Current postdocs and graduate students
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Olwyn Friesen
Weston Postdoc 2019-present olwynfriesen_at_gmail.com www.olwynfriesen.com CV Northern diversity and biogeography of trematodes and their molluscan hosts My research focuses on the diversity of freshwater molluscs and their parasites throughout the Arctic from coast to coast, where low biodiversity makes this area particularly vulnerable to biotic community changes. The research will provide critical information on the biogeography of snails and their parasites in the Arctic, as well as provide insights into ecosystem health. |
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Scott Malotka
PhD student 2017-present malotkas_at_myumanitoba.ca CV Evolutionary ecology of host-parasite interactions My research investigates species diversity, speciation, and transmission dynamics of echinostome trematodes. I examine these factors using a variety of morphological, molecular, and experimental approaches. My research will improve estimates and methods for identifying echinostome diversity across a broad geographical scale and provide insights into mechanisms that influence their transmission. |
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Ashley Pidwerbesky
MSc student 2019-present USRA research award, 2019 Where are moose at risk of parasite infection in Manitoba? I will determine the abundance of brainworm and giant liver fluke in white-tailed deer and gastropod hosts in Manitoba. I will then determine whether this is associated with moose population levels and climate variables. My research will provide insights into the relative role of endoparasitic disease in moose declines. This project is funded by grants from the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund and Moose Stewardship Conservation program created by Manitoba Hydro. |
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Emma Rempel
MSc student 2019-present NSERC research award, 2019 Can a taxonomic quagmire be untangled? Snails are indicators of ecosystem health and are essential hosts for many helminth parasites. However, there are disagreements about species-level identification that impact diversity estimates and knowledge of parasite life cycles. I will assess samples of planorbid snails from nature and museum collections and integrate morphological, barcoding and genomic analyses to more accurately characterize the diversity within this group of important molluscs. |
Current undergraduate students
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Carly Gair
Co-op Research Assistant, Summer 2020, Winter 2021, Summer 2021 |
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Emily Slicer
Summer Research Assistant, 2021 Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2021 |
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Angela Rasmussen-Berrington
Summer Research Assistant 2021; Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2021 |
Naomi Derksen
Summer Research Assistant 2021 |
Mackenzie Medeiros
Summer Research Assistant 2021; NSERC Indigenous Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2021 |
Former graduate students
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Chenhua Li
MSc student 2015-2017 NOW: PhD candidate, University of Calgary |
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Asma Sultana
MSc student 2016-2018 NOW: PhD student, University of Manitoba |
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Lauren Wiens
MSc student 2016-2018, Honours student 2014-2015 NOW: Biologist II, Dept of Fisheries & Oceans |
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Demi Gagnon
MSc student 2017-2019 Co-op Res. Assistant 2016-2017 NOW: Wildlife health technician, Sustainable Manitoba |
Former undergraduate students
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Ali Kandil
Summer Research Assistant, 2020 Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2020; Mick Burt Award for Outstanding Poster Presentation in the PIE section, Canadian Society of Zoologists, 2021; William C. Marquardt Award for Best Paper Presentation by an Undergraduate Student, Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists, 2020 |
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Charith Karunatilake
Summer Research Assistant, 2020 Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2020 NOW: University of Manitoba Medical School |
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Josh Kowalchuk
Summer Research Assistant, 2020 NOW: Field Breeding Research Assistant, Bayer |
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Min Xian Ngae
Summer Research Assistant, 2019 NOW: Sample Login Clerk, ALS Environmental |
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Catherine Unrau
Summer Research Assistant, 2018 |
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Mark Kristian Jovero
Summer Research Assistant, 2018 |
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Jia Ming Tan
Summer Research Assistant, 2016 - 2017 Undergraduate Research Award, 2017; Faculty of Science Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2016 |
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Osasumwen (Osy) Osifo
Summer Research Assistant, 2017 Faculty of Science Undergraduate Student Research award, 2017 NOW: Admissions Counselor, Booth University |
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Laura Eliuk
Honours student, 2015 - 2016 NSERC Research Award, 2016; Faculty of Science Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2015 NOW: MSc student at University of Victoria |
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Carmen Tse
Summer Research Assistant, 2015 NSERC Research Award, 2015 NOW: University of Manitoba Medical School |
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Kate Parkinson
Co-op Research Assistant, 2015 Faculty of Science Undergraduate Student Research award, 2015 NOW: University of Manitoba Medical School |
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Yuya Miyashita
Research Assistant and Skills student, 2015 |
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Tamaghna Chakraborty
Research Assistant, 2015 - 2016 |
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Parisa Selseleh
Summer Research Assistant, 2015 - 2016 NSERC Research Award, 2016; Marc Dresden Student Travel grant, American Society of Parasitologists, 2016; Undergraduate Travel Support, 2016; ICAN-WISE scholarship, 2015 NOW: University of Manitoba Medical School |
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David Almeida
Research Assistant, 2015 Science Without Borders student, 2015 NOW: Health agent, Maceió municipal government, Brazil |
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Rachel Donnelly
Honours student, 2014 - 2015 Marc Dresden Student Travel grant, American Society of Parasitologists, 2015; Undergraduate Travel Support, University of Manitoba, 2015 |
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Nikola Svitlica
Honours student, 2014 - 2015 Undergraduate Travel Support, University of Manitoba, 2015 NOW: University of Manitoba Medical School |
Collaborators
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Drs. Jake Stout & Harold Aukema
Fatty acid analysis/signaling molecules University of Manitoba |
Dr. Jim Roth
Stable isotopes University of Manitoba |
Drs. Charles Criscione & Isabel Caballero - parasite mating systems and pentastomes
Texas A&M University |
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Dr. Lisa Belden - ecology of trematodes
Virginia Tech |
Dr. Russell Wyeth - snail behaviour analysis
St. Francis Xavier University |
