megan jordan

Megan Jordan

Research Assistant


I completed my Master's degree in the Waterloo Wetland Lab from 2020-2022, focusing on the impacts of water levels on native wetland plant restoration following herbicide application in Lake Erie Coatsal Wetlands. I am now working behind the scenes on many projects in the lab, helping everyting run smoothly.

Claire Schon

Claire Schon

MSc. Student

Invasive Phragmites australis is a threat to wetland biodiversity and integrity across North America. My project is investigating the use of insect-based biological control for suppression of invasive Phragmites australis using two stem-boring moths. My research is part of the broader pilot program in North America for the biological control of invasive P.

Catriona Leven

Catriona Leven

MSc. Student

I’m researching the impacts of beaver dams on wetlands in the Columbia Valley in BC, looking at how the presence of beaver dams and the characteristics of those dams affects the characteristics of wetlands and their use by migratory and breeding birds.

Estella Crosby

Undergraduate Thesis Student

My project is determining whether the removal of the invasive plant, Phragmites australis, with herbicides is enough to restore the amount of edible material (roots, shoots and tubers) to a wetland ecosystem. This research will help to determine how large scale restoration of wetlands invaded with non-native species will be carried out.

Émilie Montreuil Strub

Émilie Montreuil Strub

MSc. Student

Microplastics are one the most abundant forms of aquatic pollution in the world today, with studies indicating that every level of the food web interacts with this manmade contaminant. My research focuses on how freshwater invertebrates are affected by microplastics and how they, in turn, may affect microplastics in the environment.

Grace Lew-Kowal

Grace Lew-Kowal

MSc. Student

In my research, I investigate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) or “drones” as a method to apply herbicide to treat invasive Phragmites australis in wetland environments. My project uses a combination of field collected data and remote sensing techniques to assess the efficacy and accuracy of this application method.

Rachel McNamee

Rachel McNamee

PhD. Candidate

I am investigating the fate and effects of microplastics on freshwater algae. My research involves intensive field work during the spring and summer months at the Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), as part of a multi-disciplinary collaborative project known as PELAstics.

Jersey standing behind a marsh organ experiment

Jersey Fontz

PhD. Candidate

My project involves using trait-based ecology to promote the active restoration of Long Point wetlands after the removal of invasive Phragmites australis. I’m hoping to help the native seed bank by creating and adding seeding prescriptions onto them to bolster their natural biotic resistance against P. australis.

Gab Izma

Gab Izma

PhD. Candidate

Urban stormwater ponds can simultaneously harbour incredible biological diversity and heavy contaminant loads, but are largely neglected by water monitoring and ecological assessment efforts. My research will help to develop a new and biologically-relevant tool for detecting the presence and concentration of pollutants in stormwater using biofilm (a.k.a.