Education

• University of Saskatchewan

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

  Toxicology
  
  

• University of Saskatchewan

  Bachelor's degree

  Biochemistry
  
  

• University of Saskatchewan

  PhD Student

  
  Graduate student (Ph.D) – Drs. Paul Jones and Lorne Doig, Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan Using a variety of analytical and biomolecular approaches to reconstruct historic trends in organic inputs in the algal and cyanobacterial community composition in three Prairie reservoirs. - Planned research projects to study and reconstruct the quality of water in Prairie lakes exhibiting annual blooms of algae. I helped plan the sampling locations, collected samples, performed extractions and conducted analyses. - Wrote proposals and reports to grant agencies to apply for funding. - Liaised a group of experts of different disciplines to collaborate on data collection and characterization of sediment. - Took specialized courses on environmental risk assessment and Federal and Provincial environmental acts and regulations. - Reconstructed trends in fecal pollution, in a sediment core collected from Ross Lake, MB, through the identification and quantification of sterols and stanols using GC-MS and HR-GC-MS methodologies. - Reconstructed trends in the algal and cyanobacterial community from multiple sediment cores collected from Lake Diefenbaker, SK, using pigment biomarkers and HPLC-DAD instrumentation. - Investigated for the presence of cyanotoxins in sediment and water samples from Lake Diefenbaker using LC-MS/MS and Q-Exactive Orbitrap LC-MS methodologies. - Identified the fragmentation pathway for a group of saxitoxins (paralytic shellfish poisoning) using QTRAP and Q-exactive Orbitrap LC-MS methodologies. - Reconstructed trends in the cyanobacterial community using next-generation sequencing of the 16S and 23S rRNA genes from sediment cores collected from Lake Diefenbaker and Buffalo Pound Lake, SK. - Reconstructed trends in cyanobacterial toxin-producing genes (e.g. mcyA gene) from sediment cores collected from Lake Diefenbaker and Buffalo Pound Lake, SK. - Conducted whole genome sequencing on lake sediments.
  

• University of Saskatchewan

  Summer student

  
  Summer student – Dr. Lope Tabil, Department of Agriculture and Bioresource Engineering, University of Saskatchewan - General lab duties including cleaning and maintaining lab space and equipment. - Aided graduate student in method development and acid/base treatment of fibrous materials to determine lignin content.
  

• University of Saskatchewan

  Research Assistant (Contract Work)

  
  Contract work – Drs. Tim Jardine and Markus Hecker, Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan - Library preparation and 16S amplicon sequencing on DNA samples extracted from the digestive tract of fish exposed to a variety of chemicals.
  

• University of Saskatchewan

  Postdoctoral Fellow

  
  Postdoctoral Fellow – Dr. Martin Reaney, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan Using next-generation sequencing to investigate bacterial growth in wheat-based thin stillage to identify novel applications and recycling of this commercially valuable co-product from ethanol production. - Assist in writing technical reports for publication and providing advice for graduate students for platform and poster presentations. - Assist in writing grant proposals and report of innovation forms. - Upkeep of bacteria culture in thin stillage. - DNA extraction from bacteria cultured in thin stillage. - Conducting whole genome sequencing on bacteria cultured in thin stillage. - Conduct Bradford Protein Assays and SDS-PAGE to determine protein sizes from chickpea/aquafaba samples. - Training and supervising undergraduate students in protein extraction and analyses. - Assist graduate students in operating analytical instruments (e.g. HPLC-DAD/QTOFMS).
  

• University of Saskatchewan

  Summer student

  
  Summer student – Dr. Lorne Doig, Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan - Collection of fish from Fort McMurray using gill nets, euthanizing, identifying, and processing of collected fish, and subsequent excising of fish tissue and blood samples for dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyl analyses. - License to operate company boats and aiding in the collection of surface sediments using an Eckman grab sampler and collection and sectioning of sediment cores using a Glew Gravity Corer. - Developed methods for the sectioning and subsequent extraction of various environmental compounds from the collected sediment core. - Invertebrate husbandry – caring and maintaining daphnia, chironomid and algae cultures. - Assisted graduate students in water and tissue digestion for metal analysis. - Organized laboratory space and equipment maintenance.
  

• University of Saskatchewan

  Summer student

  
  Summer student – Dr. Markus Hecker, Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan - Participated in an environment assessment project commissioned by Teck and oversaw by the US-EPA. - Building and testing (e.g. flow rates and water distribution of man-made sprout fittings) of experimental aquarium apparatus. - Collection of sediment pore water, sediment surface water and surface overlying water for various analyses. - Hatching of lake sturgeon eggs and fish husbandry (e.g. feeding, cleaning, removal of sick or dead hatchlings. - Daily recordings of fish behavior and deformities. - Determination of LC50 through an exposure study of trout and lake sturgeon exposed to various metals (e.g. copper) - Euthanizing and processing fish samples after completed exposure experiments. - Tissue and sediment digestions for trace metal analysis. - Some basic biomolecular work (e.g. PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis). - Fish and amphibian husbandry – caring and maintaining medaka, fatheaded minnows, white sturgeon, rainbow trout, and African-clawed frogs.