Melania Cristescu
My research addresses fundamental questions about the evolution and maintenance of biological diversity in aquatic systems, with focus on: 1) the genetics of aquatic invasions, 2) the nature and scale of recombination and mutation rate variation across genomes and, 3) molecular methods for biomonitoring. For example, our research group is developing molecular methods for large scale monitoring of biodiversity trends and ecosystem health. These non-invasive and sensitive methods are based on traces of DNA and RNA released by organisms into their environment (environmental nucleic acids). Thus, our research provides innovative solutions and future perspectives on environmental problems.
Email: melania.cristescu [at] mcgill.ca (melania[dot]cristescu[at]mcgill[dot]ca)
Graduate Students
Julien Beaulieu
PhD Candidate
Email: beaulieu.julien.3 [at] courrier.uqam.ca (beaulieu[dot]julien[dot]3[at]courrier[dot]uqam[dot]ca)
I am an aquatic ecologist interested in how different scales of ecology (population, communities and ecosystem) interact with each other and how those interactions are affected by abiotic factors. My PhD project includes a replicated whole ecosystem experiment where invasive brook trout were size-selectively harvested along an elevation gradient. My objectives are to determine how eDNA and eRNA concentrations can predict fish demography, and how does fish demography impact invertebrates communities, consumer-driven nutrients dynamics, and lake metabolism.
Jigar Trivedi
PhD Candidate
Email: jigar.trivedi [at] mail.mcgill.ca (jigar[dot]trivedi[at]mail[dot]mcgill[dot]ca)
I am interested in the interplay of evolutionary forces in shaping and maintaing genetic variation. I am also interested in the downstream impact of mutations on transcriptional processes. I address my research goals by propagating mutation accumulation lines of Daphnia pulex, minimizing selection and allowing mutations to accumulate in the genome. I am particularly interested in assessing the colonization of nuclear genome by the mitochondrial DNA.
Aleksei Sychterz
PhD Candidate
Email: sashasychterz [at] gmail.com (sashasychterz[at]gmail[dot]com)
I am a molecular ecologist interested in the role of nutrient enrichment in shaping aquatic communities and driving community functional responses. My research uses environmental RNA to characterize eukaryotic community composition and develop molecular biomarkers for assessing eutrophication stress. I am equally committed to teaching and mentoring, and I aim to contribute to biology education through evidence-based, interactive approaches.
Liz Weller
Ph.D. Candidate
Email: lizzy.weller [at] gmail.com (lizzy[dot]weller[at]gmail[dot]com)
My PhD research is driven by a central challenge in environmental genomics: environmental nucleic acids are increasingly used for aquatic monitoring, yet their interpretation requires understanding where these molecules originate, how they are transformed after release, and how the resulting signals can be biologically interpreted. I examine the biological origin of environmental DNA and RNA by identifying their tissue sources, and the environmental fate of these molecules by quantifying how shedding, degradation, and sedimentation restructure signals in water and sediment. I then address signal interpretation by directly comparing gene expression signatures detected as environmental RNA in water with expression patterns measured across multiple fish tissues. This comparison tests whether coordinated stress responses remain detectable and reliable outside the organism and whether these signals can be used to develop non-invasive, early-stage eRNA biomarkers of heat stress across freshwater fish systems. Together, these chapters integrate signal origin, environmental fate, and biological interpretation into a framework for more confident biological inference from environmental nucleic acid signals.
Wendy Morgado
PhD Candidate
Email: wendy.morgadogamero [at] mail.mcgill.ca (wendy[dot]morgadogamero[at]mail[dot]mcgill[dot]ca)
I am a microbiologist interested in non-invasive methods for evaluating ecosystem health. As a PhD student, I evaluate the ecology and applications of environmental nucleic acids, focusing on 1) the state and degradation of molecules when they are released into the aquatic environment, 2) their transportation in networks that simulate lotic ecosystems, and 3) the use of environmental transcriptomics to monitor the physiological responses of communities under environmental stress. I combine laboratory experiments with highly replicated field experiments at LEAP.
Simone Miklosi
PhD Candidate
I am a molecular ecologist who uses environmental nucleic acid based methods to study how freshwater ecosystems respond to environmental stress. In my PhD, I integrate environmental DNA and RNA metabarcoding, using next‑generation sequencing, to track shifts in fish communities across gradients of anthropogenic pressure. I also assess the ability of environmental RNA metatranscriptomics to detect differentially expressed genes in fathead minnows under heat stress, using RNA-sequencing. Additionally, I develop multi‑species environmental RNA biomarkers with digital PCR to link stress responses to community level changes. My work focuses on building non‑invasive, high‑throughput workflows that couple molecular and ecological indicators to support scalable freshwater ecosystem monitoring.
Kathryn Austin
MSc Candidate
As a master’s student, I am interested in developing methods of using environmental NA’s to help inform conservation efforts. Specifically, how environmental RNA can be used as a non-invasive method to monitor the physiological states of individuals in populations. I completed my B.Sc in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Guelph and I am very excited to be completing my M.Sc at Mcgill in the Cristescu Lab.
Greg Santangeli
MSc Candidate
I am a molecular ecologist interested in how non-invasive molecular tools can improve monitoring of high-impact aquatic species. For my MSc research, I use environmental nucleic acid (eNA) surveys to track the spread of the invasive tunicate Didemnum vexillum in the Bay of Fundy. My work tests whether environmental RNA (eRNA) can provide earlier and more sensitive detection of aquatic invasive species than conventional survey methods, helping to support faster and more effective management responses.
Sabrina Percy
MSc Candidate
I am an MSc student under the supervision of Melania Cristescu and Gregor Fussmann. I am interested in use novel applications of environmental RNA in conservation science - specifically, the use of eRNA to monitor species’ response under stress. Through my Master’s project, I will develop genetic biomarkers for acute heat stress in water fleas (order: Cladocera) that are detectable through environmental RNA sampling. My experiments are conducted in outdoor mesocosms at the Large Experimental Array of Ponds (LEAP) facility of the Gault Nature Reserve.
Lab Alumni
PhD
Orianne Tournayre (2023 – 2025)
Takahiro Maruki (2020 – 2025)
Mathilde Salamon (2023-2024)
Xiaoping He (2022-2024)
Egor Katkov (2022-2024)
Marie-Eve Monchamp (2019-2023)
Christina Pernice Tadiri (2020-2021)
Robert Hechler (2018-2022)
Kaushar Kagzi (2018-2021)
Tiffany Chin (2014-2020)
Katie Millette (2014-2020)
Alessandra Loria (2014-2020)
Sen Xu (2007-2012)
MSc Students
Kaushar Kagzi (2018-2021)
Michaela Harris (2016 – 2019)
James Bull (2015 – 2017 )
Guang Zhang (2014 – 2017 )
Jullien Flynn (2015 – 2016 )
Sarah Finlayson (2013 – 2016)
Ianina Altshuler (2010 – 2012)
James J. Vaillant (2010 – 2012)
Bora Demiri (2009 – 2011)
Anna Constantin (2008 – 2010)
Dan Bock (2008 – 2010)
Postdoctoral Fellows
Tiffany Chin (2021 – 2022)
Alessandra Loria (2021 - 2022)
Christina Pernice Tadiri (2020 – 2021)
Mathew C Yates (2018 – 2021)
Sergio Jose Hleap (2018 – 2020)
Joanne Littlefair (2016 – 2019)
Frederic Chain (2014 – 2016)
Emily Brown (2013 – 2016)
Roland Vergilino (2012 – 2014)
Martha Patricia Celis-Sagado (2012 – 2014)
Aibin Zhan (2009 – 2012)
Christophe Lejeusne (2007 – 2008)
Emmanuel Egbosimba (2008 – 2009)