Potential Supervisors

Annemieke Farenhorst is a Professor in the Department of Soil Science.

She is the Director of H2O Create.

Her research interests include scientific studies on the fate of pesticides, steroid estrogens and antibiotics in soil, water and air, as well as community-based collaborations for strengthening human and ecosystem health. She has led several interdisciplinary research networks, including a Central American community-based project that involves more than 2,200 participants across four countries.

Dr. Farenhorst is the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering in the Prairie Region. The Chair is an important focal point for leading initiatives pertaining to gender, equity and diversity.

She has received awards for research, teaching and outreach and was recently awarded The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her leadership in research on pesticide fate in soil and water, her contributions to community-based research in rural communities of Central America, and for her role in mentoring women in science.

Highlighted Presentations

Canadian Water Resources Association Webinar March 30 2016

Explaining CREATE H2O

How we are engaging students in First Nation communities.

Web Sites

NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (Prairies)

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 6858

Dr. Chris Metcalfe has focused his research over the past 18 years on the environmental distribution and toxic effects of organic contaminants.

His past research focused on the fate and effects of persistent, non-polar contaminants (e.g., PCBs, pesticides), but his recent work has shifted to an emphasis on polar contaminants in industrial and municipal wastewaters. His early recognition and participation in this paradigm shift in contaminants research has resulted in national and international recognition of the innovative nature of his research program, and has fostered his participation in international research teams.

Dr. Metcalfe's ongoing research on the fate and distribution of pharmaceutical and personal care products in the environment has generated considerable attention both nationally and internationally. He is currently working on a project to evaluate the distribution and impacts of the release of nanoparticles into the environment. Dr. Metcalfe is also involved in in vitro and in vivo studies on the toxicological effects of contaminants.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 705 748-1011 ext. 7272

Genevieve Ali is an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences.

My group at the University of Manitoba focuses on hydrology in Prairie regions. We investigate how climate and land use changes interplay to determine watershed response and freshwater availability. Our work also touches on water quality issues as most of our study sites are located upstream of the eutrophic Lake Winnipeg.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 7266

Karen Busby is a professor of law and the director of the University of Manitoba Centre for Human Rights Research.

She teaches constitutional and administrative law and her research has focused on sexual and reproductive rights and more recently the human right to water. She has been active with national public interest litigation organizations.

Her research and advocacy work has been recognized through numerous honours including the YM-YWCA Woman of Distinction Award and both the Manitoba and Canadian Bar Association.

Centre for Human Rights Research

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 6155

Nazim Cicek is a Professional Engineer and Professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering.

His research interests are in the general area of biological waste treatment, more specifically membrane bioreactor technologies, biofuel and bioenergy production processes, anaerobic digestion and nutrient removal from wastewater. Dr. Cicek has authored or co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented his research results in numerous international conferences.

University web page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 6208

Brenda Elias is an assistant professor in Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba (UM), and former co-director, founding member of the Manitoba First Nations Centre for Aboriginal Health Research.

Her research interests include gender health, social determinants, health info-structures, Indigenous health, and research ethics. She conducts multilevel quantitative and mixed-method studies into the social, cultural, biological, economic, political and historical determinants of health. She is a strong advocate of team collaborations, and in the last 5 years has contributed as a principal, co-principal and co-investigator to over 34 grants exceeding 16 million dollars. Dr. Elias has partnered with the UM Centre of Human Rights Research to demonstrate the power of collaborations in advancing health rights of populations.

Email

Telephone: 204 789 3358

His research interests are in Indigenous health, environmental health, planning and resource development, risk management and communication, and Arctic Indigenous issues. His graduate students have research interests that are multidisciplinary.

A central objective of my teaching is to foster a respect for and ability to learn and apply many different types of knowledge in solving problems related to the fields of Indigenous environmental health. My approach to teaching is based on the foundations of critical and creative thinking, the development of independent learning skills and strong written and oral communication abilities.

Department web page

Email

Beata Gorczyca is an associate professor in the department of Civil Engineering

The Gorczyca group's research interests are generally in potable water treatment. The City of Winnipeg is currently supplied by non filtered water. The first potable water treatment plant for the City of Winnipeg is scheduled to start producing drinking water in the summer of 2009. There is a vivid demand for highly qualified people in this area!

University web page

Email

Telephone: 204 789 3358

Norman Halden is a professor in the Department Environment, Earth & Resources

I have directed my efforts in four areas: (1) modelling of trace element oscillatory zoning in minerals from igneous and surficial environments; (2) trace element distribution in layered igneous intrusions; (3) image and microbeam analysis of otolith microchemistry; (4) field-based studies of layered igneous rocks, mineral deposits and deformed sulphide mineralization.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 6910

Mark Hanson is an associate professor in the Department Environment & Geography

Dr. Hanson’s research focuses on the response of freshwater organisms to various types of stressors, with a special emphasis on aquatic plants and invertebrates. The interactions between organisms and the way in which these can influence the stress response are studied at the laboratory and field-level. This helps in our understanding and ability to predict the risk an exposure to a toxicant or change in water quality can provoke at the ecosystem-level. The use of microcosms, large-scale model freshwater ecosystems, is emphasized along with developing new methodologies to assess changes in water quality in a rapid and effective manner.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone:204 474 9897

Raul Ponce-Hernandez's primary research interests are in the field of geomatics, the use of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and spatial modelling to acquire and manage spatially referenced data. He integrates multiple applications to the inventory, assessment and evaluation of natural resources (particularly land) for resource planning, management and conservation.

Prof. Ponce-Hernandez also studies spatial statistics and the computer spatial modelling of natural and human-induced processes in the context of watershed management and Spatial Decision Support Systems. Currently, he is involved in projects related to the impacts of climate change on land degradation at national and global scales and on developing software models for land evaluation and land use planning for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Department web page

Email

Dr. Holley is a Distinguished University Professor, Food Microbiology and Food Safety, in the Department of Food Science.

Research is focused on microbial ecology of meats, use of natural antimicrobials in food, and zoonotic pathogens in animals and the environment. Research funding from NSERC and industry totaled $2.6M over the last 6 years. He has published 54 peer reviewed papers and given 66 presentations at meetings during that time.

A former head of the Department of Food Science, he has been involved in international committees and consulted for both industry and government. With the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) he has served on the Academic Advisory Panel and is now a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel, Inspection Modernization.

He has published 188 scientific papers and received awards for research. On invitation he testified before the House of Commons Agriculture food safety committee, at the Federal Government investigation into listeriosis in 2009 and at the Senate hearings on Bill S-11 (Safe Foods for Canadians Act) in 2012. There were over 300 news interviews given over the last 24 months related to food safety issues in Canada.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 789 3358

Ehsan Khafipour is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science.

Gut Microbiome and Large Animal Biosecurity Laboratories are advanced microbiome research facilities located in the Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

My research focus is on understanding the composition and function of gut microbiome, its interaction with the environment and its role in human and animal health and diseases.

The new CFI-funded Gut Microbiome Laboratory offers cutting-edge sequencing technologies and metagenomics coupled with bioinformatics, and advanced statistical and mathematical approaches to examine the gut microbiome composition and function to relate the variation in this ecosystem to health and disease status, or productivity of the host in various species and environments.

The Large Animal Biosecurity Laboratory includes level II containment infrastructures and animal rooms that facilitate micobiome research on farm animals. We have also capability to run pre-clinical trials using animals as a model for human diseases. All animal research in this facility are conducted in accordance to the guidelines of Canadian Council on Animal Care and are overseen by the University of Manitoba Senate Committee on Animal Care and Animal Care Protocol Management and Review Committee.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 6112

Ayush Kumar is an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology.

Efforts in my laboratory are focused towards understanding the mechanisms of function and regulatory pathways of these proteins in pathogens like Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in order to aid in designing effective drug therapy.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 8286

Linda Larcombe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal of Medicine.

My research is focused on the study of genetic, socio-cultural and environmental factors contributing to infectious disease susceptibility and resistance in Canadian Aboriginal populations. Trained in anthropology, my approach to infectious disease research is multidisciplinary and draws from medical anthropology, immunogenetics, immunology, ancient DNA , geographic information systems, land use studies, history and archaeology to gain new perspectives regarding disease susceptibility and resistance.

University Web Page.

Email

Telephone: 204 789-1051

David Lobb is a professor in the Department of Soil Science and a Senior Research Chair in the Watershed Systems Research Program at the University of Manitoba.

His teaching and research programs are in the areas of landscape and watershed systems with a focus on soil erosion and sedimentation processes and their control. The goal of his efforts is the sustainable use of our land and water resources.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 9319

Jan Oleszkiewicz teaches and conducts environmental engineering research at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.

He has authored over 450 journal and conference papers and received numerous awards for his teaching, research, process application and training e.g. the Gold Medal from the Minister of Environment for the Manual for Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators – which became the required text for advanced operator training in Poland.

As Chair of the International Water Association Specialist Group on Nutrient Removal and Recovery and had organized or co-organized the IWA Specialized Conference series on Nutrient Management in Krakow PL in 2005; WEF Nutrient Removal Conference in Baltimore US in 2007 and on Nutrient Management in Krakow PL in 2009, Miami FL 2011. He is a professional/chartered engineer in Canada and Great Britain and Board Certified Environmental Engineer in USA.

He is currently involved in Master Plan activities for large treatment plants in Canada and Poland. His current interests include advanced biosolids processing and disinfection and enhanced as well conventional biological nutrient removal in temperate and cold climate and development of limit of treatment technologies.

University web page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 8722

Gary Stern studies the transport of contaminants, such as mercury, through the Arctic marine and freshwater ecosystems, as well as the imapct of climate change on carbon and contaminant cycling.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 9084

Mario Tenuta is a professor in the Department of Soil Science.

Research interests include the role of Pratylenchus species in the Early Dying Complex of Potatoes in Western Canada. Liquid hog manure as an alternative means of controlling plant parasitic nematodes. Formulated lime-stabilized sewage sludge to control plant parasitic nematodes. Development of bio-indicators of improved soil health. Limiting the Survival of Human Pathogens From Manure in the Environment.

Web Sites

Canada Research Chair in Applied Soil Ecology

SOIL ECOLOGY HOME

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 7827

Shirley Thompson is an Associate Professor in the Natural Resources Institute

Environmental Service Delivery: Adequate infrastructure is necessary for ecosystem health, resource conservation and to reduce climate change. Built environment (infrastructure and management of resources including food, waste management and sustainable energy) is studied at the nexus of food security, environment, health and community development in Aboriginal communities.

University web page

Email

Telephone: 204 474-7170

Feiyue Wang is a professor in the Department of Environment and Geography the University of Manitoba.

Our research focuses on speciation, cycling, and bioavailability of trace metals across environmental interfaces (e.g., air-ice-water interfaces, water-sediment interfaces, and water-biota interface). Such processes are examined both at the molecular scale to probe the fundamental chemical mechanisms, and at the regional to global scales to address “real-world” environmental problems.

At the molecular scale, we are interested in chemical speciation of trace elements across abiotic and biotic interfaces, with a particular focus on the ice surface and on the role of reduced sulfur and selenium species.

At the regional to global scales, we are examining chemical contamination in remote sentinel ecosystems (e.g., Arctic, Himalaya, and Equatorial Pacific) under a changing climate. We are particularly interested in how climate-induced changes in biogeochemical processes affect the bioaccumulation of contaminants.

We are also involved in the development of analytical techniques (in situ and ultra-trace) and modeling approaches (transport and transformation) for such studies.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 6844

My research interests cover a variety of environmental engineering topics, with my primary research area being nutrient removal and recovery.

I am particularly interested in the technological implementation of biological phosphorus removal and chemical phosphorus recovery. I am also interested in leachate treatment, biomass fermentation, and anaerobic digestion.

University web page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 8604

Francis Zvomuya is an associate professor in the Department of Soil Science

Chemically-enhanced phytoremediation of multi-trace element contaminated organic soils using native plants and high biomass crops

  • Remediation of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] contaminated water using chemical reductants and synthetic oxides of iron
  • In situ remediation of decommissioned municipal lagoons using wetland and traditional phytoremediation approaches
  • Dissipation of veterinary antimicrobials in the environment
  • Other recent or ongoing projects including the characterization of nutrient dynamics and fertilizer value of organic and other byproducts (e.g., anaerobically-digested manure, liquid manure-derived struvite); drilling waste (from petroleum industry) management on native prairie; solid/liquid separation of liquid swine manure; and land application of wastewater as a disposal option.

University Web Page

Email

Telephone: 204 474 9932