Team members

David McCarthy. David is an environmental engineer focusing on the biosurveillance of pathogens in urban water systems and the development of methodologies to monitor and manage these to protect human health. His research spans health-related water microbiology, risk assessments, pathogen fate and transport, urban hydrology, stormwater management, green water treatment technologies, and novel IoT devices for the monitoring and sampling of water quality. David's work has significantly impacted industry practices, including the development of novel stormwater treatment systems and real-time monitoring and control technologies for urban water systems. My CV can be downloaded here: link.

Amber Park. Amber is the program manager for the CERC. She has a multi-disciplinary research background, unified by a focus on human health-related microbiology.  She holds a BSc in BioMedical Science from the University of Guelph and a PhD in Medical Science from the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute at McMaster University.  She held a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Guelph with a focus on bacterial biofilms and antimicrobial resistance. She has held multiple industry positions in Mass Spectrometry R&D and project management.

Jaime Van Loon. Jaime holds a BSc in Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Guelph, and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto/The Hospital for Sick Children. Her research applied molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry techniques to investigate the pathogenicity and antibiotic/antifungal resistance of Aspergillus fumigatus, Streptococcus intermedius, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Jaime is continuing her work in protecting public health by focusing on advancing methods for detecting waterborne pathogens, with an emphasis on identifying their sources and assessing their potential infectivity.

Nikola May. Nikola is a microbiologist and a graduate of the University of Guelph, where she earned her MSc degree with a collaborative specialization in One Health from the Department of Pathobiology. Her introduction to the One Health philosophy significantly shaped her scientific approach, highlighting the importance of collaboration in driving comprehensive and innovative research. Her prior research includes investigating horizontal gene transfer dynamics within the gut microbiota, as well as employing high-throughput screening methods to assess antimicrobial activity in skin commensals, and subsequently conducting evaluations of the antimicrobial properties of bacterial extracts.

Michele Bergevin. Michele holds a BSc from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, having studied molecular biology, biomedical engineering, and economics to develop photosensitive hydrogels for tissue engineering applications. She holds a MASc from the University of Toronto in biomedical engineering and characterized microfluidics devices to study how the Lyme disease bacterium escapes the cardiovasculature. Michele holds a PhD from the University of Guelph, where she investigated the bioecology and epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases in the context of climate change. Additionally, she has worked for multiple start-up ventures and in industry. Leveraging a versatile skillset, Michele continuously seeks opportunities to apply analytical tools and diverse technologies to innovate solutions that positively impact human, animal, and environmental health.

Charlie Chettleburgh. Charlie is a PhD student whose research interests lie at the intersection of microbiology, environmental science, and public health. He holds a BSc in Microbiology and an MSc in Environmental Science from the University of Guelph and brings nearly five years of experience in wastewater-based epidemiology. Charlie’s previous research has focussed on the spatial and temporal variation of microbial source tracking markers, as well as the seasonality of enteric viruses in wastewater. Building on this foundation, Charlie aims to contribute to the protection of aquatic ecosystems and human health by collaborating with transdisciplinary stakeholders across academia, government, and industry. 

Michelle Thomas. Michelle is currently enrolled in her second year at the University of Guelph, completing an Honours Bachelor’s in Microbiology. Michelle has always been interested in how microbial pathogens interact in the environment, how they can affect climate change through positive feedback loops, and she is excited to join Dr. McCarthy’s lab this year.  

Emma Pearen. Emma is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Biotechnology at the University of Guelph. She holds an Honours BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Guelph. Her prior research involved investigating the role of intercellular adhesion proteins and actin dynamics in human podocytes as they relate to the development of chronic kidney disease. Emma’s research interests lie in the molecular mechanisms underlying human health and disease, and she is eager to apply her knowledge of molecular biotechnology to address public health challenges. She is excited to collaborate across disciplines in a dynamic research environment as a member of Dr. McCarthy’s lab.

Abbey Robertson. Abbey is entering her final year of an Honours Bachelor’s of Science in biomedical science and One Health. Her passion for global health and infectious disease led to an interest in understanding how pathogens move through the environment. Abbey is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to new and ongoing projects with Dr. McCarthy and his team.  

Fareezeh Islam. Fareezeh is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering with a major in Environmental Engineering at the University of Guelph. As a summer research assistant, Fareezeh is working on the development of an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) action plan for the CERC. The work mainly focuses on identifying barriers and advancing strategies to help build a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive research environment, in alignment with CERC objectives.
 

Current Research Projects

Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2. This project involves the development and deployment of a novel 3D-printed passive sampler for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. The technology has been widely adopted, with over 40,000 deployments globally, contributing significantly to public health efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sensor development for urban water quality monitoring. This project focuses on developing low-cost sensors for detecting illegal discharges and monitoring water quality in urban waterways. It includes the deployment of a "sensor army" in the Stony Creek catchment to reduce industrial contamination.

Real time monitoring and control of urban stormwater treatment systems. This ARC Linkage Project explores the use of real time monitoring systems, such as sensors and cloud-based logging systems, to understand pollutant dynamics in water treatment systems and then apply numerical models to then create control algorithms which adjust the water dynamics to improve overall water quality treatment processes.

The IoT for Water HUB. The Hub expects to transform Australian capabilities by delivering cutting-edge technologies, and novel visualisation and analytics methods, supported by new business models. The objectives of the ARC Research Hub in the Internet of Things for Water include: developing new sensor technologies; developing advanced visualization and data analytics; and developing algorithms for real-time control of water systems, including water supply, wastewater and stormwater.

Canada Excellence Research Chair in Waterborne Pathogens: Surveillance, Prediction and Mitigation. Access to safe water and sanitation is a global concern. Contaminated water and poor sanitation transmit disease and expose individuals to preventable health risks. The challenge of managing waterborne risks will only intensify as water supply and quality are impacted by population growth, human-driven development and climate change. As the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Waterborne Pathogens, Dr. David McCarthy and his team at the University of Guelph will spearhead the development of much-needed solutions to safeguard water supply in Canada and around the world, developing innovative technologies to detect pathogens and their sources in near real-time, model how humans interact with sources of contamination, and reduce pathogen loads in the environment. Their work will emphasize solutions that are easy to use, low-cost, open source and open hardware, to encourage and enable their use in diverse communities across the globe. Want to learn more about this CERC? Visit this page: https://www.microscape.ca/home/CERC