Andrew Scott

I have been employed in the Xenopoulos Lab for 4 years. I completed my undergraduate degree in Nova Scotia at Acadia University in Environmental Science. After leaving the East Coast and travelling a bit of Europe I started working in the Xenopoulos lab as a research assistant. I started focusing on denitrification (MIMS) , pigment separation (HPLC) and fungal biomass estimation (HPLC). I took over as Lab Manager in May 2008. I have been working on various projects including: Urban Ponds, Nano Materials, Agricultural Land Use, Kawartha Lakes Algae and Lake Simcoe.
In my free time I like to keep busy in and around Peterborough playing sports, music and enjoying the great outdoors.

Clayton Williams
I am an aquatic biogeochemical ecologist with backgrounds in microbial ecology, stable isotope chemistry, and lipid chemistry. My research interests are diverse, but generally revolve around processes that influence how organic matter is produced, consumed, and cycled within, buried, and/or transported from aquatic ecosystems. My doctoral dissertation research investigated bacterial carbon cycling in a seagrass estuary with a recent history of phytoplankton blooms and seagrass canopy loss. Currently at Trent University, I identify different components of stream organic matter and investigate organic matter use in stream ecosystems. Human land-use and watershed characteristics are important influences on stream ecosystem structure and function. However, the influence of the terrestrial landscape on organic matter quality and nutrient cycling is not understood well in streams. My research betters our understanding of organic matter availability, quality, and microbial use in streams encompassed by differing land-use and human impact. Specific Interests: bacterial metabolism, extracellular enzymes, fatty acids, compound-specific stable isotopes, microbial food webs, benthic-pelagic interactions, and aquatic nutrient and carbon cycling

Emily Porter-Goff

I completed my PhD at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2010, researching stream periphyton community dynamics under varying natural and anthropogenic factors. I am working on a couple different projects in the Xenopoulos and Frost Labs here at Trent University as a postdoctoral fellow. I am broadly interested in the influence of anthropogenic stressors on benthic algal communities. I am part of the outreach for the Kawartha Lakes cottagers to foster a better understanding of the algae in the lakes and how to keep a healthy and natural algal community. I also study the Lake Simcoe watershed and the effect of salt and sand road deicers on stream and lake communities. Salinization of inland waters is becoming an increasing threat to our freshwater resources. Understanding the tolerance threshold of the ecosystem is essential for establishing regulation on the use of deicers in sensitive watersheds. My research aims to establish early indicators of stress on primary trophic levels.

I'm currently working on my Ph.D. thesis with Dr. Chris Metcalfe and Dr. Maggie Xenopoulos. Our lab is currently working with titanium dioxide and silver nanomaterials. I am interested in questions concerning the bioavailability, bioaccumulation, elimination, acute and chronic physiological effects in aquatic organisms, as well as the ability of nanomaterials to act as vectors for common pollutants. Since my past full time work (2001-2005) and MSc thesis (2005-2008) here at Trent, my research has focused on the chronic effects of pesticides on amphibian development, and thus my specialties lie in chronic toxicology, developmental biology, histology, genetics, and amphibians. Through this current project, I hope to build upon my current experience to include food web studies (fish and daphnia), immunohistochemistry, gene expression, and SEM; while broadening my knowledge in the field of geochemistry of natural waters.

When I am not in the lab you can find me continuing my search for answers while teaching, debating in the pub, relaxing at home with friends and family, or spinning on skinny tires….

Mallory Nadon

My research interests include limnology, aquatic ecology, and the conservation of these dynamic ecosystems. My M.Sc thesis will be investigating the alteration of flow regimes that are related to the construction of dams and waterpower facilities in Northern Ontario, and how these alterations effect the ecological condition of river systems. I am also interested in developing indicators to explain relationships between flow alterations and ecological conditions. I will be co-supervised by Dr. Robert Metcalfe and Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos.

I graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2011 after receiving my B.Sc in Honours Science. I am very passionate about environmental issues and conservation management, and the majority of my undergraduate degree focused on ecology and evolutionary biology. I also grew up in a small town in Northern Ontario called Nakina, which has allowed me to develop an appreciation for the environment around us, and care for the sustainability and diversity of similar habitats.

Lisa Graham

My MSc. research project will likely look at the impacts of agricultural runoff in streams using carbon isotope analysis in order to understand chemical pathways and their effects on the ecosystem. My undergraduate research took place at the University of Guelph in the Environmental Sciences program. Through co-op experience working with aquatic systems I became interested in ecological monitoring in rivers and lakes. In my free time I enjoy music, dancing spending time outdoors, and yoga.

Katelyn Doughty

I am entering my fourth year at Trent University, studing biology, as well as environmental and resource science. I am particularly interested in aquatic ecosystems; specifically nutrient cycling, interactions between various organisms, and the effects of anthropogenic sources. In the Xenopoulos lab, I am excited to be helping Marisha with her urban pond study, as well as other various projects conducted by this lab. During my spare time, I enjoy being outside, biking, and playing rugby.

Under Graduate NSERC-USRA Recipients Back To Top

Myra Juckers

I am an undergraduate student at Trent University working towards a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental and Resource Science. During my university experience I have developed an interest in the restoration and conservation of ecosystems. I am currently working in the Aquatic Ecology Lab run by Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos and I am studying the impacts of different landuses on nutrient flux within streams, with a particular focus on the influence of urban landuse on nitrogen cycling."