Post-doctoral fellow, Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) I am currently working as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Québec at Chicoutimi. In 2023, I was awarded two scholarships; PBEEE/Bourses de court séjour de recherche ou perfectionnement and Mitacs Globalink Research Award, to conduct research in Canada. My research focuses on ecology, covering various aspects such as invasive alien plant species, stoichiometric traits (the ratio of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus), functional traits, and their role in ecosystem functioning. I received my doctoral degree in ecology from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at the University of Chinese Academy of Science (UCAS) in Beijing, China. I got a merit scholarship for the doctoral program from the CAS-TWAS President's Fellowship Program for international students in China. During my PhD, I collected intensive field-based data on tree species at a fine scale from tropical to alpine vegetation in the eastern Himalayas. The study focused on the diversity of trees, functional traits, and their role in shaping forest biomass across biomes in the Kangchenjunga landscape. During my master's program, I studied the impact of invasive alien plant species on the regeneration and growth of native plants in Panchase, western Nepal, as part of the EbA (Ecosystem-based Adaptation) project.
Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of North Dakota I received my doctorate only a year ago in Nutrition and Exercise Sciences. My dissertation focused on protein intake and muscle health. I have two-years of experience working a biomedical engineering laboratory, and five-years of experience as a research assistant for the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences. Despite having limited time with my doctorate, I have completed an eclectic range of research projects including four clinical trials, several cross-sectional human cohort studies, two analyses of large, publicly available data, three reviews, and other benchwork projects, including those using qPCR, fluorescence microscopy, and lithography which was done in a clean room. I have published 13 research papers including 6 as the first or last author. Moreover, I accomplished these activities despite severe disability; I have had more surgeries than can be counted on one’s hands and am currently suffering from a surgical complication that results in severe pain, abdominal cramping, and nausea. As the founder and organizer of the UND Affinity Group for Faculty and Staff with Disabilities and Chronic Conditions, I am passionate about nutrition, disability, and equity. My contributions to science revolve around dietary intake, muscle health, and disability. My early research was largely focused on muscle health and disability and not dietary intake. This research agenda led to several impactful findings: (1) handgrip strength is associated with a host of negative health outcomes including disability, mortality, and cognitive impairment; (2) excess sleep time is associated with disability; (3) asymmetric handgrip strength (i.e., one hand being stronger than the other) is also related to disability. After examining muscle health and disability, my research shifted to investigate the impacts of dietary intake on muscle health. This avenue of research led to following discoveries: (1) evenness of dietary protein intake is associated with increased muscle mass, strength, and endurance; (2) animal-based protein intake was related to increased muscle mass and strength in middle-aged men and women, while not being a risk factor for metabolic syndrome in women; (3) time restricted feeding resulted in better body composition than continuous energy restriction. I also investigated the use of a novel miRNA sensor’s ability to measure miRNAs associated with weight loss during a weight loss intervention, examined the effects of an online intervention on the physical activty profiles of older adults, and wrote about the gastrointestinal manifestations of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and dietary approaches for their management.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Oxford Niccolò is an applied microeconomist with a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. His research sits at the intersection of academia, policymaking and practice. He primarily uses experimental methods to understand policy and governance challenges, and test solutions to overcome these challenges under political, institutional, technical and resources constraints. Implementing those projects has involved wide ranging collaboration with other scholars locally and internationally, significant international fundraising and developing skills in managing large and complex projects. He has lived in all of the countries where he has conducted research, including Sierra Leone, where he was based for nearly eight years and worked for the International Growth Center. Niccolò's research has been published in journals across disciplines, including the American Economic Review, the Journal of Development Economics, Nature, Science, and Science Advances.
Research Associate, Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph Dr. Nitish Boodhoo is a Research Associate in the Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, at the University of Guelph. Dr. Boodhoo is a viral immunologist that specializes in avian immunology, viral transmission studies and next generation vaccine development for application in avian and non-avian species. Education: B.Sc - University of Guelph (2010) - animal biology M.Sc - University of Guelph (2012) - immunology and toxicology Ph.D - Reading University (2018) - avian immunology Postdoc - University of Guelph (2019-2022) - avian mucosal vaccine studies Research associate - University of Guelph (2022-present) - next generation vaccine design for application in chickens To Date, Dr. Boodhoo has published 28 research/review articles in various areas of microbiology and immunology.
Researcher in marine ecology, James Cook University I am a marine biologist with Biopixel Oceans Foundation and James Cook University from which I recently received my Doctorate degree. For over 8 years I have worked on marine ecology projects, specifically regarding the migration patterns of marine megafauna species such as sharks. In this time I have lead over 100 research expeditions and tagged over 1000 sharks of multiple species to track their movements. From this data, many scientific publications arose. Overall, my passion is addressing pressing research questions regarding how marine animals use their habitats in the face of global change, such as climate change.
PhD candidate, The University of Western Australia I am an ecologist with a background in guiding and outdoor education. I am currently completing a PhD investigating the vulnerability of Red Tingle trees (Eucalyptus jacksonii) to altered fire regimes and a warming/drying climate.
