Dr. Michael Twiss

Dean, Faculty of Science

Dr. Michael Twiss is the inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Science at Algoma and a limnologist who focuses on the Great Lakes. For the past eight years he has volunteered as a scientific advisor to the International Joint Commission and has worked on various topics of interest to Canada and the United States such as the status of emerging technologies for measuring water quality, operationalization of a Great Lakes early warning system, the ecological status of connecting channels (e.g., St. Marys River) across the Great Lakes, and understanding changes in winter and its impact on water quality in the Great Lakes.

Current work is focusses on assessing water quality in the St. Lawrence River (Kaniatarowanenneh) in collaboration with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, the River Institute (Cornwall, Ontario), and Clarkson University (New York). This work is funded by the Great Lakes Observing System and the New York State Water Resources Institute. In 2023, a project entitled “Decolonizing Riparian Wetland Relationships along Kaniatarowanenneh (St. Lawrence River) at Akwesasne” will weave together positivist (aka ‘Western’) science approaches with Traditional Ecological Knowledge to develop a strong, communally-acceptable approach to reestablishing healthful relationships (‘management’) with (of)coastal regions. Our project will follow the Kaswentha that models how two approaches can advance the same purpose, respectfully.

Dr. Pedro Antunes

Full Professor in the Department of Biology and Canada Research Chair in Invasive Species Biology.

Dr. Pedro M. Antunes is a Professor in Department of Biology since 2010. He started as the recipient of an Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Research Chair and, in 2015, he was named Canada Research Chair in Invasive Species Biology. Dr. Antunes undertook his doctoral research in Soil Science at the University of Guelph (2005) followed by post-doctoral research at the Free University of Berlin, Germany. Research in his laboratory (Plant and Soil Ecology Laboratory) aims to understand soil organisms and their interactions with plants.

Email: pedro.antunes@algomau.ca

Dr. Dave Brodbeck

 Full Professor in the Department of Psychology

Dr. Brodbeck’s research interests mostly centre around the evolution of cognition and memory.  Over the years Dave has done work on memory in many species including black-capped chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, pine siskins, pigeons, squirrel monkeys and even humans.  Dave hosts the podcast ‘Spit and Twitches: The Animal Cognition Podcast’ and is on the executive of the International Comparative Cognition Society. 

Dave has a study in preparation on the effects spoilers have on the enjoyment of stories.  He is doing this work in collaboration with science fiction author Tom Merritt.

Email: dave.brodbeck@algomau.ca

Dr. Jennifer Foote

Chair, Full Professor in the Department of Biology

Dr. Foote is an Associate Professor at Algoma University and The OVEN team-lead. Jenn is interested in understanding why birds sing at particular times of day. Her work focuses on the timing and content of both the dawn chorus and nocturnal vocal behaviour. Jenn completed a Post Doc with Dan Mennill at University of Windsor, PhD with Laurene Ratcliffe at Queen's University, MSc with Colleen Barber at Dalhousie University, and BSc at St. Mary's University. Jenn has been at Algoma University since 2010.

The OVEN is a reasearch lab in the Department of Biology at Algoma University. We study communication behaviour of temperate songbirds with a particular focus on nocturnal song and the dawn chorus. We also study the behavioural ecology of species at risk in Northern Ontario including Chimney Swifts and Piping Plovers. The OVEN acronym originates from our studies of Ovenbirds, Piping Plovers, and vocalizations of nesting birds but also the fact that the lab is often very hot.

Email: jennifer.foote@algomau.ca

Dr. Isabel Molina

Full Professor in the Department of Biology and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Plant Lipid Metabolism.

My group investigates the waxy skins that protect plants from the environment and that have critical functions in plant biology. We use functional genomic, biochemistry, cell biology and molecular genetic approaches to investigate the metabolic pathways that plants utilize to construct their protective lipid barriers, which consist of waxes and polymers of fatty acids. Understanding the biochemistry of these barriers will inform the selection of stress-tolerant plants and of seeds with improved longevity and germination. Helping plants - especially crops - to better withstand drought and high temperatures is increasingly important in an era of unprecedented climate change. Considering that the cells that make these lipids contain enzymes that produce novel fatty acids and hydrocarbons, greater insights into plant surface lipids can drive the development of novel crop varieties capable of producing larger amounts of waxes, lipid polymers or their building blocks, which have applications as renewable sources of energy or biobased chemicals.

Dr. Molina has B.Sc in Biochemistry from the National University of La Plata, Argentina, and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Michigan State University, MI, USA.

Email: isabel.molina@algomau.ca

Dr. Teryn Bruni

Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology

Dr. Bruni is a Paediatric Psychologist with expertise in integrated care, school psychology, and applied behaviour analysis. Her research interests include evaluating the effectiveness of single-session mental health interventions, the use of professional task-shifting to increase access to mental health support, and the promotion of psychological flexibility in youth. She is focused on establishing a program of research that is responsive to the needs of the community and aligns with ongoing mental health initiatives. Dr. Bruni is a licensed Psychologist in the state of Michigan and is currently in the process of pursing her registration in Ontario. She has maintained her behaviour analysis certification with the Behaviour Analysis Certification Board since 2011. Her predoctoral and postdoctoral training was in the area of behavioural pediatrics, which included rotations in integrated primary care, elimination disorders, weight management, sleep medicine, and feeding disorders. Dr. Bruni worked as a faculty member at Michigan Medicine for four years, where she provided and supervised mental health services within the pediatric primary care setting. During her time at Michigan Medicine, she became interested in the conduct of implementation research to improve patient access to evidence-based mental health interventions within the paediatric primary care setting.

Email: teryn.bruni@algomau.ca

Dr. Casey Burgess

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology

Casey is an Adjunct Professor who teaches topics in Developmental and Clinical/Counselling Psychology at Algoma U, Sault College, Yorkville University, and The MEHRIT Centre. As a Registered Psychotherapist, she has a private practice informed by Polyvagal Theory, mindfulness, embodiment, and self-regulation with a focus on child and youth assessment and therapeutic intervention. Casey is working with a local service organization to develop culturally sensitive assessment and therapy practices to support Indigenous children’s mental health, learning, and development. Casey’s research interests include: mental health and well-being including neurophysiological psychotherapeutic approaches of self-regulation; educational psychology including learning and processing differences and assessment of cognitive and socio-emotional development; and the reframing of autism and other developmental disorders using a neuroscientific lens. She is currently disseminating her dissertation research on the facilitation of self-regulation processes in the kindergarten classroom. Casey welcomes any discussions about her work or potential future research collaborations.

Email: casey.burgess@algomau.ca

Dr. William Dew

Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology

Dr. Dew is a professor of Environmental Science at Algoma University whose work focuses on the olfactory physiology, behaviour, and ecotoxicology of aquatic animals. He is interested in how aquatic animals perceive the environment around them through chemosensation, specifically olfaction, the connection between olfactory physiology and behaviour, and how these various endpoints can be affected by contamination in the environment. He has studied everything from the effects of copper and nickel on fish to the effects of clothianidin (a neonicotinoid pesticide) on crayfish. See his website for more information.

Email: william.dew@algomau.ca

Dr. Nirosha Murugan

Canada Research Chair Associate Professor in the Department of Biology

Cancers develop when cells fail to communicate and cooperate with their neighbors. Conventional anti-cancer therapies target and eliminate these faulty cells; however, their mechanisms are toxic to the rest of the human body, contributing to significant negative side effects in patients. Instead of eliminating cancer by causing cell death, it is now possible to harness the potential of cellular communication to instruct cancer cells to become normalized and re-integrate with the body. Using novel biomedical engineering strategies, my lab will be investigating how tissue microenvironments can direct cell fate to re-program cancer cells into healthy cells – eliminating cancer without harming normal tissues.

 My interdisciplinary background informs my broad teaching interests which include topics in neuroscience, human physiology, regenerative medicine, biochemistry, and biostatistics.  In my lectures I often synthesize up-to-date science and active learning strategies in an engaging format, that allows students to understand the bigger picture so they can apply the concepts to modern day problems. I encourage all my students to ask questions (the more far-fetched the better!), be curious, and open their minds to the stunning complexities of the biological world!

Email: nirosha.murugan@algomau.ca

Dr. Brandon Schamp

Full Professor in the Department of Biology and Head of the School of Life Sciences and the Environment

Dr. Schamp’s research is focused on answering questions related to why natural systems contain so many species, and relatedly, why no single species takes over. He is also interested in understanding why some species are more common than others, and how processes like competition and dispersal shape natural systems.

View Dr. Brandon Schamp’s website to learn more about his research.

Email: brandon.schamp@algomau.ca

Dr. Mahreen Nasir

Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science and Technology

Dr. Mahreen Nasir is an Assistant Professor at the School of Computer Science and IT at Algoma University. Prior to joining AlgomaU she has graduated as a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Windsor. Her research interests are in Data Mining and Analytics, Machine learning and Deep learning with applications in E-commerce Product Recommendation Systems. Besides research and teaching, Dr. Mahreen is actively involved in various mentoring activities for women and young girls. In the recent years, she was part of various initiatives such as GoCodeGirl, Mitacs Globalink Research Mentor, Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS-Windsor Student Chapter) and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). Dr. Mahreen is passionate about teaching and her teaching career spans over a decade with university teaching experiences in South Asia (Pakistan), Middle East (Saudi Arabia) and North America (Canada). During her career, she had the opportunity to organise various conferences and exhibitions for students and had led many training sessions, workshops and competitions. She has received several awards and appreciations during her academic career in the Middle East including the "Best Faculty Member Award". Dr. Mahreen had also obtained various scholarships including the prestigious and competitive "Ontario Graduate Scholarship" and the "Doctoral Entrance Scholarship" due to her excellent academic records. Dr. Mahreen has also published several papers in ACM and IEEE journals and conferences. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading books and going for a riverside walk.

Email:       mahreen.nasir@algomau.ca

Linkedin:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahreennasir/

Dr. Chantal Lemieux

Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology

My main research interests are in Cognitive Psychology where I have experience in several areas within the domain of higher-order cognition, including face perception, spatial cognition, metacognition and driving. Most recently, I have been focused on gender differences in spatial cognition, particularly visual spatial cue processing and performance monitoring. I am particularly excited to be teaching Sensation and Perception where I have several physical in-class demonstrations and illusions which make for a fun course! My other teaching interests include: Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience, Scientific Method and Analysis, and Laboratories in Psychology.

Dr. Ajmery Sultana

Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science and Technology

Dr. Ajmery Sultana received her Ph.D degree from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Toronto, ON, Canada, in 2018. She served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Computer Science at Toronto Metropolitan University from 2018-2019. She worked as part-time faculty at Toronto Metropolitan University, Ontario Tech University and Algoma University, ON, Canada from 2019-2022. She joined as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Algoma University in August 2022. She is a member of the IEEE Communication and Vehicular Society. She is also volunteering as Vice Chair, IEEE Vehicular Technology Society (Toronto Section). Her research interest includes radio resource management in device-to-device communication and for Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning for communication and networking systems and blockchain-enabled resource management for 5G and beyond networks.

E-mail: ajmery.sultana@algomau.ca

Dr. Elaine Ho-Tassone

Adjunct Professor in the School of Life Sciences and the Environment

Dr. Elaine Ho-Tassone is the Director of Operations at the NORDIK Institute, a community-focused research and development organization affiliated with Algoma University.  She is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Life Sciences and the Environment (Faculty of Sciences) at Algoma University, and Researcher-in-Residence for Waterlution (a national, youth and water focused non-profit organization).  A recognized water researcher in the Algoma region, Dr. Ho-Tassone is an appointee to the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s Canada Water Agency Task Force – a role in which she led a series of community engagement discussions around the potential mandate and location for the Agency.  She currently leads an Upper Great Lakes community-based monitoring project in partnership with the Missanabie Cree First Nation, the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority, and more than a dozen other partners. Visit Dr. Ho-Tassone's research website to learn more.

Dr. Ho-Tassone holds a PhD from the Social and Ecological Sustainability (Water) program in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at University of Waterloo.  During her studies, she also earned a Diploma in Environmental Assessment and a Graduate Certificate in University Teaching.  Her research won the ‘Our Water – Our Life – The Most Valuable Resource’ award from the Canadian Water Resources Association in 2019, and she was awarded two Algoma Visionary Awards – Environmental and Natural Resources Award and Young Professional of the Year – in January 2022.  

Email: elaine.hotassone@algomau.ca

Indigenous Research Spotlight Presentation: Intercultural Collaborations: A Settler’s Lessons Learned