Lab members

Andrew Medeiros, PhD, Principal Investigator

Research areas: Hydrologic modelling, climate reconstructions, freshwater ecology, Indigenous perceptions of water and the environment.

Alannah Niemeyer, MES Candidate, Dalhousie University

Alannah is from Mount Albert, Ontario. She completed her B.Sc. Hon. in Biology at Trent University. Alannah is currently working on understanding productivity on aquatic ecosystems along permafrost degradation gradients near Inuvik, NWT.

Victoria Watson, M.E.S. Candidate, Dalhousie University

Victoria is from Guelph, Ontario. She completed her B.Sc. Hon. in Environmental Science at Guelph University, focusing on organic matter impacts on the bioavailability of pesticides in water, and analyzing fisheries management and licensing on Canada’s West Coast. Starting in September, 2019, Victoria will be studying the vulnerability of Sable Island’s freshwater ecosystems.

Allison Covert, MES Candidate, Dalhousie University

Allison is from Ancaster Ontario. She completed her B.Sc. Hons. degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, majoring in Biology and minoring in Environmental Studies. There, she studied in the P.E.A.R.L lab investigating the long-term changes of Chrysophyte assemblages in lakes in the Adirondacks.  Here at SRES Allison is completing a thesis project looking at whether climate change has had an impact on freshwater systems in the North, near Coral Harbour, NU.


Paige Cincio, MSc Candidate, University of Ottawa

Paige is from Peterborough, Ontario. She completed her B.Sc. Hon. in Biology at Trent University focusing on understanding the diversity of benthic bioindicators in Nunavut. Paige is currently undertaking her M.Sc. on reconstructing the productivity of Small Fish Lake, Igloolik, Nunavut as part of the Water Security for Northern Peoples project co-supervised by Sonia Wesche.

Djuradj Milosevic, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Niš

Djuradj is from the city of Niš in Serbia. He holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Niš with a research focus on freshwater community ecology. Starting September 2019, he will be working on a Arctic Biomonitoring project which looks to quantify the relationship between biological indicators and environmental gradients in the north.

Kathleen Hipwell, BSc Hon. Biology, Research Assistant
Kathleen is from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She completed her bachelors at Saint Mary’s University and has CABIN Project Manager Certification.  She is currently working on an Environmental Engineering Technology Diploma from NSCC. Her work as a research assistant is part of her internship in this program. Outside of work, Kathleen spends her time hiking and doting on her beloved weiner dog, Phi.
Alex Soontiens-olsen, BA Environmental Sustainability & Social Anthropology, Research Assistant
Alex was born on Vancouver Island, then lived in Dawson Creek, British Columbia (no relation to the show…) . She graduated from Dalhousie University in May 2019. Her background is in non-profits and social theory. She hopes to begin graduate studies in 2020. Her passion for organization and spreadsheets makes her a necessary evil in the labs functioning.
Carol Pietka, MA Candidate, University of Ottawa
Carol works in the Ottawa branch. Her areas of research are vulnerability and adaption to environmental change, water security, and socio-hydrological systems.
Sarah Newell, PhD, University of Ottawa
Sarah works in the Ottawa branch. Her areas of research are Health Policy, Community-based methods, Food and Water Security, and Community Health and Well-being.

Past Students:


Andy Williams, 2018-2019, BSc Water Studies, Trent University

Andrew is from Wellington County, Ontario. He is currently undertaking his B.Sc. Hon. in Water Science at Trent University. His undergraduate thesis is on detecting biological impairment in northern streams.

Michael Bakaic, MES, Research Assistant

Michael is from Toronto, Ontario. He completed his M.E.S. in Northern Community Development Strategies at York University. Michael is trained as a cold-weather engineer, and has a B.Eng. in mechanical engineering from the University of Toronto. He is currently the CTO of Fibos Inc and a research consultant on the Water Security for Northern Peoples project.