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Faculty

Lyn Baldwin, PhD
Department Co-Chairperson and Professor
lybaldwin@tru.ca
250-377-6167
Office: S248

Courses: Principles of Biology 2, Evolution & Ecology of Land Plants, Systematics of Flowering Plants, Plant Ecology, Field Methods in Terrestrial Ecology
Research Interests: Plant ecology

Eric Bottos, PhD
Assistant Professor
ebottos@tru.ca
250-377-6065
Office: S310

Courses: Principles of Biology 1, Microbial Ecology, Advanced Microbiology Laboratory, From DNA to Ecosystems: Reading and Writing Great Biology
Research Interests: Microbial ecology, with a focus on understanding controls on microbial community dynamics in changing Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems

Naowarat (Ann) Cheeptham, PhD
Professor & 2022 3M National Teaching Fellow
ncheeptham@tru.ca
250-371-5891
Office: S354

Courses: Introductory Microbiology, Molecular Evolution, Fermentation, Introduction to Research, Medical Microbiology, International Field School – Thailand (Microorganisms, Human Impacts, and Climate Change)

Research Interests: Cave microbiomes, drug discovery, white-nose syndrome in bats, alternative options to antibiotics, cave biomineralization, cave biofluorescence, and microbiology education

Stephanie Chaput, BSc
schaput@tru.ca
250-852-6897
Office: S217

Labs: Biology of Humans, Principles of Biology 1 & 2, Human Biology: Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2

Don Ferguson, BSc
Assistant Teaching Professor
dferguson@tru.ca
250-371-5545
Office: S348

Labs: Human Biology: Anatomy and Physiology 1, Introductory Microbiology, Cell Biology, Introductory Genetics, Introductory Ecology

Louis A. Gosselin, PhD
Professor (Full)
lgosselin@tru.ca
250-828-5423
Office: RC203

Courses: Evolution of Animal Body Plans, Introduction to Ecology Community & Ecosystem Ecology, Population Biology, Introduction to Research, Field Methods in Marine Ecology
Research Interests: Ecology of early juvenile marine invertebrates: life history, mortality factors, adaptations, behaviour; invasive and threatened species. Ecology of invertebrates inhabiting saline ponds (alkaline ponds) of the BC interior

Rob Higgins, PhD
Department Co-Chairperson and Associate Professor
rhiggins@tru.ca
250-828-5452
Office: S316

Courses: Natural Resource Entomology (NRSC 4020), Population Biology (BIOL 3030), Directed Studies Coordinator(BIOL 4480)
Research Interests: Ants (Myrmecology), Entomology, Invasive Species, Pacific Northwest Ant Biodiversity, Ticks

Stephen Joly, BSc
Assistant Teaching Professor
sjoly@tru.ca
250-371-5572
Office: S207

Labs: Principles of Biology 1 & 2, Biology of the Environment, Evolution of Animal Body Plans, Terrestrial Vertebrate Zoology

Don Nelson, PhD
Associate Professor
dnelson@tru.ca
250-828-5425
Office S346

Courses: Molecular Genetics, Biochemical Techniques 2, Advanced Seminar in Selected Topics in Biology, Chemical Biology Laboratory
Research Interests: Application of molecular techniques to the study of embryonic development and neuroscience

Christine Petersen, MSc
Associate Teaching Professor
cpetersen@tru.ca
250-371-5746
Office S338

Labs: Principles of Biology 1 & 2, Human Biology: Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2, Introduction to Ecology, Evolution & Ecology of Land Plants

Susan Purdy, MSc
Associate Teaching Professor and BSc Advisor
spurdy@tru.ca
250-828-5166
Office S229

Labs: Principles of Biology 1 & 2, Evolution of Animal Body Plans, Animal Behaviour
Lectures: Biology of the Environment

Mark Rakobowchuk, PhD
Department Co-Chairperson and Associate Professor
mrakobowchuk@tru.ca
250-371-5544
Office: S328

Courses: Human Physiology I and II, Cell Physiology
Research interests: Human vascular adaptations to physiological perturbations, the interplay between platelets and vascular health, microvesicles and progenitor cells and their role in exercise induced adaptations.

Natasha Ramroop Singh, PhD
Assistant Teaching Professor
nramroopsingh@tru.ca
250-371-5587
Office S322

Courses: Introduction to Biology I, Introduction to Biochemistry, Biochemical Techniques I, Introduction to Genetics, Biochemistry, Regulation of Gene Expression
Research Interests: Primary research involves identification of genes and genetic markers (in specific populations) which increase susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancers and investigating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which may be predictive of disease as well as an individual's response to certain nutrients. Such information can be applied to clinical settings to reduce the incidence and mortality of CVDs and cancer.

Matthew Reudink, PhD
Associate Professor
mreudink@tru.ca
250-828-5428
Office S326

Courses: Principles of Conservation Biology, Evolution
Research Interests: Behavioural ecology, sexual selection and ornithology; use of genetic and biogeochemical tools to track the year-round ecology of migratory animals

Karen Ross, MSc
Associate Teaching Professor
kross@tru.ca
250-371-5535
Office S110

Lectures: Biology of Humans, Human Biology: Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2
Research Interests: Exercise induced changes in the diabetic heart

Solmaz Irani, PhD
Assistant Teaching Professor
sirani@tru.ca
250-828-5436
Office: S318

Courses: Plant Physiology, Cell Biology, Cell Physiology
Research Interests:Understanding how plants respond and tolerate stress conditions such as drought, nutrient deficiencies, and salinity. Combining the use of molecular biology, plant physiology and biochemistry to study the mechanisms involved in plant stress responses. Primary research focus is on naturally tolerant extremophile plants to identify adaptation mechanisms and physiological adjustments that these plants make when faced with stress in their environment

Emily Studd, PhD
Assistant Professor
estudd@tru.ca
250-852-7106
Office: S211

Courses: Biometrics
Research Interests:Understanding how animal behaviour and seasonality shape populations, communities, and species interactions; biologging tools; energetics; terrestrial vertebrates; mathematical theory.

Joanna Urban, RT, MSc, PhD
Associate Teaching Professor
jurban@tru.ca
250-371-5542
Office: S352

Labs: Introductory Microbiology coordinator, Cell Physiology, Human Physiology
Lectures: Veterinary Microbiology, Medical Microbiology, Advanced Microbiology
Research Interests: Medical Microbiology, Molecular genetics and applications

Jonathan D. Van Hamme, PhD
Professor
jvanhamme@tru.ca
250-377-6064
Office: S240

Courses: Introductory Microbiology, Microbial Physiology, Microbial Ecology, Advanced Microbiology Laboratory
Research Interests: Environmental microbiology and biotechnology

Science Laboratory Coordinator

Margaret Sonnenfeld, Ph.D
Biology Lab Coordinator
msonnenfeld@tru.ca

250-371-5796
Office: S318

Research interests: The biology of small molecules, especially antibiotics from microorganisms

Cori Lausen, PhD

https://wcsbats.ca/team

Research interests: Bat behaviour; landscape genetic physiology; winter bat activity and hibernation in western Canada and white-nose syndrome, a catastrophic disease impacting bats in North America

Simon Shamoun, PhD

http://nofc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/employees/read/sshamoun

Research interests: Biotechnology and bioproducts; indigenous and invasive alien forest diseases; biological control agents; population biology and molecular diversity of forest pathogens