Indigenous STEM Mentorship Program

The Indigenous mentorship program has been developed to give First Nation, Inuit and Métis undergraduate students in any STEM program at the University of Guelph the opportunity for one-on-one mentorship with faculty in science and engineering. This program is open to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students in all years of study.

Two women in conversation with a laptop on the table in front of them.

Benefits of Mentorship

  • Widening your community of support at U of G
  • Valuable academic advice
  • Skill development
  • Networking in STEM
  • Graduate school and career wayfinding support

Connecting with a Mentor

  • Review the information below about the faculty's research interests to find a mentor to connect with.
  • Email the faculty member directly with the subject line "Indigenous Mentorship Program request."
  • With your mentor, you can decide how often you meet and what you would like to explore. 
  • For questions, or for assistance in contacting the participating faculty, please contact the
    program coordinator, Dr. Melissa Perreault, at perreaum@uoguelph.ca.

Faculty Mentors

For more information about the participating faculty's research interests, and contact information, click their name below. 

Human Health and Nutritional Sciences

My expertise lies in interdisciplinary food-nutrition research and I have particular interest in topics related to dietary lipids and health. For example, my students and I apply in vitro digestion methods and human clinical trials to define the contributions of triacylglycerol physical properties to postprandial metabolism. In my role as Director of the Human Nutraceutical Research Unit, I facilitate human studies to support evidence-based foods and natural health products. This complements my teaching within the Nutritional & Nutraceutical Sciences degree.

Email Dr. Wright at amanda.wright@uoguelph.ca.

Lindsay Robinson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph. Her academic training includes a B.Sc. (Honours) in Biology from Acadia University and a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Metabolism from the University of Alberta. Following this, she held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Guelph and was a visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at the Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre in Denmark. Dr. Robinson teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the biological concepts of health, nutritional science and exercise physiology/metabolism. Her research program is focused on the modulation and function of inflammatory proteins secreted from adipose tissue and/or skeletal muscle with an emphasis on the mechanisms by which bioactive nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, and/or exercise modulate immune and inflammatory processes in obesity. Dr. Robinson has trained many highly qualified personnel, including undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.

Email Dr. Robinson at lrobinso@uoguelph.ca.

Proper blood flow to tissues in critical to tissue health. My main research focus centres around how blood flow delivery to tissues is controlled, especially when the demands of the tissues change. We currently use skeletal muscle as a model and microscopy (and more recently immunohistochemistry) to investigate how cells of the tissue (contracting skeletal muscle cells) can communicate with blood vessels in order to ensure adequate blood flow to the working skeletal muscle cells during contraction. This type of communication requires that active skeletal muscle cells communicate their need for blood flow to the cells of the vasculature, endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells, and that these cells alter their function in order to ensure the proper blood flow delivery. I am interested in this intercellular communication.

Email Dr. Murrant at cmurrant@uoguelph.ca.


Integrative Biology

Christina (Chris) Caruso is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology. She is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist who is currently studying how plants evolve in response to global declines in insect pollinators. For more information on her research and lab group see www.christinamariecaruso.com.

Email Dr Caruso at carusoc@uoguelph.ca.

I am an evolutionary biologist with a particular focus on the large-scale evolution of genomes. This includes studies of genome size -- the total amount of DNA in the genomes of different species, which varies more than 7,000-fold among animals. My students and I are interested in how and why genome sizes vary so much across taxa and what the significance of this diversity is for features such as cell size, body size, metabolism, and development. We are also interested in the components that make up genomes, especially “junk DNA” and transposable elements (DNA sequences that can move in the genome and insert copies of themselves). My students and I also study multiplications of the genome in certain tissues, a process known as endopolyploidy. In addition, I am currently Chair of the Department of Integrative Biology and interested in topics around academic leadership.

Email Dr. Gregory at rgregory@uoguelph.ca.

Work in my lab is focused on the vertebrate heart and how it is affected by physiological and environmental stressors. This work involves a number of different species and stressors. These include Pacific salmon and crude oil, Alligators/turtles/hagfish with low oxygen, and trout with temperature change. We use a variety of molecular, proteomic, and physiological approaches to characterize how cardiac function is affected and to determine how these changes translate to whole animal responses. This work is providing fundamental insight into the capacity of the heart to respond to stressors and of the impact of climate change and environmental pollution on the health and survival of wild animal populations.

Email Dr. Gillis at tgillis@uoguelph.ca.

Prof McCann is an aquatic ecologist that studies the role of biological structure in mediating the sustainability and functioning of whole ecosystems. His research has played a leading role in understanding how species interaction strengths mediate the stable functioning of ecosystems. His lab is currently focusing his attention on sustainability under global change, working in global change areas including fisheries, agro-ecosystems, the human microbiome, and global food production.

Email Dr. McCann at ksmccann@uoguelph.ca.

 

My interests cross disciplinary lines as I try to find solutions to problems that affect the natural world, including the people in it. Some times my work takes me to seabird colonies where climate change is affecting the reproduction of birds. Other times, I'm working in communities, both in Guelph, or elsewhere to help figure out how we can live in a more sustainable way. I enjoy blurring the lines across disciplines to figure out what we can learn and how we can bring that knowledge together to make positive change.

Email Dr. Jacobs at sjacob04@uoguelph.ca.

 

Ryan Norris is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and the Weston Family Senior Scientist for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. His research focuses on the ecology and conservation of threatened species, with an emphasis on birds and butterflies. Research in his lab takes pace in a variety of ecosystems across Canada and internationally.

Email Dr. Norris at rnorris@uoguelph.ca.

 

I am integrative ecophysiologist and study the long-term effects of environmental stress on development, behaviour, physiology and fitness of wildlife. I am especially interested in how environmental change and landscape modification can impact stress responses in animals ranging from birds to butterflies to small mammals, and how these insights may apply to understanding stress and human health.

Email Dr. Newman at newman01@uoguelph.ca.

 

The Mason lab uses behaviour and physiology to investigate animal welfare. The research questions we are interested in include: How can we use science to assess how animals feel? What does it mean to live a good life? And how can housing conditions for lab, farm and zoo animals be improved? (See www.masonabwlab.wordpress.com.

Email Dr. Mason at gmason@uoguelph.ca.

 


Molecular and Cellular Biology

Dr. Geddes-McAlister’s research group explores the intricate relationship between hosts and pathogens during infection using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry-based proteomics. We aim to learn how the host protects itself from disease and how the pathogen circumvents such a defense response to support a successful infection. With this information, we uncover new opportunities to interfere with the interactions between a host and pathogen, known as anti-virulence strategies, which clear the pathogen, while limiting the evolution of resistance to the therapy.

Email Dr. Geddes-McAlister at jgeddesm@uoguelph.ca.

 

Dr. Sanders completed her BSc in Genetics and her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia. She then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Temple University in Philadelphia. The Sanders lab is a molecular neuroscience lab interested in how neurons use the protein-lipid modification palmitoylation to target proteins to specific subcellular locations in neurons and to define how palmitoylation-dependent targeting contributes to physiological neuronal function and neuropathological conditions. We use cutting edge genetic, biochemical, and cell biological approaches to answer these questions, including CRISPR-mediated gene knockout and mutation, shRNA-mediated knockdown and rescue, specialized palmitoylation assays, and live and fixed confocal microscopy in neurons grown in conventional culture and in microfluidic devices.

Email Dr. Sanders at ssande03@uoguelph.ca.

 

Research in my lab focuses on several areas of plant virology, specifically several important pathogenic viruses that affect the grape and wine industry. These include molecular biology, cell biology, viral replication, virus-host interactions between viruses and their host as well as molecular diagnostics for viruses. My research team is composed of several graduate students at both the PhD and MSc levels, a research associate, and several undergraduate research project students. We cherish a positive and inclusive environment to ensure everyone will have the opportunity to learn, grow and succeed.

Email Dr. Meng at bmeng@uoguelph.ca.

 

My name is John Dawson. I’m the Associate Dean Academic in the College of Biological Science and Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. As Associate Dean, I manage academic and student affairs for the College, including equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives for our undergraduate programs. In my research lab, I study heart disease and the proteins involved in movement in our muscles, and I research university-level biology education. I have mentored lots of students in many aspects of life in general and value helping and being encouraging as much as I can. I’d love to be a mentor for you!

Email Dr. Dawson at jdawso01@uoguelph.ca.

 

When I was learning biochemistry as an undergraduate, I was fascinated by the idea that proteins are able to specifically bind their molecular targets (ligands) despite the presence of similar molecules and in a cell completely crowded with other molecules. Since starting my PhD, I have been trying to understand how some proteins are able to protect cold-blooded organisms from stress and damage caused by low temperatures and freezing. Recently, we have been focussing on figuring out how plant cold and drought proteins, known as dehydrins, are able to function despite their lack of a stable 3D structure. We use techniques in biochemistry, biophysics and bioinformatics to study their function, structure, and sequence, with a long-term goal of helping to develop more resistant plants.

Email Dr. Graether at graether@uoguelph.ca.

 

The Shapiro lab is interested in the microbiology of fungal pathogens. We develop and use cutting-edge functional genomic tools to probe the biology, pathogenesis, and mechanisms of antimicrobial drug resistance in these important pathogens. We also focus on developing new CRISPR-based biotechnology tools that allow us to targetedly mutate or regulate fungal genomes on a large scale to improve our understanding of these organisms.

Email Dr. Shapiro at shapiror@uoguelph.ca.

 

The research in our laboratory focuses on elucidating the structure and function of protein complexes involved in complex biological processes. We are particularly interested in the macromolecular assemblies that govern bacterial cell division, cell-to-cell interaction, biofilm formation, motility and chemotaxis. Moreover, with the emergence of a growing number of multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria there is a pressing need to identify new drug targets. Accordingly, these essential bacterial processes provide a number of exciting candidates. My research group is taking a multidisciplinary approach to answer fundamental questions related to these essential cellular processes. By combining cryo-electron microscopy and tomography with biochemical, biophysical, molecular and cellular techniques, our goal is to identify potential therapeutics that can target a broad spectrum of disease causing bacteria. We also seek to develop novel imaging techniques, including correlative methods using fluorescent and cryo-electron microscopy. We hope that the imaging methods we develop in this research program will transcend bacterial studies and significantly impact applications in diverse biological fields, thus leading to advances in structural biology, nanotechnology, ecology and medicine, among others.

Email Dr. Khursigara at ckhursig@uoguelph.ca.

 

Dr. Jasmin Lalonde uses patient-derived stem cell culture models to discover new molecular mechanisms contributing to the progression of neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The Lalonde Lab is also studying how distinct gene expression programs guide the development and plasticity of neurons.

Email Dr. Lalonde at jlalon07@uoguelph.ca.

 


Biomedical Sciences

Dr. Perreault is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. She is a neuroscientist and her research focuses on sex differences in neuropsychiatric disorders using animal model systems of depression, schizophrenia, and autism. One of her important research goals is to identify sex-dependent brain wave patterns that contribute to disorder vulnerability and treatment responses. Dr. Perreault is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, and is heavily involved in Indigenous and equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.

Email Dr. Perreault at perreaum@uoguelph.ca.

 

Dr. Giannina Descalzi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, at the Ontario Veterinary College, in the University of Guelph. Their research focuses on the intersection of pain and emotion, investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in chronic pain development and mental health disorders. Dr. Descalzi’s methods bridge animal models of chronic pain with molecular biology and systems neuroscience to enhance our understanding of chronic pain, mental health, and circuit-wide gene function. Dr. Descalzi holds a doctorate and a master’s in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto, and a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Guelph. Dr. Descalzi completed a Banting postdoctoral fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, and a second postdoctoral fellowship at NYU. Dr. Descalzi is a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, a settler and immigrant to Canada, and is originally from the lands currently known as Peru.

Email Dr. Descalzi at gdescalz@uoguelph.ca.

 

Glen is a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and an associate member of IMPART, a translational medicine research group at Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. His research team is interested in cardiovascular disease in women and novel therapies for heart failure. The lab is developing a new treatment for heart attacks that was created in collaboration with researchers at Stanford University and Bar-Ilan University. Glen received his BSc in Human Kinetics from the University of Guelph and a PhD in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Centre.

Email Dr. Pyle at gpyle@uoguelph.ca.

 

I have been a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph since 2001. As a new faculty member, I generated a novel transgenic mouse model of mammary tumor development that remains a fundamental model in our lab today. Using this model our lab has furthered our understanding of mammary tumor development as well as differences in proliferation and migration of diverse breast cancer subtypes. More recently, the lab has been focused on understanding the function of microRNAs in breast cancer using cell lines and animal models.

Email Dr. Moorehead at rmoorehe@ovc.uoguelph.ca.

 

Dr. Tami Martino's research program is focused on translating fundamental knowledge about the circadian biology of the cardiovascular system into clinical applications. Her research team investigates how circadian dysregulation drives heart diseases, including myocardial infarction (heart attack), cardiac hypertrophy, and heart failure – our leading causes of death. They also examine how the heart’s circadian biology can be therapeutically manipulated to benefit how we heal from disease, using genetic, environmental or pharmacologic approaches to slow or reverse ongoing damage. This pioneering new field of medicine, termed Circadian Medicine, and will lead to longer and healthier lives.

Email Dr. Martino at tmartino@uoguelph.ca.

 

Email Dr. Koch at tkoch@uoguelph.ca.

 

One of the most fundamental questions in biology is why some tissues, organs, and organisms are able to regrow or regenerate, whereas others cannot. Research conducted by the Vickaryous Lab uses lizards to study naturally evolved mechanisms of regeneration, wound healing, and development. Our current interests include regeneration of the heart, skin, skeleton, and brain, and understanding how organs continue to function while they are being repaired.

Email Dr. Vikaryous at mvickary@uoguelph.ca.

 

Dr. Ian Tobias uses stem cells and molecular genetics to understand how different regions of the brain form during development and why certain cell types are susceptible to disease. Their work makes use of computational tools for cross-species prediction of genetic elements and genetically engineered cellular models of brain development to test how genome evolution has changed the identity and behaviour of neural cells between species. Dr. Tobias is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, located in the Bruce Peninsula region of Ontario.

Email Dr. Tobias.


Pathobiology

Why do some people and animals get cancer and others do not? Why does cancer treatment work well in some patients and not in others? My lab uses cross-species comparisons to address these and other questions by investigating cancers in domestic animals, wild animals, and humans. We are especially interested in why whales and other large, long-lived species are resistant to cancer development compared to animals like dogs and humans. We also study microRNA in cancer for better prediction of therapy response and for early cancer detection using blood samples.

Email Dr Wood at gewood@uoguelph.ca.


Clinical Studies

Shane is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College and practices as an Emergency/Critical Care specialist in the Companion Animal Medical Complex at OVC’s Health Sciences Centre. He founded and served as the Interim Veterinary Director of the Community Healthcare Partnerships Program, a new initiative funded by an $11M gift to OVC in 2019 that will ensure that DVM and graduate students graduating from OVC will have acquired the skills, values, confidence and cultural awareness to deliver veterinary services of the highest possible standard to vulnerable animals and people in diverse inadequately serviced communities and in environments that are poorly resourced. Shane’s research is primarily clinical in nature, and is focused in fluid therapy, pain management, and use of bedside ultrasound.

Email Dr. Bateman at sbateman@uoguelph.ca.

 

Lauren Van Patter is an interdisciplinary animal studies researcher whose work focuses most broadly on questions of ‘living well’ in multispecies communities. As the Kim & Stu Lang Professor in Community and Shelter Medicine, she works with the Community Healthcare Partnerships Program (CHPP) to investigate barriers and improve access to healthcare for animals in underserved and placed-at-risk communities using a One Health approach. Lauren’s background is in Environmental Sciences and Cultural Geography, and she engages both qualitative and quantitative, biological and social, methods to explore human-animal relationships holistically. Lauren has worked collaboratively with veterinarians, wildlife practitioners, biologists, philosophers, and political theorists to advance policies and practices for a range of domesticated and wild animal species. Read more here: levanpatter.wordpress.com.

Email Dr. Van Patter.

I am an animal welfare researcher and assistant professor of One Welfare at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). I am also a member of Snuneymuxw First Nation from the Coast Salish territories of British Columbia. In the Feline Futures research program at OVC, I focus on various aspects of kitten socialization, behavioural development, and the human-animal bond with the ultimate goal of improving feline welfare. My research applies a multidisciplinary approach using quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a holistic understanding of the factors influencing the well-being of kittens and cats and their human companions.

Email Dr. Graham.


Population Medicine

Dr. Katie Clow is a veterinarian who conducts research on the ecology and epidemiology of vectors and vectorborne zoonoses, with a specific emphasis on the blacklegged tick and Lyme disease. She also conducts research more broadly on the One Health approach, including pedagogy and community-level applications. Dr. Clow has worked in private small animal practice as well as at the national and international level in One Health through internships at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Disease at the World Health Organization, and the Global Disease Detection Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Email Dr. Clow at kclow@uoguelph.ca.

 

I’m a large animal veterinarian and epidemiologist, focusing on dairy cattle health and well-being. My lab currently enjoys a broad approach the research cycle, from knowledge synthesis to clinical trials, as well as projects focused on knowledge translation and transfer. My graduate students have quantitative and qualitative epidemiological training. My teaching is mainly in the DVM program, focusing on clinical skills and health management of ruminant species.

Email Dr. Winder at winderc@uoguelph.ca.

 

Dr. Bauman is an assistant professor in the Population Medicine department. She teaches undergraduate Epidemiology and a graduate course on Applied Clinical Research. Her research mainly focuses on field research with producers and their animals or the analysis of datasets. The topics of research she has been involved with to date are: dairy ruminants (large and small), factors affecting survivability of lambs and kids, diagnostic test evaluations, zoonotic infections, clinical trials and the impact of environmental parameters on health.

Email Dr. Bauman at cbauman@uoguelph.ca.

 


Computer Science

I am interested in helping decision makers understand complex data.  I generally look at biological signals in order to understand what they can tell us about some physiological problem of interest: posture as related to fatigue and pain, electromyographic data (the electrical activity of muscles) as an information source for muscle structure and disease and electrodermal activity as a proxy for emotional arousal for assessing stress.  I am interested both in producing decision models, and in generative computation models to ask questions about changes in the physiology.

Email Dr. Hamilton-Wright at andrew.hamilton-wright@uoguelph.ca.


Engineering

I teach engineering design and engineering leadership, and my interests focus on the place of engineers in society. I am particularly interested in developing learning opportunities that support the ability for engineering students to become successful stewards of technology, develop strong design skills, and embrace leadership roles in engineering and beyond. You can see my background and activities at www.jrdonald.uoguelph.ca and at www.gel.uoguelph.ca. I have mentored, advised and coached many students over the years and would be excited to hear from you.

Email Dr. Donald at jrdonald@uoguelph.ca

I am an Assistant Professor in the school of Engineering at the University of Guelph. I am teaching focused, and I have a wide scope of teaching experience in most of the courses in the Computer Engineering and ES&C areas. Throughout my career I taught many courses that almost cover the whole electrical engineering spectrum. Courses like Computer Programming, Digital System Design, Electric Circuits, Electronic Devices, Control, communications, Computer Organization and Architecture. 

Email Dr. El Nasr at maboueln@uoguelph.ca

I am a member of the mechanical engineering area who specializes in industrial engineering.  This is the field of engineering that bridges between the technical knowledge of engineers and operations management skills.  I have been involved in mentoring many students at various stages of their post-secondary education, including new international students.  I am also passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion as evidence by my volunteering with the Office of Diversity and Human Rights on campus.

Email Dr. Eid Moussa at smoussa@uoguelph.ca

Dr. Farrow is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering. His research interests include point-of-use drinking water treatment, water supply security and engineering pedagogy. Cam teaches a variety of introductory engineering courses as well as courses focused on environmental risk assessment and water/wastewater treatment. 

Email Dr. Farrow at cfarrow@uoguelph.ca

My research and teaching focuses on water management. My team investigates how groundwater quality and quantity can be impacted by humans, including agricultural activities, urban activities, and climate change. We also do research about source water protection for Indigenous and rural communities. For more information see: https://www.uoguelph.ca/engineering/jlevison/home 

Email Dr. Levison at jlevison@uoguelph.ca

My undergraduate experience was a bumpy ride, with many failed midterms and even some failed courses. These were my most beneficial experiences, however, as it helped me to learn from my mistakes. It took me a long time to figure out what I was interested in, and what I wanted to do. After graduate degrees in spine biomechanics (mechanical and biomedical engineering), I found my true calling: education. I teach several courses in the engineering core and design sequence, and I am very interested in motivation, self-directed learning, critical reflection, and developing transferable skills. Mentoring students is my favourite part about being a professor.

Email Dr. Mattucci at smattucci@uoguelph.ca

Dr. Misra’s current research focuses primarily on novel bio-based composites and nanocomposites from agricultural, forestry, and recycled resources for the sustainable bio-economy moving towards a Circular Economy. She has authored more than 800 publications, including 404 peer-reviewed journal papers, 21 book chapters, and 53 patents. Link to Dr. Misra's Google Scholar.

Areas of interest:
•    Bio-Based New Materials, Green Composites, 3D Printing of Sustainable Materials, Polymer Nanotechnology, Pyrolysis of Biomass, Characterization of Biocarbon for Composite Applications and Polymer processing and Manufacturing.

Email Dr. Misra at mmisra@uoguelph.ca

My research interest is focused on developing robotics systems that can operate in dynamic unstructured environments where a robot can interact with humans like homes, offices, hospitals, etc. These robots must be able to learn new skills, like grasping various objects, from interaction with users and their environment. My lab has extensive industrial research collaboration with partners in multiple sectors ranging from agriculture to automotive.

Email Dr. Moussa at mmoussa@uoguelph.ca

My name is Michele Oliver. I’m a Professor in the School of Engineering (Biomedical) where the central theme of my research program is workplace injury prevention. This is accomplished through the following three research strands. The first is Driving Simulator Research (current research studies driver behaviour in traffic intersections to inform driver training, road design and autonomous vehicle algorithms). The second (with Colleague, Dr. Marwan Hassan) is developing devices and control strategies to reduce operator whole-body vibration exposure in mobile heavy vehicles. A related project addresses agri-food industry worker shortages so we are developing a machine learning informed, retrofit autonomous tractor kit. The third strand (with colleague Dr. Karen Gordon) develops, validates and uses novel wrist and knee wearable devices for ergonomic assessment and training of machine learning algorithms for workplace applications.
I enjoy mentoring students, so feel free to contact me.

Email Dr. Oliver at moliver@uoguelph.ca 

I am a faculty member in Environmental Engineering at the University of Guelph. I have been investigating engineered solutions for issues of sustainability, which include the reversal of climate change, the better use of residual materials, and the protection of land, water and air. Work in my group takes place in laboratory and field settings, involves many stakeholders (industries, government agencies, and civil society), and we utilize several advanced tools for our investigations (reactors, analytical instruments, and modeling software). Some recently concluded projects include: (i) synergistically converting food processing and mine wastes into a carbon-neutral soil amendment (doi:10.1021/acs.iecr.1c01813); (ii) evaluating the combination of urban farming with enhanced rock weathering as a climate change stabilization wedge (doi:10.1021/acs.est.1c04111); (iii) modeling the behavior of farmers in adopting eco-friendly practices (doi:10.1007/s10113-022-01901-7) and (iv) finding evidence of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on continental climate change (doi:10.3390/atmos13122031).

Email Dr. Santos at santosr@uoguelph.ca

Dr. Syeda Tasnim is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Program in School of Engineering. She conducts research in 3 primary areas, and they are (i) Energy Storage & Conservation (including development and characterization of novel hybrid materials consisting of phase change materials (PCMs), nanoparticles, and porous medium; micro/nano encapsulation of PCMs, graded metal foam and PCMs; latent heat thermal energy storage systems development and characterization; and energy flow through innovative building envelopes), (ii) Thermal Management (in application areas such as greenhouses, food refrigeration, packaging, and transportation and battery thermal management of autonomous and electric vehicles), (iii) Clean Energy Conversion (including thermoacoustic and thermoelectric devices and development and testing of novel redox flow battery).

Email Dr. Tasnim at stasnim@uoguelph.ca

I started my career at Guelph as a teaching focused faculty member.  I am an associate professor in the School of Engineering.  My PhD is in Electrical Engineering control theory, but I have since shifted my research focus entirely to improving Engineering Education.  I have three ongoing research projects: 1) improving problem solving skill development through careful assessment design 2) shifting student mindsets towards Engineering for Social Justice and 3) instilling values through Capstone Experiences.  I have taught at all levels, from first year to graduate courses, and in all types of courses, from large first and second year foundational courses, to small fourth year design courses.  Working with students is the best part of my job, and I look forward to mentoring you!

Email Dr. Vale at jvale@uoguelph.ca 

 

Amar Mohanty is a Full Professor & Distinguished Research Excellence Chair in Sustainable Materials and is the Director of the Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is a former Michigan State University professor and currently holds a Adjunct Professor position at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, USA; Distinguished Professor position at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, India; and a Visiting Professor status at the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Prof. Mohanty is an international leader in the field of bioplastics, biocomposites and advanced biorefinery. His research explores engineering value-added uses of biomass wastes and industrial co-products from agro-food and biofuel industries, with the focus on waste plastic valorization, biodegradable plastics as single-use plastic alternatives, biocarbon based composites, 3D printing of sustainable materials, Circular Economy, end environmental sustainability. Note: Prof. Mohanty is appointed in the Plant Agriculture Department and is cross-appointed in the School of Engineering. Email Dr. Mohanty at mohanty@uoguelph.ca


Animal Biosciences

Dr. Kate Shoveller took her industrial experience and returned to academia where she now teaches companion animal and equine nutrition and runs an active comparative nutrition research group primarily focused on amino acid metabolism, protein quality, and macronutrient partitioning in dogs, cats, horses, and pigs. The global focus for the Shoveller lab is optimizing nutrition across mammalian species for health and longevity without compromising the future of our food chain.

Email Dr. Shoveller at ashovell@uoguelph.ca

My research focuses on the nutrition, microbiome and health of farmed salmonid fishes, especially rainbow trout, lake whitefish and Atlantic salmon. My research aims to replace fishmeal and fish oil with sustainable ingredients (e.g. insects, microbes and plant oils) while meeting nutritional requirements of fish and improving their gut microbiome, immune defence and disease resistance. My lab performs several feeding trials at the Ontario Aquaculture Research Centre and Hagen Aqualab as well as visits to fish farms on land and in lakes across Ontario.

Email Dr. Huyben at huybend@uoguelph.ca