University of Manitoba - Environment and Geography - Current E&G Graduate Students
Current E&G Graduate Students


Ph.D. Students


Elvis Asihene, Ph.D., Treasurer of E&G GSA
asihenee@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Dustin Isleifson, Dr. Colin Gilmore
Thesis topic: Remote sensing techniques to detect and characterize oil spills in the Arctic sea ice
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Atreya Basu, Ph.D.
basua@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Jens Ehn, Dr. Simon Bélanger
Thesis topic: Optical oceanography, in satellite and in-situ based remote sensing approaches, to study the water optical constituents (SPM and CDOM) in relation to the aquatic environment.
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David Babb, Ph.D.
david.babb@umanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Ryan Galley, Dr. David Barber
Thesis topic: Sea Ice Transport in the Beaufort Gyre
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Naomi Beingessner, Ph.D.
beingesn@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Jonathan Peyton, Dr. Annette Desmarais
Thesis topic: Beyond private and public: models of agricultural grazing land tenure and access in the Prairie provinces


Tonya Burgers, Ph.D.
burgertm@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Tim Papakyriakou
Thesis topic: The marine carbon cycle in Baffin Bay and Nares Strait, including specific biogeochemical processes that affect the cycling of inorganic carbon
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Veronica Coppolaro, Ph.D.
coppolav@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. David Barber, Dr. Marianne Marcoux
Thesis topic: Passive acoustic monitoring of Arctic marine mammals and influence of human activities and a changing Arctic on their populations and habitat use
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Enoil de Souza Júnior, Ph.D.
enoil@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. David Barber
Thesis topic: Arctic warming and its possible linkages to low-latitudes
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Durell Desmond, Ph.D.
umdesmod@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Gary Stern, Dr. Dustin Isleifson, Dr. David Barber
Thesis topic: Remote sensing detection and mitigation of oil in sea ice
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Aura Diaz, Ph.D.
umdiaza@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Jens Ehn, Dr. Tim Papakyriakou
Thesis topic: Study and characterization of the processes that can slow or fast-track sea ice melt progression
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Brock Edwards, Ph.D, Faculty Rep. of E&G GSA
brock.edwards@umanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Feiyue Wang, Dr. Peter Outridge
Thesis topic: Investigating volcanic and geothermal mercury emissions in Iceland
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Zhiyuan (Jeff) Gao, Ph.D.
gaoz3459@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Feiyue Wang
Thesis topic: Interactions between mercury species and organic compounds
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Laura Gasque, Ph.D.
gasquel@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Mark Hanson, Dr. Markus Hecker
Thesis topic: Risk assessment of legacy contaminated sites: Bioassay-driven analysis of complex mixtures in fish


Kaushik Gupta, Ph.D.
Guptak1@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Jens Ehn, Dr. David Barber
Thesis topic: Coastal oceanography and remote sensing
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Satwant Kaur, Ph.D.
kaurs34@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Jens Ehn, Dr. David Barber
Thesis topic: Hemispheric scale winter sea ice drift speeds and patterns, the role of wind and sea level pressure patterns in driving sea ice
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Heather Kyle, Ph.D.
umkyleh@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Feiyue Wang
Thesis topic: The use of stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope fractionation to characterize changes to sea ice growth rates in the Arctic Ocean with increased freshwater input
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Lisa Matthes, Ph.D.
matthesl@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. CJ Mundy, Dr. Jens Ehn
Thesis topic: Light propagation in ice-covered environments: Seasonal progressions and biological implications
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Kimberly Ovitz, Ph.D.
ovitzk@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Loseto
Thesis topic: The co-interpretation of spatial data by traditional knowledge holders and western scientists to facilitate the co-production of new knowledge on beluga movement ecology in the Beaufort Sea under a changing climate
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Chris Peck, Ph.D.
peckc@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Jens Ehn, Dr. Zou Zou Kuzyk
Thesis topic: The concentration of suspended sediment and its potential impacts on declining eelgrass beds in various locations across the Hudson Bay
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Kasia Polcwiartek, Ph.D.
polcwika@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Feiyue Wang, Dr. Gary Stern
Thesis topic: Interphase partitioning and fate of petrogenic PAHs and BTEX in sea ice following oil spills
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Luke Storrie, Ph.D.
storriel@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. David Barber, Dr. Lisa Loseto
Thesis topic: Impacts of climate change on Beaufort Sea beluga whales, using satellite telemetry data to learn about their dive behavior and habitat use
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Enooyaq Sudlovenick, Ph.D.
sudlovee@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Loseto
Thesis topic: Looking at the health of marine mammals through pathology and exposure to pollutants, impacts on human health, incorporated with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) through project ideas, methodological approaches, and interpretation
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Esty Willcox, Ph.D., Department Rep. of E&G GSA
willcoxe@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Søren Rysgaard, Dr. Ryan Galley
Thesis topic: How solutes in the sea ice-brine system (gases, salts, nutrients) vary with changes in initial conditions and freezing regime
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Kedong Zhang, Ph.D.
zhangk10@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Feiyue Wang
Thesis topic: Oil spill response in the Arctic, especially the cryospheric photochemistry in the ice-infested environment
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Master's Students


Emma Ausen, M.Sc.
ausene@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. David Barber, Dr. Marianne Marcoux
Thesis topic: Western Hudson Bay beluga whales and their habitat in the Churchill, Nelson and Seal Rivers in MB, using GIS to find habitat correlations from aerial photo
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Neal Bailey, M.Sc.
baileyn@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Feiyue Wang
Thesis topic: Contaminants, especially toxicants such as cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury, and their roles in biogeophysical processes, specifically the capacity of Saharan dust to transport mercury, with a focus on the relation between magnitude of transport and particle size
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Hannah Bihun, M.A.
umbihunh@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Annette Desmarais, Dr. Jonathan Peyton
Thesis topic: Land Grabs on the Prairies? Investigating farmland access and ownership in Manitoba, Canada


Katarina Djordjevic, M.Env.
djordjek@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Peyton
Thesis topic: Manitoba’s Hydrological Landscape: Encountering Settler Colonialism in Energy Development


William Dowie,  M.Env.
umdowie@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. John Sinclair, Dr. Rick Baydack
Thesis topic: Residential-scale ecological design: helping the urban realm move towards greater sustainability, resilience, and regeneration.
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Rebecca Eldridge, M.Sc.
eldridgr@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Mark Hanson, Dr. Benjamin de Jourdan
Thesis topic: Optimizing Culture Conditions and Developing Standard Methods for Conducting Toxicity Tests with Arctic Algae


Agoston Fischer, M.Sc., President of E&G GSA
fischer5@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. David Barber
Thesis topic: Observing the optical properties of water across a continuum of salinity gradients (freshwater-brackish-marine) in Manitoba through remote sensing and in-situ sampling 
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Kari Green, M.Sc.
greenk37@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Eric Collins
Thesis topic: My current research interests are focused on microbial ecology in extreme environments. Using a large metagenomic dataset, my research investigates the characterization, distribution, and function of archaea in Arctic ecosystems


Alessia Guzzi, M.Sc.
guzzia@myumanitoba.ca

Supervisors: Dr. Zou Zou Kuzyk, Dr. Jens Ehn

Thesis topic: Freshwater distribution and biogeochemical cycling of nutrients through coastal James Bay and Hudson Bay (northwest and southeast) regions
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Braedon Humeniuk, M.Sc.
humeniub@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors:
Dr. Mark Hanson, Dr. Jose Luis Rodriguez-Gil
Thesis topic: The current state of salinity and salinization in Manitoban surface waters, and an assessment of the strength and relevance of freshwater salinity toxicity data for the purposes of ecological risk assessment.


Heather Jovanovic, M.Sc.
jovanovh@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Jose Luis Rodriguez-Gil, Dr. Mark Hanson
Thesis topic: Investigating the fate and effects of pharmaceuticals in freshwater ecosystems, focusing specifically on the mixture toxicity of common antidepressant and antipsychotic medications


Rebecca Kingdon, M.Env.
kingdonr@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Stephane McLachlan
Thesis topic: Exploring International Alliances as a Tool for Community Resistance to Resource Extraction 


Elizabeth Kitching, M.Sc.
Supervisors: Dr. C.J. Mundy, Dr. Christine Michel
Thesis topic: Primary production of the marine system surrounding Southampton Island, Nunavut
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Ainsleigh Loria, M.Sc.
loriaa@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Feiyue Wang

Thesis topic: Characterization of mercury in historical silver refining tailings in the Guanajuato region in Mexico
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Brett MacDonald, M.Env.
macdon84@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Rick Baydack
Thesis topic: The Potential Impacts of Emerald Ash Borer in Winnipeg


Alexandra Mayette, M.Sc., Secretary of E&G GSA
mayettea@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Loseto
Thesis topic: Social organization and distribution patterns of the Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga population, using aerial photos and TEK
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Aurélie Noel, M.Sc.
noela@myumanitoba.ca

Supervisor: Dr. Lisa Loseto
Thesis topic: Environmental drivers determining beluga habitat in the Mackenzie Estuary, Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories
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McKenzie Perry, M.Sc.
perryk1@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Mark Hanson, Dr. Scott Higgins
Thesis topic: Freshwater zooplankton and algal response to secondary shoreline remediation methods on an oil-impacted Boreal lake


Katelyn Rodgers, M.Sc.
rodgersk@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. David Barber, Dr. Greg McCullough
Thesis topic: Annual and seasonal changes in nutrient loading and runoff in Swan and Woody Rivers (Lake Winnipegosis Watershed)
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Patricia S. Montalvo-Rodriguez, M.Sc., Vice President of E&G GSA
montalvp@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Eric Collins
Thesis topic: Microbial communities in the Arctic and their ecosystem contributions and changes due to changes in the environment
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Nolan Snyder, M.Sc.
snydern1@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Gary Stern
Thesis topic: Organic chemistry, hydrocarbon degradation, and chemical oceanography, specifically the remediation of oil in sea ice
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Adam Scott, M.Sc.
scotta39@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Mark Hanson, Dr. Jose Luis Rodriguez-Gil
Thesis topic: Effects of Oil Spills on Amphibian species in Canada, specifically looking at effects on Wood Frog development in a freshwater ecosystem


Tanjina Tahsin, M.Env.
tahsint@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Stephane Mclachlan
Thesis topic: Land-Based Learning: Building bridge between traditional knowledge and western science.


Emily Thoroski, M.Env.
thoroske@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. Rick Baydack

Thesis topic: Using Media Tools to Promote Science and to help to Educate the Public on Environmental Conservation 


Leanna Wiebe, M.Env.
fehrl3@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Rick Baydack
Thesis topic: Socioeconomic drivers and barriers influencing implementation of water retention and wetland conservation projects: Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives in the Swan Lake Watershed


Kiran Yendamuri, M.Sc.
yendamuk@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisors: Dr. C.J. Mundy, Dr. Julienne Stroeve
Thesis topic: Determining primary production timing and magnitude in the Canadian Arctic and Subarctic using multi-year oceanographic mooring and satellite data


Kate Yezhova, M.Sc.
yezhovay@myumanitoba.ca
Supervisor: Dr. Tim Papakyriakou
Thesis topic: Assessment of Ocean Acidification for the Southampton Island Region