Who Are We?
The lab
Our lab has scientists with a diversity of backgrounds in plankton ecology. We work on water characteristics, microbes, phytoplankton, and zooplankton.
Dr. Warren Currie (PhD Biological Oceanography, University of Guelph)
Dr. Currie is a Fisheries and Oceans Canada Research Scientist at the Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences in Burlington, Ontario. He is a biophysical-limnologist and ecosystem scientist with specialization in lower trophic food webs, impacts of invasive species, and interactions of pelagic species with their environment. He has more than 30 years of experience working in a wide range of aquatic habitats from streams to open ocean. He combines modeling and empirical collection of biological and environmental data, focusing on the use of sensor technology for the collection of spatial data on plankton and water properties, and has worked on the testing and development of fluorometric and optical sensors on fixed and towed platforms. He currently responsible for research and monitoring within Great Lakes Areas of Concern, and bi-national lakewide assessments of zooplankton, phytoplankton and microbial food webs which support Great Lakes fisheries.
Warren Currie, Ph.D. | Directory of scientists and professionals (science.gc.ca)
Kelly Bowen (MSc Environmental Biology, University of Guelph)
Kelly is zooplankton research biologist with extensive experience working with lower trophic systems in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern and Lakewide Monitoring. Most of her research involves zooplankton composition, production, and ecological interactions. Her expertise includes limnological field methods, crustacean zooplankton identification, rotifers, and she has led the Lake Ontario Mysis diluviana (Mysid Shrimp) monitoring program for many years. ResearchGate
Mariam Elmarsafy (MSc, Wilfred Laurier University)
Mariam is a zooplankton research biologist interested in the interactions of zooplankton with their ecosystem. Her previous research has involved using resurrection ecology of zooplankton egg banks to determine tolerances to environmental conditions. At DFO she is responsible for determining drivers of zooplankton distribution and composition using multivariate analysis in R.
Mark Fitzpatrick (MSc, University of Windsor)
Mark is a phytoplankton research biologist with an interest in the composition and growth of phytoplankton and microbes in the Great Lakes. He is responsible for our research and monitoring using laboratory and shipboard measurements of algal primary productivity and bacterial growth rates using 14C uptake. His interest in trophic ecology and fate of carbon within the microbial food web is important to DFO’s responsibilities in Areas of Concern, the impacts of algal blooms, and the changes to the Great Lakes undergoing oligotrophication. ResearchGate
Heather Niblock (BSc, University of Windsor)
Heather is an aquatic research biologist responsible for the Great Lakes lower trophic research and monitoring program. She is a team lead for all aspects of fieldwork using small vessels and our research ship CCGS Limnos, and heads our lab-work, analysis, and writing related to water properties, water chemistry and phytoplankton identification and composition. ResearchGate
Joseph Gentile (AdDipl Environmental Technology, Fleming College, BSc Trent University, MEnvSc. University of Toronto)
Joseph completed his UofT MEnvSc Internship in our lab, and has now joined the Great Lakes lower trophic research lab as a Plankton Science Technician. He is responsible for data management, laboratory analysis and fieldwork of our water chemistry, phytoplankton and microbial-loop sampling using small vessels and our research ship CCGS Limnos.
Ashley Ferns ( EnvSc University of Waterloo, fall 2024 MSc Biology, University of Waterloo)
Ashley has completed several co-op terms at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters with ECCC-ACRD during her EnvSc degree and will working with Dr. Currie within the Great Lakes lower trophic research lab and Cuddington lab for her MSc thesis. For her thesis dissertation, she will be responsible for fieldwork and data analysis of new zooplankton imaging technologies collected from small vessels and our research ship CCGS Limnos.
Lab Alumni
Dr. Colette Ward (PhD Theoretical Ecology, University of Guelph) 2018-2024
Currently Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs
Dr. Ward is a quantitative ecologist who seeks to identify patterns and underlying mechanisms of change in aquatic ecosystems. Much of this work focuses on food web structure and function – to understand (i) how various environmental stressors, especially eutrophication, influence energy flow in food webs and (ii) how these patterns of energy flow, in turn, influence trophic control and ultimately whole-ecosystem structure. Her current work with Fisheries and Oceans Canada uses ecological theory to develop applications for ecosystem restoration and conservation. Overall, this work often involves processing and synthesizing long-term, spatially expansive data sets using principles of data science.
Owen Fleming (University of Guelph)
Owen is a third-year Marine and Freshwater Biology co-op student at the University of Guelph working as a plankton technician within our Great Lakes lower trophic research and monitoring program. His work includes identifying, counting and sorting plankton with a microscope, preserving and archiving these creatures, as well as collecting samples of them across Lake Ontario and beyond!
Robin Rozon (MSc University of Toronto)
Currently Aquatic Science Technician with Sarah Bailey’s Lab at GLLFAS
Morgan Piczak (MSc McMaster University, PhD, Carleton University)
Currently Liber Ero and NSERC Postdoc, Dalhousie University
Zooplankton Technician 2019-2020
Students and Casual Employees
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Matthew Wengler |
2016 winter |
Currently PhD candidate U. East Anglia |
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Angela Graham |
2016 winter |
Currently Dunnville Vet Clinic, OVC 2022 |
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Angela Wilson |
2016 summer |
Currently Ontario |
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Jofina Victor |
2016 summer |
Currently DFO Aquatic Sci Technician |
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Amanda Conway |
2016 summer |
Currently DFO Biologist |
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Kaye Puhakka |
2016 fall |
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Claire Kemp |
2016 fall |
Currently Project Manager WISE lab |
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Melissa Risto |
2016 summer, 2017 winter |
Currently DFO Biologist, Pacific |
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Rachel Eagles |
2017 summer |
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Cherri Lau |
2017 summer – fall |
Currently Res. Associate Terramera |
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Anne Ha |
2018 winter |
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Maggie Fang |
2018 summer |
Currently DFO Technican |
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Jessica Desforges |
2018 summer |
Currently DFO Biologist NWAFS |
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Olivia/Jihyun Kim |
2019 summer – fall |
Currently PhD candidate Queens U. |
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Jessica Wier |
2019 summer |
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Jofina Victor |
2019 fall, 2020 winter |
Currently DFO Aquatic Sci Technician |
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Alessia Schembri |
2021 summer |
Currently ECCC TOS |
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Eve Krauss |
2021 Fall |
Currently Aquatic Biologist NRSI |
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Jacob Brown |
2022 Winter-Summer |
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Madison Baskin |
2023 Winter-Summer |
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Rajosree Paul |
2023 Winter-Summer |
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Owen Fleming |
2024 Winter-Summer |
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