Trent Ph.D. Candidate’s Research Boosted by Major Award
Vaughn Mangal awarded $50,000 W. Garfield Weston Award for Northern Research to further exploration of microbial relationships in aquatic systems and their effect
Trent Environmental and Life Sciences Ph.D. candidate Vaughn Mangal’s ongoing exploration of how organic material’s chemical composition and concentration can influence mercury’s ability to be uptaken by bacteria at various times of the year has received a significant boost in funding. Mr. Mangal, who is the first author on three peer-reviewed publications, was recently presented with the prestigious $50,000 W. Garfield Weston Award for Northern Research (Doctoral). His thesis, titled The Influence Of Phytoplankton Dissolved Organic Matter On Mercury Bioavailability, addresses microbial relationships in aquatic systems to explain contaminant
“Many bacteria use organic matter secreted from algae and phytoplankton as a nutrient source, which can be stuck to a contaminant, such as mercury. I looked at how different species of algae can illicit very different effects on bacterial mercury uptake,” explained Mr. Mangal. “Much of my work to date has involved addressing theoretical gaps in knowledge but being a recipient of this award has allowed me to expand what I have conducted in the lab to Northern environmental systems. This award allows me to address similar questions but now with carbon from soils and melting permafrost in Northern environments to predict how mercury cycling will be effected. As global temperatures continue to increase, more and more carbon will enter aquatic systems. As such, it is of timely importance that we understand organic matter mercury interactions as these chemical interactions may hold the key to predicting aquatic mercury transport.”
Mr. Mangal credits Trent, and particularly his supervisor, Dr. Céline Guéguen, Canada research chair in Aquatic Sciences and Biogeochemistry, for providing him with “the opportunity of a lifetime by fostering a productive environment that is constantly creating new chances for me to better my academic career.”
That academic career has seen the Guyana native graduate from the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology undergraduate program in 2013, after which he enrolled in the Environmental and Life Science M.Sc. program. In January 2015, Mr. Mangal qualified to transfer from his M.Sc. program to his Ph.D. pursuit.
“I am truly humbled to receive this award, especially since they only award it to 10 PhD students a year across Canada,” said Mr. Mangal. “While it has provided me with financial stability, it has also reinforced that my research is significant and meaningful while providing me with a boost in confidence.”