Waterloo Biology

The Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo is dedicated to amplifying Indigenous histories and cultures, driving the initiative to transform science education by weaving Indigenous and Western scientific teachings into the classroom.

For Aparajita Bhattacharya, who is graduating with a Master of Arts degree in Public Issues Anthropology, the interdisciplinary nature of her graduate student experience opened doors to new research paths and an exciting future.

The Water Institute proudly congratulatesDr. Mark Servoson receiving the 2024 Outstanding Contribution Award from the Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop (CEW), Canada’s leading annual event in the field of ecological toxicology and related disciplines. Formerly known as the Aquatic Toxicity Workshop (ATW), CEW recognized Dr. Servos for his exceptional and enduring contributions to Canadian ecotoxicology.

In a temperate montane forestinsouthernQuébec,all is quiet. But if you dig a little deeper,you’llsee the landscape has a story to tell.Waterloo plant ecologistDr.JulieMessier, alongside her collaborators from Sherbrooke, is uncovering vital insights into the changes affecting our forests—knowledge that could be crucial in safeguarding Canada’s temperate forests.

When asked about his research,Dr. Dale Martinhas a simple answer. “We study why cells in the brain die in the hopes of developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases,” he explains. On the other side of his office wall,his labhums like something big is in the works. And it is.

Written by: Angelica Marie Sanchez Two University of Waterloo researchers, Drs. Ihab Ilyas and Laura Hug, are being recognized as a Royal Society of Canada (RSC) fellow and a member of the RSC College. “Recognition from the RSC is an outstanding acknowledgement of research excellence,” says Dr. Charmaine Dean, vice-president of Research and International at Waterloo.

Two students from the faculties of Science and Mathematics are exploring new ways to bring cultivated seafood to the table. Kevin Shen (BCS ’24) and Rikard Saqe’s idea to apply computational modelling to understand how fish cells grow and transform, has earned them more than $700,000 in grants from the Good Food Institute (GFI), Mitacs and New Harvest to scale their research efforts.

This week, students and faculty in the Department of Biology gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of their colleagues at the 2024 Biology Awards. Awards were presented to undergraduate and graduate students as well as teaching staff. A reception followed the event, allowing students and staff to mingle and connect.

The Faculty of Science mourns the loss of Geoffrey Power, former Biology department chair and one of the department's founders. In his obituary, his family shared how his strong connection to the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Science shaped both him and the Faculty. He joined Waterloo in 1957 as the very first biologist on staff and over the next few decades he was instrumental in creating the Biology department curriculum, even serving as interim Chair of the department for four years.

By Sarah Fullerton, Digital Communications Specialist Professor Brian Dixon and a team of researchers have been awarded a grant of $1,598,510 as part of the InnovetAMR international funding call, jointly supported by the International Development Research Centre and UK AID. This funding initiative targets the reduction of antibiotic usage in agriculture and aquaculture to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens.