Research Interests
Patrick first joined the lab in 2019 as a co-op student, where he contributed to aquatic ecology, ecotoxicology, and eDNA projects, including field campaigns such as boat-based electrofishing for walleye and laboratory work on histological analysis of rainbow darter gonads. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a key role in helping establish the initial methods for measuring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. This early involvement sparked his interest in wastewater-based surveillance and ultimately led him to pursue MSc research in the area. He contributed to COVID-19 wastewater surveillance and went on to complete a range of research roles across the group.
After completing his MSc, he worked in the lab as a eDNA/field technician. He was heavily involved in planning and organizing field campaigns, ensuring equipment and sampling gear were prepared and operational, deploying and retrieving data loggers, and managing field data. He also played a key role in maintaining and coordinating Global Water Futures Observatories (GWFO) equipment, ensuring field gear was functional, organized, and ready for deployment, and training others in its use.
MSc (Graduated Mar 2023)
Patrick completed his MSc research on the partitioning behaviour of SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater as part of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) for COVID-19. His work focused on how viral RNA distributes between liquid and solid fractions of wastewater and how different analytical approaches influence interpretation of surveillance data. He investigated a range of sample processing methods, including centrifugation under varying conditions, polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation followed by centrifugation, and ultrafiltration, to evaluate their effects on SARS-CoV-2 RNA recovery and partitioning. His research also included comparisons with endogenous markers (PMMoV) and coronavirus surrogates to better understand methodological consistency and support interpretation of wastewater surveillance results.
Publications
A list of Patrick's publications can be found on his Google Scholar profile.