Current Members

                                          

Jack Hall: M.Sc. student

  B.Sc University of Toronto

Coming from the world of habitat restoration, I have a keen interest in how organisms are affected by changes humans make to their environment. My part of the Road Salt Project will be to study the effects of repeated salinity pulses across the entire developmental timeline of Chum salmon, and investigate what effects this might have on their growth, survival, and genetic expression

 

Carolyn Morris: Ph. D student

M.Sc. McMaster University (Hamilton, ON)

Art.Dip. George Brown College (Toronto, ON)

B.Sc. Memorial University of Newfoundland (St. John’s, NL)

My previous researchwas on major ion toxicity in adult Daphnia magna and ion transport through the specialized nuchal organ in juveniles. My Ph.D. research is focused on the effects of dissolved organic carbon on ionoregulation and gill morphology with particular interest inAmazonian fishes native to dissolved organic carbon rich, ion-poor, acidic waters. 

Mikaila Meslo: Volunteer Researcher

B.Sc. University of British Columbia

mikailameslo@gmail.com

During my undergraduate degree, I completed a Co-op work term at the University of Lethbridge, studying the combined impacts of cadmium and microplastics on Daphnia magna. Now, joining the Wood lab as a volunteer, I am exploring how diel variations in light and temperature, coupled with differences in food quality impact the behavior of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis under the stress of hypoxic conditions. 

Cameron Emadi: Postdoctoral Fellow

B.Sc. University of Texas at Arlington

Ph.D. Environmental Science (Toxicology)
 
CameronEmadi@my.unt.edu
 
Cameron Emadi completed his undergraduate studies in biology at the University of Texas at Arlington, followed by a Ph.D. in Environmental Science with a focus on Toxicology. His dissertation investigated the physiological impacts of anthropogenic stressors on freshwater organisms, including studies on lead and hypoxia co-exposure in Daphnia magna, swimming performance in conservation concern species, and real-time metabolic responses of juvenile Macrobrachium rosenbergii to ammonia exposure at varying salinities. Cameron has joined Dr. Chris Wood’s and Dr. Collin Brauner’s lab at UBC, where he is researching the effects of water quality and feed on nephrocalcinosis in Atlantic salmon and Rainbow trout, focusing on early detection and mitigation strategies.

Junho Eom: Post Doctoral Fellow

Ph.D. University of British Columbia (Canada)

M.Sc. University of British Columbia (Canada)

 B.Sc. Kangwon National University (South Korea)

zuno3302@gmail.com

I started my undergrad education with bioprocess engineering in South Korea. After graduation, I broadened my interests from engineering to animal sciences including parasitology, herpetology and ichthyology.  During my M.Sc. at UBC, I focused on pheromones, chemosensory systems, animal behavior and respiratory physiology in various species of fish and crustaceans. My doctoral research was conducted under the supervision of Chris Wood at UBC and focused on ammonia as a respiratory gas in fish, with particular emphasis on its role in ventilatory control, both centrally and peripherally, and the mechanisms involved, using the rainbow trout and Pacific hagfish asmodel systems.  I am now a postdoctoral fellow in the Wood lab, engaged in several projects. Two of these directly follow up my doctoral work, looking at the role(s) of ammonia and the other respiratory gases in the bloodstream in controlling the changes in ventilation that occur after feeding, and after exhaustive exercise. A third project looks at how the processes of feeding and breathing are integrated in the Pacific hagfish. I am also interested in modeling the pressure-flow relationships during breathing in fish, and in using continuous ventilatory recording in fish as a sensitive detector system for aquatic pollutants.

Carley Winter: M.Sc Student

B.Sc. University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada)

wcarley@student.ubc.ca

After graduating with my degree in Biology, I sought to explore opportunities in various fields. From veterinary medicine and marine mammal rehabilitation to conservational field and lab work. My interests led me to an environmental research and toxicology lab where I performed standardized and specialized tests working with various larval fish, rainbow trout, and several types of invertebrates. With an interest in toxicity evaluations, I was excited to join UBC’s Road Salt Project as a M.Sc. student to investigate the impact road salt may have on the physiology of Coho (O.kisutch) and Chum (O. keta) salmon. We are exploring if pulses of elevated salinity have implications on the hatching and development of local salmon by monitoring enzymatic gill activity, yolk sac absorption and various other molecular functions.

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          Clare Kilgour: M.SC. Student

          B.Sc. University of New Brunswick

My previous research experience straddles the fields of developmentalbiology and ecology. During my undergraduate degree, I completed anHonour’s thesis investigating the role and behaviour of a matrixmetalloproteinase during zebrafish retinal development. I also haveexperience in the assessment of fish and fish community health in theface of various modes of environmental disturbance (i.e., hydroelectricgenerating station operation, mining activity, construction). My primaryresearch interests lie at the intersection of these fields, in thephysiological and molecular effects of environmental contamination. MyMSc work at UBC is looking at the effects of road salts on salmon inurban streams of Vancouver’s Lower Mainland.

Lauren Zink: NSERC Post Doctoral Fellow

B.Sc. Thomson Rivers University

Ph. D. University of Lethbridge

Lauren completed her Honours B.Sc. (Animal Biology) at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, BC studying how exposure to differing wavelengths of light altered crayfish eye development under the supervision of Dr. Louis Gosselin. Lauren then completed her Ph.D. at the University of Lethbridge under the supervision of Drs. Gregory Pyle and Steve Wiseman in which she utilized traditional laboratory experiments coupled with machine learning techniques to understanding which water quality characteristics governed the association of microplastics and metals, two common freshwater contaminants. Lauren now joins the Wood Lab at UBC to continue exploring how shifts in water quality can alter contaminant interactions and subsequent physiological and behavioural toxicity.