Holding a B.Sc. degree in Plant Agronomy and Breeding, I completed a Master’s program in Marine Biology at the Department of Ocean Sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland, under the supervision of Dr. Chris Parrish and co-supervision of Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi. My M.Sc. thesis was focused on minimizing marine resource utilization in diets of farmed Atlantic salmon (salmo salar) to evaluate the effects on growth performance and muscle, liver, and head kidney chemical composition. Upon completing my Master’s program, I worked for a year as a Science Lab Technician at the Ocean Science Centre, where I gained valuable experience that helped me to make a better decision regarding my academic future and to continue my graduate studies.
I am currently pursuing my studies as a Ph.D. student, working with Dr. Rachel Sipler and Dr. Sue Ziegler. My research focus is assessing the interpretation of biomarkers (amino and fatty acids) of particulate organic matter in terrestrially-influenced coastal ecosystems. The main aims of my research project are determining carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of amino acids and fatty acids in phytoplanktons and tracing these biomarkers in consumers, comparing carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of amino acids and fatty acids in different growth phases (exponential and stationary), identifying zooplankton sources of carbon and nitrogen, global comparison of ice algae isotope biomarkers, and application of biomarkers to indicate carbon and nitrogen sources or exchange in a coastal ecosystem.