Dr. Andrea Kirkwood (she/her)
Andrea Kirkwood completed a joint-honours degree in Environment and Resource Studies & Biology (Co-op) at the University of Waterloo, a Master's degree in Aquatic Ecology at McMaster University, and a doctoral degree in Environmental Microbiology at the University of Toronto. Andrea conducted postdoctoral studies at Oklahoma State University and the University of Calgary prior to joining the Faculty of Science at Ontario Tech University. Andrea currently holds a Research Excellence Chair in Urban Water and is a Professor in the Biological Science (undergraduate) and Applied Bioscience (graduate) programs. In addition to research and teaching, Andrea is actively involved in community-based environmental stewardship initiatives. |
Prospective Graduate Students
Graduate students in the Kirkwood Lab are enrolled in the Applied Bioscience graduate program at Ontario Tech University. This program offers a unique interdisciplinary experience for graduate students from a variety of educational backgrounds. Students can only be accepted when a minimum stipend is secured for their degree program (2-years for M.Sc and 4-years for Ph.D). When funds become available for stipend support, graduate positions will be posted here. Otherwise, prospective students are encouraged to apply for graduate scholarships to achieve their minimum stipend support. If you are interested in pursuing a Master's or Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Dr. Kirkwood, be sure to contact her for further information.
Graduate students in the Kirkwood Lab are enrolled in the Applied Bioscience graduate program at Ontario Tech University. This program offers a unique interdisciplinary experience for graduate students from a variety of educational backgrounds. Students can only be accepted when a minimum stipend is secured for their degree program (2-years for M.Sc and 4-years for Ph.D). When funds become available for stipend support, graduate positions will be posted here. Otherwise, prospective students are encouraged to apply for graduate scholarships to achieve their minimum stipend support. If you are interested in pursuing a Master's or Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Dr. Kirkwood, be sure to contact her for further information.
Current Lab Members
Dr. Erin Smith (USRA Student 2017; PhD Student 2018-2022; Postdoctoral Associate)
Erin graduated from the Integrated Science program at McMaster University, in 2018 with a specialization in biology. Erin's PhD project focused on nearshore water quality and lower foodweb communities of the Kawartha Lakes. Erin completed her doctoral thesis research in August, 2022, and began a postdoctoral position at The River Institute. Erin won a competitive Mitacs Elevate Fellowship, which will support her research activities with the River Institute and our lab group 2023-2025. |
Ashley Gedge (Honours Thesis Student 2019-20; Lead Lab Technician COVID Wastewater Surveillance Program 2020-24; Master's student 2024-current)
Ashley completed her undergraduate degree in Biological Science at Ontario Tech University. Ashley's undergraduate thesis looked at the allelopathic effects of aquatic macrophytes, such as Starry Stonewort, on phytoplankton species. Ashley isolated and cultured several algal strains from different sites to assess their sensitivity to macrophyte extracts. The goal of Ashley's thesis research was to determine the possible role of allelopathy in supporting the development of algal blooms in lakes where Starry Stonewort has established. Since 2020, Ashley was a lead lab technician in the Wastewater Surveillance Initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks. Ashley is currently a Master's student co-supervised by A. Kirkwood and J.P. Desaulniers. Ashley is investigating the prevalence and diversity of sexually transmitted infection (STI) bacteria in municipal wastewater. |
Flavia Breje (Master's Student Spring 2023-current)
Flavia is a graduate of the Biological Science program at Ontario Tech University. Although initially interested in pursuing veternary science, Flavia became interested in ecology and conservation biology during her undergraduate program. Flavia's Master's thesis project is focused on the submerged aquatic vegetation in lakes of the Trent-Severn Waterway - focusing on both their value in ecosystem function, but also how excess growth and invasive species can impact biodiversity and lake health. Flavia has developed a novel eDNA protocol for Nitellopsis obtusa (starry stonewort), and will be testing it in the field during the summer of 2024. |
Michele Dell'Aquila (Master's Student Spring 2022-current)
Michele is a graduate of the Biological Science program at Ontario Tech University and is an alumna of the women's soccer team. Michele's love of the outdoors drew her to ecological research, starting with an undergraduate thesis project on water quality trends in the Kawartha Lakes (Supervisor: Dr. Robert Bailey). Michele's Master's thesis research is focusing on water quality and dissolved oxygen conditions in 4 coastal wetlands in Lake Ontario in partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. |
Kaitlyn Horton (Master's Student Winter 2022-2024)
Kaitlyn graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor’s degree majoring in Microbiology and minoring in Biochemistry. As a recent Master’s student at Ontario Tech University, Kaitlyn studied water quality trends of local Oshawa stormwater management ponds (SWMP) and assessed the presence of harmful microbes such as fecal coliforms and toxic cyanobacteria. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of local SWMPs and identify factors that could lead to decreased pond function or increased levels of harmful microbes. We are excited to have Kaitlyn working in the lab Summer 2024 to help with several projects. |
Alana Tyner (NSERC USRA Student Summer 2020; Honours Thesis Student 2020-21, USRA Student Summer 2021; PhD Student Fall 2021-current)
Alana graduated from the Biological Science program at Ontario Tech University, specializing in Environmental Toxicology. As an undergrad, Alana worked on several data science projects investigating long-term water quality trends in the Land Between ecotone as well as the Oshawa Creek watershed. Alana's doctoral research focuses on spatial water quality patterns and trends in the Trent-Severn Waterway (specifically Severn Sound and the Kawartha Lakes). An experimental component of Alana's research includes a bioassessment of the ecological effects of different plant removal strategies in (TAPER project). |
Sarah Rijkenberg (Honours Thesis Student 2020-21; USRA Student Summer 2021; PhD student Fall 2021-current)
Sarah graduated from the Biological Science program at Ontario Tech University, specializing in Environmental Biology. As part of her undergraduate thesis project, Sarah explored the long-term water quality trends in the Kawartha lakes. Sarah's doctoral project focuses on taxonomic and trait diversity of plankton communities in Ontario lakes. Sarah is also participating in the TAPER project, where she will assess the effects of different aquatic plant removal strategies on plankton diversity and size spectra. Sarah was the winner of the Ontario Tech University 3-Minute Thesis competition, and came in 2nd place at the provincial competition. |
Jalisa Caines (Honours Thesis Student 2023-24)
Jalisa is in the Biological Science undergraduate program at Ontario Tech University, completing a specialization in Environmental Biology. Prior to starting her Honours thesis research, Jalisa completed an internship at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) studying archaea. For her thesis project, Jalisa is investigating the occurrence of avian influenza in water fowl populations across several Lake Ontario coastal wetlands using fecal source tracking methods. |
Lab Alumni
Graduate Students
Emily Hassal (Honours Thesis Student 2018-19; NSERC USRA Student Summer 2019; MSc Student 2019-2021)
Emily graduated with high distinction from Ontario Tech University with a degree in Biological Science. Emily's undergraduate thesis focused on the spatial and temporal patterns of zooplankton in Lake Scugog. Prior to starting her thesis project, Emily worked as a summer student at the Dorset Environmental Science Centre. Emily completed her Master's in the Kirkwood Lab in the fall of 2021, focusing on the biodiversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton communities from the Land Between ecoregion. Emily is currently working at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry on a project focusing on the plankton communities of the Kawartha Lakes. |
Tyler Harrow-Lyle (USRA Student 2016-17; Honours Thesis Student 2016-17; PhD Student 2017-2021; Postdoctoral Associate 2022)
Tyler first started as a SUSRA student in 2016, and then did his undergraduate thesis research on the spatial distribution of aquatic plants and algae in Lake Scugog. Tyler continued on with his Lake Scugog research as well as expanding to other lake ecosystems across Ontario to elucidate the role of Starry Stonewort as an ecosystem engineer in inland waters. Tyler defended his PhD in August, 2021 and then completed Postdoctoral Fellowships at Toronto Metropolitan University and Ontario Tech University. Tyler is currently a research scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. |
Sarah MacKay (PhD Student 2015-2020)
Sarah completed her Master's in Aquatic Ecology at the University of Toronto followed by a Bachelor of Education degree. Sarah's Ph.D. research investigated the relative influence of natural, agricultural, and urban land-use on tributary water quality and lower aquatic foodweb communities (periphyton and macroinvertebrates) in the Lake Simcoe Watershed. Sarah's thesis project was conducted in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, and her research findings were used to inform policy decisions related to the Healthy Lake Simcoe Act. |
Alex Johnston (MSc Student 2018-2020)
Alex graduated from the Biological Science program at Ontario Tech University prior to starting her Master's in May 2018 to evaluate the role of aquatic vegetation in stormwater management pond performance in Oshawa, Ontario. This research project was supported by the City of Oshawa through their Teaching City initiative. An important deliverable of Alex's research included recommendations to the City of Oshawa for SMP maintenance and design based on her thesis findings. |
Eric Anderson (USRA Student Summer 2017; Honours Thesis Student 2017-18; MSc Student 2018-2020)
Eric is a graduate of the Biological Science program at Ontario Tech University. For his Master's research, Eric characterized the phytoplankton and zooplankton communities of four coastal wetlands in Lake Ontario along an urbanization gradient. Eric's research offered novel insights into coastal wetland plankton communities, including the role of phosphorus and chloride in community structure. |
James Bie (MSc Student 2015-2017)
James earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Waterloo and started his Master's at Ontario Tech University in September, 2015. James' Master's research focused on the microbial ecology of urban stormwater ponds. James discovered during his grad studies that computer programming was his passion, so elected to shift gears from completing his Masters to enrolling in the Computer Science program at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. |
Gage Comeau (USRA Student Summers 2013-14; Honours Thesis Student 2014-15; MSc Student 2014-2016)
A machete-wielding stinging-nettle wrangler, Gage started out in the Kirkwood lab as a SUSRA student performing field and lab analyses for a City of Oshawa study on Oshawa Creek. Gage also conducted an honours thesis project on the impacts of urban point-sources to water quality in Oshawa Creek. His Master's project looked at how changing gradients from agriculture to urbanization in four Lake Ontario tributaries impacts water quality and periphyton communities. Gage currently works for the Lower Trent Conservation Authority. |
Massimo Narini (Honours Thesis Student 2012-13; MSc Student 2014-2016)
Massimo started as an honours thesis student in the Kirkwood lab docmenting and assessing zooplankton communities from stormwater ponds across Durham Region. For his Master's project, Massimo focused on the longitudinal patterns in water quality and phytoplankton community structure in the Nottawasaga river. Since graduating, Massimo has been working on various projects with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and is currently working as an intern with the Lower Trent Conservation Authority. |
Carrie Strangway (USRA Student Summer 2012; Honours Thesis Student 2012-13; MSc Student 2013-2015)
Carrie was first an honours thesis student in the Kirkwood Lab, where she investigated metal tolerance and the biodegradation potential of stormwater pond microbial communities. Carrie then studied the role of water quality and land-use in structuring phytoplankton communities in the Vermillion River for her Master's. Carrie currently resides in Thunder Bay, ON, where she is working as an environmental consultant and pursuing some of her passions such as ice fishing and camping. |
Michael Ibsen (MSc Student 2012-2014)
Michael graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2012 with a B.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences. Michael came to Ontario Tech University in the fall of 2012 to pursue a Master's degree in environmental microbiology. Michael investigated the role of the nuisance alga Cladophora in harbouring pathogenic bacteria in the near-shore of Lake Ontario. Michael currently works as a federal government scientist. |
Kevin Stemmler (MSc Student 2011-2013)
Kevin graduated from Ontario Tech University with a B.Sc. in Environmental Toxicology in 2010. After working for a year, Kevin decided to come back to UOIT to pursue a M.Sc. degree in Applied Bioscience. Building from his interests in algal biotechnology, Kevin investigated the potential use of wastewater algae for biofuel feedstock production. Kevin now works as a Research Associate at the National Research Council (NRC) continuing research in algal biotechnology. |
Nicolas Gilbert (USRA student Summer 2009; MSc Student 2009-2011)
Nicolas graduated with a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences at Ontario Tech University in 2009, and completed a M.Sc. in Applied Bioscience at UOIT in August, 2011. His master’s work investigated the role of urban wetland community structure and function in contaminant fate. Nicolas obtained his teaching degree and is currently a high school science teacher in Durham Region. |
Undergraduate Students
Amelia Rinaldi (NSERC USRA Student Summer 2022; Honours Thesis Student 2022-23; USRA Student Summer 2023; Summer RA 2024)
Amelia recently graduate from the Biological Sciences program at Ontario Tech University. As an NSERC USRA student, Amelia assisted with a variety of research projects in the lab, in addition to leading her own research project. Amelia's thesis research project focused on the biodiversity of macroninvertebrates in stormwater management ponds (SMP). Amelia will be working in the lab again Summer 2024 to assist with a number of projects prior to starting the BEd program at Ontario Tech Fall 2024. |
Ilya Dimitrovas (NSERC USRA Student Summer 2022; Honours Thesis Student 2022-23)
Ilya recently graduated from the in the Biological Sciences program at Ontario Tech University. As an NSERC USRA and undergraduate thesis student, Ilya is conducting a macroinvertebrate bioassessment of streams in east-central Ontario. Ilya will compare macroinvertebrate communities across sites over the sampling period to assess the impact of land-use and water quality in the stream subwatersheds. This project is part of an EaRTH District collaboration with Trent University, University of Toronto at Scarborough, and Centennial College. |
Talija Menegotto (Summer Work Study Student 2021; USRA Student Summer 2022)
Talija is a recent graduate of the Forensic Science program at Ontario Tech University, with several years experience working in a water research lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Talija joined our lab group to expand her experience and skill-set in water quality monitoring, and has assisted with several research projects including the Kawartha Lakes Nearshore Monitoring project, Stormwater Pond project, EaRTH District project, and Coastal Wetlands project. Talija recently completed a professional Masters degree in Analytical Chemistry at Trent University. |
Shelby Ravary (BIOL 3090/91 Research Experience in Biology; USRA Student Summer 2021 & 2022; Honours Thesis Student 2021-22)
Shelby is a recent graduate of the Biological Science program at Ontario Tech University, specializing in Environmental Biology (Co-op). Shelby studied the impacts of Starry Stonewort on fish communities as part of her undergraduate thesis project. Shelby was an USRA student for two summers, assisting with the Kawartha Lakes Nearshore Project, Starry Stonewort Collaborative Project, and Coastal Wetland project. Shelby recently completed a post-graduate certification program in Ecological Restoration at Niagara College. |
Jesse Killoran (Summer Work Study Student 2019, Honours Thesis Student 2019-20)
Jesse recently completed his undergraduate degree in Biological Science at Ontario Tech University. In addition to assisting with several research projects in the Kirkwood lab, Jesse documented macroinvertebrate community composition in stormwater ponds, and determined how it relates to aquatic plants and water quality as part of his Honours thesis research. Jesse recently completed a Bachelor of Education degree at Ontario Tech University. |
Claire Gibbs (USRA Student Summers 2016-2019)
Claire recently completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science at Trent University. Claire served as a research assistant on a variety of summer research projects during the summers of 2016-2019 including: a fecal source tracking study; macrophyte study on Lake Scugog; stormwater pond study; Lake Simcoe tributary study, and synoptic survey of Ontario lakes. Claire is now pursuing postgraduate studies in Environmental Science and Conservation. Denin Gray (USRA Student Summer 2018 & 2019)
Denin graduated with a degree in Biology from Trent University in 2019, and is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Education program at Ontario Tech University. Denin assisted with several research projects during the summer field seasons of 2018 and 2019, including: the Lake Scugog nearshore and offshore studies, the Lake Ontario coastal wetland study, and the City of Oshawa stormwater pond study. David McNabney (Honours Thesis Student 2018-19)
David's honour's thesis project involved the analysis of a long-term water quality and aquatic vegetation dataset for 18 coastal wetlands in Lake Ontario. In partnership with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority, David's thesis research provided important insight on the long-term water quality trends in coastal wetlands, as well as the tolerance thresholds of aquatic vegetation in these wetlands. This information will be used by wetland managers as they prioritize particular wetlands for restoration. |
Oyemwenosa Avenbuan (Honours Thesis Student 2017-18)
Oyemwenosa (Rita) conducted experiments in the Kirkwood Lab to assess the effect of chemical mixtures on algae isolated from different habitats. Her results showed interesting effects of salt (chloride) and copper (copper sulfate) on algae from urban ponds and northern lakes. Rita recently graduated with a Masters in Environmental Health from the Faculty of Medicine at New York University. |
Chantelle Forbes (Summer Work Study Student 2016)
Chantelle was a 4th year forensics science student when she worked in the Kirkwood Lab. Her forensic background came in handy when collecting stormsewer samples for the fecal source tracking study in 2016. For example, Chantelle came across several dead things during her field work, including a dead and bloated racoon stuck in a stormsewer grate. To round our her field work experience, Chantelle also assisted with sample collection on Lake Scugog. |
Ashley Harricharan (USRA student Summer 2016)
Ashley completed her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences in May, 2016. She worked as a research assistant in a variety of field projects during the summer of 2016, including: a macrophyte study on Lake Scugog; a stormwater pond study; and Lake Simcoe tributary study. After completing the Management Option in her 5th year at Ontario Tech University, Ashley is currently enrolled in the professional MSc program in Environmental Science at the University of Toronto-Scarborough. |
Trent Wylie (Honours Thesis Student 2015-2016)
Trent completed his honours thesis (April, 2016), which looked at Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban stormwater ponds of Durham Region. Trent is now working at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in their analytical chemistry labs. |
Shane Gopaul (NSERC USRA Student Summer 2014; Honours Thesis Student 2014-15)
Shane investigated the potential for algal strains isolated from municipal wastewater systems to grow in wastewater under various conditions. He was able to show that the biomass and lipid profiles of algae change depending on the wastewater nutrient status and presence of bacteria. Shane spent the summer volunteering in South East Asia (where he took this selfie) and recently graduated with a Master's degree from the University of Toronto. |
Sabrina Bedjera (USRA Summer Student 2013-14; Honours Thesis Student 2013-14)
Sabrina performed field and lab work for a study on Oshawa Creek, including an analysis of periphyton community structure along an urbanizing gradient. She also worked with Dr. Luciano Buono, a mathematics faculty member at Ontario Tech University, to develop a periphyton growth model as a function of urban stress. Sabrina recently completed an M.Eng degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. |
Jennifer Vincent (USRA Summer Student 2011; Honours Thesis Student 2011-12)
Jennifer performed both field and lab research to investigate the water quality characteristics of urban stormwater ponds. Jennifer also assessed the phytoplankton communities of these ponds as they relate to environmental parameters for her fourth-year honours thesis project. Jennifer completed her Master's degree with Dr. Maggie Xenopoulos in 2014 and is currently a wildlife technician in the US. |
Courtney Phinney (USRA Summer Student 2011; Directed Studies Student Fall 2011)
Courtney performed both field and lab research to investigate the water quality characteristics of urban stormwater ponds. She also conducted a directed studies project investigating Didymosphenia geminata in Ontario rivers. Courtney attended the University of Toronto to become a pharmacist. |
Nicole Suss (USRA Summer Student 2009-10)
Nicole completed her Bachelor degree in Biological Science at Ontario Tech University in May, 2010, and graduated from the Bachelor of Education program at UOIT the following year. Nicole performed both lab and field work during her two stints as a Research Assistant in the Kirkwood Lab. Nicole is currently working as an undergraduate academic advisor in the Faculty of Science at Ontario Tech University and is a proud mom of two little girls. |
Lab Manager
Rebecca Massimi (Lab Manager 2013-2015, Summer 2016)
Rebecca started as a Durham College Biotechnology placement student in the summer of 2011 and continued on as lab manager and technician. Rebecca worked on a variety of projects related to algal biofuels research including culture and isolation, growth experiments, toxicity assays and phylogenetic analyses. During the summer of 2016, Rebecca served as both the lab manager and project lead for a fecal source tracking study in the Oshawa Creek Watershed. Rebecca currently works for the York Durham Regional Lab. |
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Matters
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is the foundation of our group's activities and aspirations. We actively work against anti-black racism and actively work to decolonize our research. We are grateful to the Michi Saagiig (Mississauga Anishinaabeg) for their partnership and collaboration in our studies on their traditional lands and waters.
Classes and research labs should be safe spaces. Students of any gender identity, racialized group, or sexual orientation can feel free and safe to come to Dr. Kirkwood in confidence regarding any type of personal harassment.
You are not alone.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is the foundation of our group's activities and aspirations. We actively work against anti-black racism and actively work to decolonize our research. We are grateful to the Michi Saagiig (Mississauga Anishinaabeg) for their partnership and collaboration in our studies on their traditional lands and waters.
Classes and research labs should be safe spaces. Students of any gender identity, racialized group, or sexual orientation can feel free and safe to come to Dr. Kirkwood in confidence regarding any type of personal harassment.
You are not alone.