Sean is pursuing his MSc degree under the combined supervision of Steve Wiseman and Greg Pyle working to better understand how spills of diluted bitumen (dilbit) affects aquatic organisms with a specific focus on how environmental factors (evaporation and combination with sediment) alter the potency of chemicals released by dilbit. Currently, Sean is exposing freshwater amphipods and zebrafish to the water-soluble fraction of weathered sediment-bound dilbit and measuring enzyme activity and performing qPCR for genes related to oxidative stress and changes in behaviour. Sean has been awarded the prestigious Nexen Fellowship in Water Research for this project. Sean hopes to work with organizations/government that focus on anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems and develop more sustainable practices for us in aquatic ecosystems. In the meantime, you can keep up with Sean's work through ResearchGate and LinkedIn!
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