoology

• Diversity of the ciliates

• Technology to enhance student engagement

• 2013 Ph.D. Biology, University of Waterloo, Canada

• 2007 M.Sc. Biology, University of Waterloo, Canada

• 2005 B.Sc. Biology, University of Waterloo, Canada

• 2016 Jack Carlson Biology Department Teaching Excellence Award

• 2016 Outstanding Performance Award

• 2015 Completed the UW Centre for Teaching Excellence Instructional Skills Workshop

• 2014 Completed the UW Centre for Teaching Excellence Academy

• 2012 Graduate Student Seminar Best Speaker Award

• 2012 Doctoral Completion Award, University of Waterloo

• 2010 George G. Holz, Jr. and Robert L. Conner Travel Award, International Society of Protistology

• 2009 Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship, NSERC

• 2008 Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology

• 2008 Best student platform presentation, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Laurentian Chapter

• 2007 Dean of Science Award, University of Waterloo

• 2005 Best student poster presentation, Aquatic Toxicology Workshop

• International Society of Protistologists

• Canadian Society of Zoologists

• American Society for Parasitologists

• BIOL 110 - Introductory Zoology
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025
• BIOL 165 - Diversity of Life
  • Taught in 2020, 2022, 2023
• BIOL 240 - Fundamentals of Microbiology
  • Taught in 2024
• BIOL 241 - Introduction to Applied Microbiology
  • Taught in 2020
• BIOL 273 - Principles of Human Physiology 1
  • Taught in 2021
• BIOL 310 - Invertebrate Zoology
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• BIOL 414 - Parasitology
  • Taught in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• BIOL 490A - Biology Field Course 1
  • Taught in 2023, 2024, 2025
• BIOL 490B - Biology Field Course 2
  • Taught in 2023, 2024, 2025
• NE 281 - Biology for Nanotechnology Engineers
  • Taught in 2024

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Pinheiro, M.D.O. and Bols, N.C. (2015) Some but not all Tetrahymena species destroy monolayer cultures of cells from a wide range of tissues and species. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 62(5):605-613. Doi:10.1111/jeu.12214

• Pinheiro, M.D.O. and Bols, N.C. (2014) Delineating cellular interaction between ciliates and fish by co-culturing Tetrahymena thermophila with fish cells. Cell Biology International, 38(10):1138-1147. DOI: 10.1002/cbin.10310

• Pinheiro, M.D.O. and Bols, N.C. (2013) Use of cell cultures to study the interactions of ciliates with fish. Springer Science Reviews, 1:95-113. doi:10.1007/s40362-013-0008-5

• Pinheiro, M.D.O., Yu, X., Zhao, Y., and Bols, N.C. (2014) Survival and growth of Tetrahymena thermophila in media that are conventionally used for piscine and mammalian cells. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 61(1):17-26. doi:10.1111/jeu.12082

• St Denis, C.H., Pinheiro, M.D.O., Power, M.E., and Bols, N.C. (2010) Effect of salt and urban water samples on bacterivory by the ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila. Environmental Pollution 158: 502-507.

• Please see Marcel Pinheiro's Google Scholar profile for a current list of his/her peer-reviewed articles: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=BWpoorEAAAAJ&hl=en

• March 19, 2014 Using ePortfolios to promote writing skills in a first year biology class