(he/him)

Cohort 4- Fall 2023

Alfred Achieng is a PhD student at the University of Toronto co-supervised by Prof. George Archontitsis and Prof. Nicholas Mandrak. He has a background in fisheries and aquatic science at both the BSc and MSc level, and has studied and reviewed human impacts (deforestation, agriculture, development activities) on watersheds of the tropical ecosystem within the African Great Lakes. He is interested in understanding mechanisms and linkages that facilitate ecosystem function, and the contribution of human footprint to ecosystem degradation. His PhD research anticipates to develop a food web model for Lake Ontario.

{Research Theme I}

University of Toronto

(he/him)

Cohort 4- Fall 2023

Kevin is a MSc student supervised by Dr. Bryan Neff at Western University. Kevin is studying the cardiovascular effects of thiamine deficiency among salmonines of the Great Lakes. His research interests include aquatic ecology and fisheries conservation.

{Research Theme III}

Western University

(she/her)

Cohort 4- Summer 2024

Raegan is a MSc candidate at Carleton university under the supervision of Dr. Karen Smokorowski and Dr. Steven Cooke. Her research focuses on creating a predictive model to help better understand environmental variables that increase the risk of fish stranding on rivers with hydro dam facilities. She hopes that this work will help in the creation of mitigation strategies to reduce the stranding of fishes on hydro rivers.

{Research Theme I}

Carleton University

(she/her)

Cohort 4-Fall 2023

Alyssa is a second-year Master’s student in Dr. Steven Cooke’s Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab at Carleton University co-supervised by Dr. Andy Danylchuk. She studies both the social and biologically practical aspects of recreational angling. She studies the effects of catch-and-release fishing on trophy Northern Pike in hopes of one day developing a protocol for effective and efficient catch-and-release practices. In addition, she is studying gender mistreatment within the Ontario recreational fishing community. Outside of academia, she is a professional fly-in trophy pike and lake trout fishing guide in Northern Manitoba, a Registered Veterinary Technician, and the owner of Northern Predator with which she seeks to bridge the gap between the scientific and fishing communities to ensure the longevity of our waters and the fish that connect us all.

{Research Theme II}

Carleton University

(she/her)

Cohort 4-Fall 2023

Madeline is a MSc candidate in Environmental Science at the University of Toronto Scarborough and is supervised by Dr. Nick Mandrak. She is modelling habitat occupancy of an at-risk freshwater fish species in Southwestern Ontario. Madeline’s research will specifically look at the Pugnose Shiner population in the Old Ausable Channel but be applied to other systems.

{Research Theme I}

University of Toronto

(he/him)

Cohort 4- Fall 2023

Noah is a MSc student in the Dixon lab. His work primarily focuses on investigating the immunological effects of temperature stress on salmonids, with the goal of developing new strategies to protect vulnerable aquaculture species from the effects of climate change. As part of his work, he is developing an in vitro infection model for Loma salmonae; the causative agent of microsporidial gill disease (MSGD) in salmonids. Using this model, he plans to assess the effects that thermal stress may have on the pathogenesis and clearance of MSGD in salmonid aquaculture stocks. His interests lie in comparative immunology and parasitology.

{Research Themes III, IV}

University of Waterloo

(she/her)

Cohort 4-Fall 2023

Dominique graduated from the MSc program at University of Toronto- Scarborough after evaluating the effectiveness of restoration projects for fish Species at Risk across Southwestern Ontario. She is now continuing her studies in the PhD program and is supervised by Dr. Nicholas Mandrak of University of Toronto. Her research interests include biodiversity loss, conservation, and restoration ecology. Dominique is invested in creating a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for all.

{Research Theme I}

University of Toronto

(she/her)

Cohort 4- Fall 2023

Maiza is a first-year MSc candidate at the University of Windsor under the supervision of Dr. Trevor Pitcher. Her research focuses on the effects of structural enrichment on the neuromorphology of Atlantic salmon and Chinook salmon at various life stages. She is interested in the fitness and survival of hatchery-reared fish after reintroduction.

{Research Theme III}

University of Windsor

(he/him)

Nathan is a MSc student co-advised by Robert Hanner in the University of Guelph and Margaret Docker in the University of Manitoba. His research is centered around using environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect populations of native lampreys in the Great Lakes tributaries and model their habitat occupancy.

{Research Theme I,II}

University of Guelph