Dr. Lars L. Iversen (Group leader)

I am an Assistant Professor in freshwater ecosystem responses to global change at the Department of Biology at McGill University. I am trained partly as a freshwater ecologist and partly as a landscape geographer at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, from which I received my Ph.D. degree. Previously, I’ve worked as an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Macroecology at the University of Copenhagen and a research fellow at the Macrosystems Ecology Laboratory at UC Berkeley and Arizona State University.

Dr. Alice Dalla Vecchia (Postdoctoral researcher)

I am a Postdoc in the frame of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions postdoctoral fellowships, based at the Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability of the University of Parma, Italy, and at the Department of Biology of McGill University. My project is titled “DIVE IN – Predicting functional diversity of invasive freshwater plants” and aims at predicting invasive species performance at medium to large geographical scale. My interests lie in describing the drivers of functional traits variability in freshwater plants, as well as understanding the causes and consequences of invasion success in freshwater communities. I graduated in Ecology and Nature Conservation at the University of Parma, where I also obtained my Ph.D. degree in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology. 

Dr. Yang Liu (Postdoctoral researcher)

 I am a Postdoc at McGill University's Department of Biology, focusing on the functional traits of aquatic plants. I earned my Ph.D. in Ecology from Wuhan Botanical Garden (WBG), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2023. Throughout my research, I aim to comprehend plant ecology, specifically within the context of aquatic plant adaptation and growth strategies. As part of this effort, I have investigated the maximum plant height of aquatic plants with different life forms, identifying the influencing factors associated with it.

Lindsay Trottier (PhD Student)

I am a PhD student in the Department of Biology at McGill University. Broadly, I am interested in how human activities impact freshwater ecosystems and how these ecosystems may respond. My research is mainly focused on examining the linkages between aquatic plant traits and their physical environment, and determining how changing environmental conditions may alter the functionality of freshwater ecosystems at various spatial and temporal scales. Before this, I completed an MSc in Geography at Carleton University (2021), where my master’s thesis examined the spatial and temporal variation of algae and water quality in the Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada. In 2018, I completed a BSc (Hons) in Biology with a specialization in animal physiology at the University of Ottawa.

Nakiya Noorbhai (PhD Student)

I am a PhD student in the department of Biology. I previously graduated with a BSc in Computer Science from Mcgill University. My research involves using data-science methods to gain insight on the complex relationships with sand mining that exist across sub-Saharan Africa. Through this, I hope to provide evidence of the impacts of mining activities on biodiversity and relate this to other global threats such as river damming and extensive fisheries. I will also aim to examine whether it is possible to mitigate the damage to local communities, biodiversity, and the physical environment caused by sand-mining, while accounting for the increasing urbanization and socio-economic instability that drives this activity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Grace Fedirchuk (Master Student)

I am an MSc student in the Gregory-Eaves and Iversen labs in the Department of Biology at McGill University. My research involves using sedimentary DNA to investigate macrophyte community changes in southern Quebec lakes over time. Through this, I hope to provide insight into how the macrophyte community composition has shifted over the past ~150 years in the region. I also hope to determine when the invasive Eurasian watermilfoil species can be detected in these lakes. I recently completed my BSc (Hons) with a concentration in cellular, molecular, and developmental biology at the University of Manitoba.

Aelis Spiller (Honours Student)

I am in my final year at McGill, completing an Honours degree in Earth System Science (Bsc) and a minor in Hispanic Studies. My interests broadly span the intersection of physical geography, ecology, and the anthroposphere. I hope to approach climate, ecological, and environmental issues through an inter-disciplinary earth science lens and with multi-cultural awareness. Beginning in the Summer of 2023, I will be completing an honours project under the supervision of Dr. Iversen, performing a meta-analysis of the mechanisms of and relationships between global threats to freshwater biodiversity.

Christophe Brabant (Honours Student)

I am in the final year of my Bsc (Honours) in Biology at McGill University. My interests lie primarily in conservation and sustainability, spanning across the intersection of aquatic biology, ecology, and geography. I will be completing an honours project under the supervision of Dr. Iversen, exploring the global threat of sand mining to freshwater biodiversity. Before this, I completed a research project in the Chapman lab (SURA fellow), studying how climate change and predation risk impact Canadian threatened fish species.  

Cindy Gao (Honours Student)

I am in my final year at McGill and completing my Honours degree in biology (BSc). My interests broadly lie in freshwater systems, functional ecology, and entomology. For my honours project, I will be looking at trait evolution in complex life cycles with a focus on carry-over effects. Previously, I completed an independent study examining the interactions between fitness and sexual conflict traits in diving beetles with Dr. Iversen.

Lauren O'Farrell (Honours Student)

I will be in my final year at McGill University in the 2024-2025 academic year completing an Honours degree in Environment with a minor in Biology. This summer I will be working with the Iverson lab as a BURA fellow to support the lab's current projects and in preparation for my honors project. My broad interests lie in freshwater ecosystems, aquatic macroinvertebrates and anthropogenic impacts on the environment. My honours project, under the supervision of Dr. Iversen, will evaluate the effects of the Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) on the functional traits of macroinvertebrates in Lac Hertel at the Gault Nature Reserve

Melanie Giquel (Honours Student)

I am in my last year at McGill and am completing an Honours degree in Environment and a minor in Biology. I’m broadly interested in the evolutionary responses of species to climate change, invasive species ecology, and conservation. For my honours project, I will evaluate the effects of the Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) on functional plant diversity in Lac Hertel at the Gault Nature Reserve.