I am fascinated by the diversity of microorganisms and the dependence of ecosystems on microbial processes. My expertise is in marine microbial ecology, and my research has focused on primary producers, including the biogeography of cyanobacteria and the diversity of viruses infecting harmful bloom forming phytoplankton. My research program has expanded to understanding trophic interactions of the lower food web, particularly protist symbionts of zooplankton, and microbial symbiosis in insect guts. I also have collaborations investigating the effects of climate change on peat bogs, microbial-influenced corrosion, and sustainability in agriculture. In my research, I specialize in developing molecular, genomics, metabarcoding, and bioinformatic methods to elucidate the biology and ecology of environmental microbes.
I am a Chemical Engineer and PhD in Sciences (Biochemistry). My research has focused on several areas: xenobiotics biodegradation, microbial ecology, analysis of genomic/metagenomic data, viromics, and monitoring microbiomes (bacteriome and virome) in various environments.
Currently, as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Western Ontario, I am studying the microbiota of transgender people and develop bioinformatic approaches for gene and protein sequence clustering.
As a Colombian and first-generation scientist, I am passionate about empowering students, particularly underrepresented minorities, to pursue careers in science.
Click to watch Jorge's award-winning 2-minute Research Sprint!
Being obsessed with microorganisms and their role in the environment, I studied Microbiology for my undergraduate degree, which laid the foundation for my subsequent work and research in environmental microbiology and biotechnology at the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI; Tehran, Iran). I then completed a master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Tehran, where I focused on the effects of combined ozonation and biodegradation techniques on the saline soil microbiome while remediating PAH-contaminated soils. Since 2019, I have been working on microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), and my current PhD project (supervised by Dr. Tai and Dr. Hedberg) continues this focus, aiming to advance our understanding and mitigation of MIC.
I graduated from Western in 2022 with a B.Sc. in Biology and Genetics, and I am very excited to begin the MSc in collaboration with Dr. Tai and Dr. Lindo. I developed an interest in the effect of climate change on soils through plant, microbiology, and genetic courses I took during undergrad, and personal interest in agriculture and crop production. I also had the opportunity to do computational work using R, UNIX and Python to analyze data from microarrays, made databases for bacteria, and built primers, as a volunteer. In the fall of 2022 I joined the lab to work on a project which involves examining microbial community composition and biomass between ambient and experimentally warmed peatland plots. With my research I hope to capture a snapshot of changes in microbial dynamics in response to experimental warming, and in doing so improve global models by providing baseline estimates of how carbon cycles may change in peatlands under climate change conditions.
Richard grew up in Toronto and completed his B.Sc in Biology at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is currently studying the effects of microbial-influenced corrosion on mild steel. Outside of biology, Richard enjoys keeping up with the latest tech, hiking, and being immeasurably disappointed over the Leafs.
If you are motivated by microbial ecology, diversity and evolution, genomics, or bioinformatics, this could be the lab for you!
Visit our Research page to learn about current projects and contact Dr. Tai with your CV and university transcript.
TBA!, Honour's thesis student, 2023-2024
Currently working in biotechnology and pursuing a Bioinformatics graduate degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Co-supervised with Ed Topp, Liam's research used metagenomics to examine the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in agricultural soils exposed to antibiotic pollution. Currently a Bioinformatician with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Rosie's research focused on the use of DNA-based methods to evaluate the diversity and distribution of protist parasites in zooplankton populations. Now a Marine Genomics Lab Technician at the Hakai Institute.
Jessika Noenchen, Honour's thesis student, co-supervised with Ed Topp at Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada
Sarah Gowanlock, Honour's thesis student, co-supervised with Jessica Prodger, 2021-2022
Mikhail Salnikov, Work-study student, co-supervised with Ryan Troyer, 2021-2022
Lydia Balogh, Honour's thesis student, 2020-2021
Andrew Metcalfe, Honour's thesis student, 2020-2021
Jaquline Nathaniel, Honour's thesis student, 2020-2021
Manveer Sangha, Honour's thesis student, 2020-2021
Alexandra Hicks, Honour's thesis student, 2019-2020
Irina Todoran, Honour's thesis student, 2019-2020
Alexandra Ferrara, Honour's thesis student, 2017-2019
Vivian Ng, Honour's thesis student, 2017-2018
Jonathan Wang, volunteer, 2018
