Environmental & Life Sciences
A full listing of ENLS faculty can also be found here in the Graduate Calendar.
Julian Aherne
Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Fields of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Impacts and disturbance on aquatics and terrestrial ecosystems.
E-mail: jaherne@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7887
Website: Environmental Geoscience Research Group
David Beresford
Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: insect populations, dispersal, and distribution
E-mail: davidberesford@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 652-7452
Kira Borden
Assistant Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Fields of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: agroecology; plant-soil interactions; root ecology; soil fertility; carbon and nitrogen cycles; agroforestry; climate change
E-mail: kiraborden@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7510
Seeking Graduate Students
Ingrid Brenner
Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Trent/Fleming School of Nursing
Field of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: The physiological effects of environmental stress and the role of exercise (passive and active) in health promotion of individuals with chronic disease.
E-mail: ibrenner@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7253
Craig Brunetti
Professor, Department of Biology; Dean of Graduate Studies
Field of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Molecular biology of human poxviruses
E-mail: craigbrunetti@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 5110
Mary-Claire Buell
Assistant Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Water quality, contaminants, and/ or fish ecology, and often include both Western Science and Indigenous Ecological Knowledges. These projects are often related to Indigenous Rights and/or food security.
E-mail: maryclairebuell@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6748
Gary Burness
Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Animal energetics, avian physiological ecology
E-mail: garyburness@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7288
Website: Burness Lab Seeking Graduate Students/Accepting Inquiries
Wesley Burr
Associate Professor, Mathematics & Statistics
Field of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Research Interests: Applied statistics; time series analysis; environmental health; air pollution
E-mail: wesleyburr@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7293
James Conolly
Professor, Department of Anthropology; Canada Research Chair in Archaeology
Fields of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Spatial ecology, palaeoecology, archaeology
E-mail:jamesconolly@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7868
Huy Dang
Assistant Professor, Trent School of the Environment and Chemistry
Fields of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Environmental biogeochemistry and analytical chemistry; fate and transport of nutrients, metals, and metalloids; development of analytical tools for emerging contaminants; applications of isotope composition to paleoenvironmental studies and forensic geochemistry
E-mail: huydang@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6364
Marcel Dorken
Professor, Department of Biology
Fields of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
E-mail: marceldorken@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7585
Website: Plant Ecology & Evolution Lab
Catherine Eimers
Professor, Department of Geography
Fields of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Soil processes, water quality, hydrology, climate change
E-mail: ceimers@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7684 Seeking Graduate Students/Accepting Inquiries
Neil Emery
Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Plant physiology and biochemistry
E-mail: nemery@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7312
Davis Forman
Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Neuromuscular Physiology, Biomechanics and Ergonomics, Reducing the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders by enhancing our knowledge of human vulnerabilities and performance adaptations
E-mail: davisforman@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6259
Joanna Freeland
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Fields of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Molecular ecology, population and conservation genetics, invasive species
E-mail: joannafreeland@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7180
Seeking Graduate Students/Accepting Inquiries
Paul Frost
Professor, Department of Biology; David Schindler Professor of Aquatic Sciences
Fields of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Aquatic ecology, ecological stoichiometry, nutritional ecology
E-mail: paulfrost@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7903
Chris Furgal
Professor, Indigenous Studies and Trent School of the Environmental
Fields of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Environmental health, planning and resource development, risk management and communication, and Arctic Indigenous issues
E-mail: chrisfurgal@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7593
Amy Greer
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Infectious disease, epidemiology, disease ecology, disease dynamics, mathematical modelling, One Health, zoonosis, public and veterinary health, pandemics, and epidemics.
Jenifer Hendel
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
Fields of study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Glycoscience; Synthetic carbohydrate chemistry; Glycomimetics; n-glycan isolation and purification from natural sources; Glycomics
E-mail: jeniferhendel@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7861
Brendan Hickie
Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Fields of study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Environmental toxicology, modelling the fate and bioaccumulation of organic contaminants and mercury
E-mail: bhickie@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7623
Holger Hintelmann
Professor, Chemistry/Trent School of the Environment; Dean of Science
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Biogeochemistry, speciation and fate of metals in the environment, with particular focus on mercury and nanoparticles. Use of stable isotopes, and measurement of fractionation and precise isotope ratios of heavy metals. Research involves field work in whole ecosystem studies and instrumental analysis using state-of-the-art high resolution mass spectrometry.
E-mail: hhintelmann@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7659
Thomas Hossie
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Predator-prey interactions, predator-predator interactions, behavioural ecology, conservation biology, ecology of bisexual-unisexual salamander complexes
E-mail: thossie@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6346
Robert Huber
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells, and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Lysosomes, Intracellular trafficking, Protein secretion, Signal transduction, Neurodegeneration, Extracellular matrix
E-mail: roberthuber@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7673
Website: Huber Lab
Leslie Kerr
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Behavioural neuroscience, cellular mechanisms, cancer growth, and chemotherapeutic efficacy
E-mail: lkerr@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7435
Eric Keske
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Synthetic organic and organometallic chemistry; homogeneous catalysis, green chemistry, target oriented synthesis, reaction development, and the elucidation of reaction mechanisms.
E-mail: erickeske@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7536
Jean-Francois Koprivnjak
Assistant Professor, Trent School of the Environment, Director, Instrumental Chemical Analysis Graduate Program
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Aquatic Geochemistry: spatial and temporal characterization of dissolved organic matter chemistry in natural waters (isotopes, UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra, bioavailability); C02 dynamics in boreal systems.
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 Ext 7016 or 7512
E-mail: jkoprivnjak@trentu.ca
Christopher Kyle
Professor, Department of Forensic Sciences
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation; Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Conservation genomics, wildlife disease, wildlife forensics
E-mail: christopherkyle@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7055
Maggie MacPherson
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: I study how global change shapes bird distributions.
E-mail: maggiemacpherson@trentu.ca
Telephone: TBD Seeking Graduate Students; Taking Inquiries
Sanela Martic
Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Sciences
Fields of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems; Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Molecular and biochemical mechanisms of diseases; bioanalytical methodologies for environmental, forensic and health sciences applications
E-mail: sanelamartic@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7710
Sabine McConnell
Associate Professor, Computing & Information Systems
Research Interests: Data mining and astronomy
E-mail: sabinemcconnell@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7803
Cheryl McKenna Neuman
Professor, Department of Geography
Field of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Research Interests: Process geomorphology, mechanics of sediment transport, dust emission, wind tunnel simulation, fluid mechanics
E-mail: cmckneuman@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7307
Arun Moorthy
Assistant Professor, Department of Forensics
Field of Study: Computational Methods, Data Analysis, Measurement Science
Research Interests: Decision-making, Forensic Chemistry, Scientific Communication and Software
E-mail: arunmoorthy@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6104
Eugene Morin
Department of Anthropology
Field of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Research Interests: archaeology, paleolithic of Europe, methods and theory in faunal analysis, human behavioural change during the late Pleistocene, prehistory of Northeastern North America
E-mail: eugenemorin@trentu.ca
Telephone: 748-1011 x7682
Dennis Murray
Professor, Biology Department; CRC in Integrative Wildlife Conservation
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Conservation biology, population dynamics, behavioural ecology, predation, parasitism, mammal and amphibian ecology
E-mail: dennismurray@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7078
Suresh Narine
Director, Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research; Ontario RC in Green Chemistry and Engineering
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: The development, agricultural utilization and geographical, environmental and commercial impacts of biomaterials
E-mail: sureshnarine@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6105
Magali Nehemy
Assistant Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Field of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Research Interests: How forests exploit subsurface water storage, the source of transpiration, and the connectivity between transpiration sources and streamflow using field-based research and quantitative analyses combining stable isotope tracing with tree hydraulic monitoring and hydrometric measurements across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales.
E-mail: mnehemy@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7475
Erica Nol
Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Conservation ecology of birds
E-mail: enol@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7640
Mark Parnis
Professor, Department of Chemistry; Director, Canadian Environmental Modelling Centre
Field of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Research Interests: The estimation and application of partition coefficients in environmental fate modelling.
E-mail: mparnis@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7297
Ian Power
Associate Professor, Trent School of the Environment, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Geoscience
Field of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Research Interests: Environmental geochemistry and mineralogy, carbon dioxide removal and mineralization, CO2 sequestration in mining, agriculture, and forestry
E-mail: ianpower@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6257
Website: Power Geo Lab
Graham Raby
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Fish ecology
E-mail: grahamraby@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7873
Website: Integrative Fish Ecology Lab
Steven Rafferty
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Field of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Heme proteins of microorganisms
E-mail: srafferty@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7309
Cayleih Robertson
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Developmental and maternal physiology of vertebrates, metabolism and energetics, thermoregulation, brown adipose tissue
E-mail: cayleihrobertson@trentu.ca
Seeking Graduate Students/Accepting Inquiries
Barry Saville
Associate Professor, Department of Forensics and Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Molecular plant pathology, fungal genomics, transcriptome analysis of eukaryotic plant pathogens, antisense and Non-coding RNA control of gene expression in fungi, plant/microbe communication, host control of fungal pathogen meiosis, microbial forensics
E-mail: barrysaville@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7260
James Schaefer
Professor, Department of Biology; Director, Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Program
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Spatial ecology, habitat selection and conservation of large mammals
E-mail: jschaefer@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7968
Aaron Shafer
Assistant Professor, Department of Forensics
Fields of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation; Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Wildlife and population genomics, conservation policy and management
E-mail: aaronshafer@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-01011 x 6612
Paul Szpak
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology; Canada Research Chair in Environmental Archaeology
Fields of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Using stable isotopes to reconstruct the paleoecology of the Arctic
E-mail: paulszpak@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6373
Website: Paul Szpak Website
Andrew Tanentzap
Professor, Trent School of the Environment; Canada Research Chair in Climate Change and Northern Ecosystems
Fields of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation; Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Global change impacts on biodiversity, food webs, and ecosystem function in soils and freshwaters, evolutionary adaptation to environmental change, microbiology and microbial genomics, environmental chemistry
E-mail: atanentzap@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7568
Karen Thompson
Assistant Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Fields of Study: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
Research Interests: Soil health, resilience and recovery; the role of soil microbial communities in ecosystem functioning and as biological indicators of soil health; soil carbon and nitrogen cycling
E-mail: karenthompson@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6756
Stephanie Tobin
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Fields of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Regenerative medicine, stem cells, myogenesis, inflammation, aging, molecular & cellular biology
E-mail: stephanietobin@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6463
Website: Tobin Lab
Accepting Inquiries
Andrew Vreugdenhil
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Toxicology and Chemistry (TC): sources, distribution, cycling and transformations of organic and inorganic contaminants and their uptake by and effects on organisms, Inorganic and materials chemistry, sol-gel, nanoparticles, hybrid materials, controlled release
E-mail: avreugdenhil@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7467
Autumn Watkinson
Assistant Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Fields of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: mine land reclamation, species at risk habitat restoration, restoration of protected areas, Anthroposol building and pedogenesis, prairie restoration
E-mail: autumnwatkinson@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6794
Shaun Watmough
Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Impacts of acid rain, climate change, nutrient depletion, forestry and metals on forest and lake ecosystems
E-mail: swatmough@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 1647
Website: Environmental Geoscience Research Group
Sarah L. West
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Examining exercise and bone health in various populations, including those with chronic disease
E-mail: sarahwest@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 6129
Paul Wilson
Associate Professor - Department of Biology
Fields of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Evolutionary genetics DNA profiling
E-mail: pawilson@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7259
Marguerite Xenopoulos
Professor, Department of Biology
Fields of Study: Ecosystem biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants; Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems; Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Global change and its effects on aquatic communities in lakes and rivers
E-mail: mxenopoulos@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7699
Janet Yee
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research interests: molecular and biochemical parasitology; molecular targets for drug development; gene expression and transcription
E-mail: jyee@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7048
Emeritus
Jim Buttle
Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Fields of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Research Interests: Hydrology, fluvial geomorphology
E-mail: jbuttle@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 1475
Peter Dillon
Professor, Department of Chemistry
Field of Study: Ecosytem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Nutrient cycling, trace metals, acid precipitation studies
E-mail: pdillon@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7536
Douglas Evans
Professor, Department of Chemistry and Trent School of the Environmental
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Environmental biogeochemistry, trace metal cycling
E-mail: devans@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7936
Michael Fox
Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Fish ecology, population dynamics, invasive aquatic species
E-mail: mfox@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7873
Steven Franklin
Professor, Department of Geography
Field of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Research Interests: Terrain analysis, geomorphometry, using remote sensing and GIS to explore impacts of humans on the environment
E-mail: sfranklin@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 1090
Tom Hutchinson
Professor, Trent School of the Environment
Field of study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research interests: forest decline, terrestrial impacts
E-mail:thutchinson@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 1634
Carolyn Kapron
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Field of Study: Genes, Cells and Physiological Systems
Research Interests: Cellular and molecular mechanisms of embryonic toxicity and teratogenicity
E-mail: ckapron@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7641
Peter Lafleur
Professor, Department of Geography
Fields of Study: Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Biometeorology; carbon budgets of Arctic tundra and peatlands
E-mail: plafleur@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7487
Chris Metcalfe
Professor, Director, Trent School of the Environment and Institute for Watershed Science
Field of Study: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry and Trace Contaminants
Research Interests: Aquatic organic contaminants
E-mail: cmetcalfe@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7272
Tom Whillans
Professor, Environmental Resource Studies
Field of Study: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Research Interests: Fisheries, wetland ecology, renewable resource management
E-mail: twhillans@trentu.ca
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 x 7789