Research

Throughout Canada and globally groundwater resources are under continuous threat from industry and other anthropogenic activities. The protection of this resource is vital for the health of humans and ecosystems, and economic security. Canada’s economy relies heavily on the resource sector and agriculture, but these activities, due to their nature and scale can have significant impact on the environment. For example, mining operations, including mineral and petroleum resources, produce waste products that have potential to leach into the environment. Agriculture, has an important influence on greenhouse gas cycling.

The transport and fate of contaminants and gases in groundwater and in soils often involve complex biogeochemical reactions coupled to physical transport and attenuation processes. The objective of my research is to better understand and quantify these coupled biogeochemical and physical processes, the effect of this coupling on contaminant fate in groundwater and subsurface systems, and the impact on mitigation and remediation strategies. This objectiveis carried out through extensive field projects and detailed laboratory experiments coupled with the development and implementation of numerical models to understand the important physical and geochemical processes.