Petr Kuznetsov, Ph.D.

Petr graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia) in 1995 (in Soil Science and Agrochemistry) and completed his PhD in 1999 (plant-soil interactions). After working as a collection supervisor in the Earth Science Museum (Moscow, Russia), Petr decided to get industry experience and in 2006 joined PeterGaz LLC where he conducted and managed environmental surveys and EIAs for natural gas pipeline construction. In 2010 he went back to academia and joined the Soil Chemistry and Environmental Microbiology Lab (RENR, University of Alberta). Petr took part in a number of projects related to the microbial remediation of oil sand tailings, end pit lakes modeling and the evaluation of acid mine drainage potential of oil sand tailings dry deposits. In 2019 Petr joined Dr. Ulrich's group as a research associate to focus on tailings ponds/end pit lakes water quality improvement. He is also the lab manager of Dr.Ulrich’s research lab.

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Sampurna Nandy

Sampurna holds a Master’s degree in Microbiology and recently completed her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), India, where she was awarded the prestigious DST-INSPIRE Fellowship. Her doctoral research focused on lake rejuvenation, specifically targeting the reduction of nutrient levels, namely nitrogen and phosphates, that contribute to eutrophication. Sampurna specializes in developing metagenomic-based bioremediation strategies to address water-related issues. Her research interests lie in bioremediation, with a particular emphasis on in situ bioaugmentation and biostimulation under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Her goal is to leverage metagenomics to gain insights into the indigenous microorganisms present in specific environmental niches, thereby advancing the field of environmental biotechnology. 

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​Catherine Mar Pineda

 Catherine graduated with a degree in Biotechnology Engineering from the Technological University of Tecamac (Mexico) in 2016. In 2020, she completed her MSc in Biotechnology and Bioengineering at CINVESTAV (Mexico), where her research focused on the effect of Zero Valent Iron Nanoparticles on the degradation of Lindane in clayish soils, using Microbial Fuel Cells. Following her MSc, Catherine pursued her passion for education and worked as a teaching instructor at the Technological University of Tecamac for nearly two years. In 2023, she transitioned to research, joining Soil Chemistry and Environmental Microbiology lab at the University of Alberta as a research assistant, where she contributed to the analysis of BTEX and naphtha microbial degradation using GC-MS. Currently, Catherine is pursuing her PhD in Environmental Science at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on the degradation of polyacrylamide and its by-products in oil sands tailings, aiming to mitigate its environmental impact. 

Rachel Graham​

Rachel Graham had completed BSc at Concordia University of Edmonton in Environmental Science in 2023. She has been the recipient of the NSERC Indigenous Student Ambassador and Undergraduate Student Research Awards, which shaped her decision to focus on soils. Currently Rachel is a MSc student in the ALES department studying Remediation and Soil Science. Along with working on her Master’s Rachel also, helps support Mikisew Cree First Nation’s Government and Industry Relations division in Environmental Affairs. Her overall end goal is to help support her First Nation and other’s in moving forward in identifying contamination issues and helping develop plans to solve these.

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Sydney Kennedy-Flynn

Sydney Kennedy-Flynn has worked in the lab for much of her undergrad, assisting with projects involving nitrogen and sulfur in the Breton plots. In 2023, she completed BSc program in Land Reclamation from the University of Alberta. Currently Sydney is an MSc student at the University of Alberta studying Soil Science. She is looking at the catabolic processes involving the anaerobic remediation of organohalide contaminated soils and groundwater, and the effect of amendments on those processes. She enjoys being a teaching assistant, and sharing the joy of learning with her fellow students.  

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