Marc started his grad studies in 2021 under Dr. Cullingham, with co-supervision from Dr. Ludwig (PHAC) and Dr. Lapen (AAFC). His work revolves around understanding the factors associated with mosquito-borne disease presence in urban, rural, and natural environments. He employs a multidisciplinary approach, utilizing landscape genomics, vector ecology, and GIS tools to unveil habitat and climatic conditions linked to the rate and direction of viral transmission. By studying the relationships between vector/host interactions and virus activity, Marc aims to create tools to help better track and predict disease hotspots. Outside of research, he enjoys fishing, hiking, travelling, DJing, and hanging out with friends and family. 

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Mina, is a PhD student in Dr. Catherine Cullingham's lab. Her work centers on unraveling the genetic mechanisms that empower jack pine (Pinus banksiana), to withstand pests, and pathogens, specially Mountain Pine Beetle and Western gall rust. By focusing on deciphering the genetic code of jack pine, she aims to pinpoint the genes responsible for resistance and harness this knowledge for the benefit of our forests. In addition, Mina delves into identifying shared genetic factors within conifers that confer resistance to both climate change and pests or pathogens, aiming to uncover common genes responsible for these dual adaptations. This research not only deepens our understanding of conifer resilience but also provides crucial insights for the conservation and sustainable management of our forests in a changing world.

Caroline is a graduate student who joined the GP3 lab in 2022, to begin her master’s program at Carleton University. This comes after completing her honours bachelor’s degree in biopharmaceuticals with a specialization in genomics at uOttawa. Her academic interests include population genetics, bioinformatics, and ecology. Her research focuses on a genomic analysis of the Mountain Pine Beetle in its range expansion, as a part of the TriA-FoR project. In her free time, Caroline loves doing arts and crafts or being outdoors in nature. 

As a Masters student under Professor Catherine mentorship, Roqeeb started with a 4th year research proposal centered on Copy Number Variation (CNV), probing its significance in genetic diversity and disease susceptibility in mountain pine beetles. He also worked as an I-CUREUS intern focused on genome alignment tools and mapping. Now, he is working on his MSc thesis with PhD student Marc which focuses on understanding the factors associated with mosquito-borne disease using bioinformatic tools. Through these experiences, he has honed his expertise in bioinformatics pipelines, data analysis, and genomic research.

Melanie has been studying parasitoid wasps at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada since 2017. During her BSc at Carleton University, she joined the GP3 lab to complete her thesis: a biodiversity assessment of Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the Ottawa area. As of May of 2023, she began her graduate studies with the GenARCC project, and is taking a population genetics approach to look into insect decline due to climate change and anthropogenic activity. 

Melanie has also taken an interest in cacti – specifically a disjunct population of Opuntia fragilis near Kaladar, Ontario. She is performing a population genetics study to hopefully gain a sense of the population’s origins and time of establishment. 

Melanie’s topics of interest include parasitology, polyploidy, sex determination systems, and sex allocation. You may contact her at melaniebeaudin@cmail.carleton.ca

Donovan is a graduate student in the labs of both Dr. Catherine Cullingham at Carleton University and Dr. Bryan Brunet at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. An aspiring resident “bug guy,” Donovan is researching several species of aphids that are pests of blueberry crops. He hopes to uncover why one species is a vector of Blueberry Scorch Virus, while other closely related species do not spread the disease. When he’s not marveling over anything with six legs, Donovan enjoys board games, windsurfing, and…marveling over anything with six legs.

Jess is a graduate student who joined the lab in 2021, after finishing her bachelor’s at Carleton University. Her research is a part of the TRIA-FoR research grant looking at the eastern spread risk of mountain pine beetle using host genetic ancestry. Her work primarily focuses withing the jack x lodgepole pine hybrid zone. Her academic interests included landscape ecology, conservation, genetics and is passionate about STEM education. In her free time, Jess enjoys hiking, camping and trivia. 

Grace is a master’s student who joined the GP3 Lab in 2023. Her project is part of TRIA-FoR and focuses on utilizing genotype-environmental associations to identify local adaptation in jack pine, an important conifer species in North America. She hopes to implement adaptive variation to improve predictions of habitat suitability. She completed her honors bachelor’s in forensic science at Trent University and is broadly interested in bioinformatics, population genetics, as well as research geared toward conservation. Outside of academics, she enjoys hiking outdoors, swimming, and drawing.

Saanchi joined the labs of Dr. Cullingham and Dr. Galindo-Gonzalez (CFIA) in 2024 after completing her BSc in biochemistry at the University of Waterloo. Her current research goal is to develop a protocol to detect noxious weed seeds from the seed soil bank and bulk seed using DNA metabarcoding in order to improve detection efficiency of pests. Her academic interests include plant molecular biology, genetics, and bioinformatics. Outside of research, she enjoys hiking, dancing, travelling, and baking.

Bianca is a graduate student in the Cullingham Lab examining population structure methods and their robustness across different life histories. She completed an undergrad degree in molecular and cellular biology at Carleton in June 2024. Her undergraduate thesis project centered on using genomics to estimate jack pine resiliency to mountain pine beetle in the boreal forest. Outside of academia, she enjoys travelling, reading, bingeing TV, and snuggling with her dog.

Shelby is an undergraduate student in Honours Biology working alongside Melanie Beaudin in Dr. Cullingham’s Lab to investigate a disjunct population of the cactus Opuntia fragilis near Kaladar, Ontario. Her work focuses on using a population genetics approach to examine the genetic diversity and potential origins of the population.  Her academic interests include ecology and population genetics, specifically in plants and insects. Outside of academia she enjoys puzzles, reading, baking, and spending time outdoors.

Mehra completed her undergraduate degree in wildlife biology and conservation at the University of Guelph. She recently finished her Master’s degree in biology at Western University, where she studied the evolutionary effect of trophy hunting on horn characteristics in Yukon thinhorn sheep. Currently, she has joined the GP3 lab in 2024 as a lab technician and aims to undertake a PhD with the lab studying the landscape genetics of West Nile disease spread in Canada.