Alex Culley
Associate Professor
a13xcu113y(commercial at)gmail.com
A critical aspect to predicting the breadth and magnitude of the impact of climate change in the Arctic is elucidating how the organisms endemic to this region are being affected. As in the majority of ecosystems on Earth, the most abundant and diverse groups of biological entities in the Arctic are the microbes. The overarching objective of my research program is to characterize the diversity and dynamics of viruses that infect microbes and elucidate their role in Arctic microbial ecology. For more, please click here.
Josephine Rapp
Sentinel North Postdoctoral Fellow
josephine.rapp.1(commercial at)ulaval.ca
I am a polar microbial ecologist that uses 'omic techniques to study the diversity and function of the smallest inhabitants of the Arctic - microbes and their viruses. My overarching aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the key microbial players and mechanisms that drive ecosystem functioning in the cryosphere, knowledge needed to better predict the consequences of ongoing environmental changes for the future Arctic Ocean.
During my PhD research at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, I looked at the impact of sea-ice melt and biological transport processes on microbial diversity, function and connectivity across different Arctic Ocean environments, as well as into associations between bacteria and sea-ice algae. For my first postdoc position at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA, I studied the genomic adaptations in the microbiomes of Arctic subzero sea-ice and permafrost brines for survival under extreme environmental stresses. One focus of this work was also the role of microbe-virus interactions in shaping microbial adaptation strategies since recent work shows that viruses in the cryosphere display a high degree of taxonomic novelty, infect dominant community members, and serve as gene repositories and transfer agents, therefore likely bolstering microbial evolution.
As part of ViDEL, I will continue to explore virus-microbe interactions and focus on different cryo-habitats in the projected Last Ice Area of the Arctic, trying to better understand the ecological importance of habitat stability in the face of climate change.
Thomas Pitot
PhD candidate
thomas.pitot.1(commercial at)ulaval.ca
Recently graduated with a Master's degree in Oceanography from Aix-Marseille University in France, I developed through my studies a strong interest for keystone microbial interactions in marine environments and more precisely for viral impacts within these complex ecosystems. As a Master's degree student, I wrote a thesis on the “Analysis of the taxonomic and functional diversity of phytoplankton giant viruses using metagenomic and cultural approaches “and I am now joining ViDEL to pursue a PhD. My project focuses on the characterization and the ecology of Nucleocytoviricota in the High Arctic (microbial mats and freshwater environments) and will involve so-called “omic” approaches to determine which NCLDVs can be found in such ecosystems and how they interact and affect their hosts and the different pathways they are involved in.
Outside of the lab, I like spending time outdoors, hiking, taking photographs, and having a good time with friends. I am also fond of diving, but now that I have left the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, I’ll probably take a break for a while!
Anne-Marie Lapointe
Master’s student
anne-marie.lapointe.8(commercial at)ulaval.ca
I have always loved the science of life. After completing my Biology classes in high school, I knew right away that I wanted to study the Life Sciences. Then, when I discovered that it was possible to study living beings that were microscopic in size, a whole new world opened up for me and I was hooked. I am extremely curious by nature and have always wanted to learn and so I knew immediately that microbiology was the right thing for me.
I was born in Sainte-Marie de Beauce, but since 2016, I have been studying microbiology at Université Laval in Microbiology. I am interested in environmental microbiology and how microbiology is changing in the context of climate change and thus I joined the team of Alexander Culley (director) and Dermot Antoniades (co-director) to pursue a Master's degree. My project is multidisciplinary, integrating both microbiology and its paleolimnology.
The main objective of my project is to characterize and compare the microbial diversity in different sediment cores that have been taken from lakes in the Stuckberry Valley, located on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island (Nunavut), using a molecular approach. These lakes have never been studied before and I am very excited to learn more about them.
Valérie Langlois
PhD candidate
valerie.langlois.8(commercial at)ulaval.ca
Since I was little I always had so many questions about every living thing and I always wanted to discover something new. I always loved learning about ecology and I can’t wait to discover how viruses play a role in the northern environment. I was born and grew up in Québec City where I studied biology at Université Laval. I graduated in 2014 and started a second BSc in Bioinformatics in the fall of 2016. I am now joining ViDEL to pursue a Master’s degree project focused on the viral ecology of microbial mats under the direction of Dr. Alexander Culley (director) and Dr. Warwick Vincent (co-director). My project is a comparative study of viral populations in microbial mats in thermokarst lakes in the region of Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik and Ward Hunt Island. Given that thermokarst lakes are significant contributors to global warming, understanding the diversity and dynamics of these microbial populations might give us key information about what we can expect going forward. Outside the lab, I enjoy sports and travelling. I did competitive cheerleading and figure skating for years. I also love to be near water, there are no troubles in life that a walk or a short stay on the side of a lake/river/the ocean can’t help to make better.
Catherine Marois
Master's student
catherine.marois.2(commercial at)ulaval.ca
In 2018, I graduated with a BSc. in Microbiology at Université Laval. During my degree, I worked in the ViDEL as an intern. I studied cyanobacteria from the Canadian Subarctic. Wanting to learn more about these fascinating extreme environments, I started my Master’s degree in microbiology under the direction of Alex Culley.
The main objective of my project is to characterize and compare the microbial diversity in four unstudied lakes of Stuckberry Valley, located on Ellesmere Island (Nunavut), using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic tools. As global warming is twice as pronounced in the Arctic as anywhere else, it is crucial to study these areas before they disappear. My research is part of a Sentinel North project in which students from several labs with diverse backgrounds (e.g. chemistry, biology, paleolimnology) collaborate to bring the study to a next level.
Beyond research, I’m part of the ULaval team participating in the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition organized by the MIT (Boston). I have also been a teaching assistant in an undergraduate laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bio-informatics (ULaval).
Juliette Provencher
Master’s student
juliette.provencher.1(commercial at)ulaval.ca
As a child, I loved playing outside and going camping. Growing up, I realized how important our environment and planet were. When I finished my studies in natural sciences, I applied for a bachelor's degree in microbiology to learn more about the world around us. During my baccalaureate, I had the chance to be an intern in the ViDEL laboratory. Working in the laboratory made me understand the importance of our actions in the face of global warming. Moreover, it gave me the desire to continue to learn more about microbial life and continue my studies with a master's degree under Alex’s supervision. My master's thesis will focus on the characterization of viral and bacterial antibiotic resistance genes in High Arctic lakes.
Karel Cadoret
Summer undergraduate student
karel.cadoret(commercial at)ulaval.ca
My fascination with the world of microbiology began when I realized that we are all dependant on microbes, regardless of our complexity. And in fact, it is environmental microbiology that peaks my attention the most. I just finished my second year in the microbiology program at UL and I will work with ViDEL this summer focusing on the diversity and dynamics of viral communities in polar aquatic environments. Knowing that one of the principal actors in climate change in the Arctic is microbes, I really wanted to join the ViDEL team and enrich my knowledge. My project this summer will consist of the characterization of the viral diversity of Lake B, a meromictic lake located on the north coast of Ellesmere Island by using metagenomic methods and bioinformatics.