Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Pollution is a global issue with consequences to both human health and the environment. The long-term vision for my research program is to advance the understanding of dissolved and soil organic matter at the molecular level to better predict inorganic contaminant transport and microbial accumulation after climatic and land-use changes. This research program will incorporate a combination of non-targeted and targeted high resolution mass spectrometry methods to identify molecular properties of dissolved and soil organic matter across ecosystems subject to anthropogenic and climatic, how carbon-based molecules bind to metals, and how the molecular composition of organic matter influences the microbial uptake of contaminants like cadmium, lead, arsenic, copper, and zinc. Our group uses advanced chemical approaches in organic carbon characterization and inorganic contaminant quantification that will aid in predicting how climatic and land use changes alter the distribution of inorganic contaminant binding, cotransport, and biologically accessible molecules in the environment. My proposed research program will focus on three main objectives: 1) Understanding how the composition of organic matter influences contaminant mobility at the molecular level, and how organic matter composition influences the cotransport of contaminants to aquatic systems. 2) Identifying how the molecular composition of organic matter affects the microbial uptake of contaminants. 3) Characterizing changes in the molecular composition of organic matter, contaminant mobility, and microbial uptake after land use and climatic changes. This research program will contribute to advancing knowledge of how climatic events like permafrost thaw and forest fires are influencing the distribution of inorganic contaminants. Furthermore, this research program will provide molecular level insights into how anthropogenic activities like forest harvesting and agriculture land use influence carbon-contaminant cycling-key considerations in helping minimize human impacts on natural carbon sinks and aquatic environments in Canada. Together, this research program will help train 10 highly qualified personnel and provide unique opportunities to work with government scientists on informing policies towards preserving Canada's natural resources. Students will gain technical skills through laboratory instrument operation and field research that are highly transferrable towards scientific careers. Improving our understanding of ecosystem level changes at the molecular level will allow for more accurate predictions of how carbon is lost from terrestrial to aquatic systems while evaluating ecotoxicological consequences of inorganic contaminants to microorganisms in a changing world. Advancing the field of carbon-contaminant biogeochemistry will help protect and preserve Canada's ecosystems while providing economic and social benefits to Canada and its residents.