Research Interests
Shari’s MSc research investigated the legacy of dioxin contamination in sediments and fish downstream of bleached kraft pulp mills in northern Ontario. Her work focused primarily on Jackfish Bay near Terrace Bay, where pulp mill effluent effects on white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) populations had been studied since the late 1980s, as well as the Mattagami River near Smooth Rock Falls.
Using historical monitoring datasets together with sediment and fish samples collected in 2011 and 2012, she examined how major process changes in pulp mill bleaching sequences influenced dioxin contamination over time. The research tracked declines in polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in fish tissues and sediments following reductions in elemental chlorine bleaching and implementation of improved treatment processes.
Her work demonstrated substantial recovery of aquatic ecosystems associated with these receiving environments, while also highlighting the persistence of trace contamination in some depositional sediments and the importance of historical contaminant sources in influencing long-term exposure in aquatic systems.
In 2014, Shari’s MSc research received the Dr. Richard C. Playle Award for Outstanding Thesis in Ecotoxicology at the Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop (CEW).
Shari currently works with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
