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Research: My research focuses on the biodegradation of Crude and Marine Diesel Oil in the Great Lakes near Sault St Marie. I am interested in assessing the natural capabilities of bacteria to biodegrade oil under natural conditions and controlled conditions, seeing which hydrocarbons are degraded with biodegradation, as well as looking at which microbial communities are capable of degrading such hydrocarbons.

Research: My research focuses on the spatial distribution of small microplastics in Bay d'Espoir (NL) as well as on microplastic sinking in our oceans.

Research: My research focuses on coastal ocean dynamics in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. I am interested in investigating possible indicators of change within Canada’s coastal boreal ecosystems, and exploring the contributions of different sizes of phytoplankton to baseline ecosystem function.

Research: My research focuses on understanding the origins of pelagic sinking particles in the Labrador Sea, to reduce uncertainties around the Biological Carbon Pump. Co-supervised by Dr. Chris Parrish, I analyze lipids and fatty acid biomarkers in sinking particle samples collected using marine snow catcher and sediment trap. I am interested in the community composition within these particles, the lipid classes and fatty acids that remain intact or degrade during sinking, and how these characteristics vary seasonally.

Research: My research focuses on the vertical flux of microplastics and the interannual variability in microplastic composition the Bay d’Espoir, NL. I will be using a combination of field samples and a roller tank experiment to observe the incorporation rate of microplastics into marine snow and the potential sources for microplastics distribution in the local bay.