Graduate Students

Welcome message from the Dean / Message de bienvenue de la doyenne

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 13:30:14 +0000

Dear Macdonald Campus Community,

It is with great excitement and gratitude that I begin my journey as the new Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Associate Vice-President of the Macdonald Campus at ɬ�﷬. As I begin my term, I’m excited to connect with each of you - professors, lecturers, staff, learners, students, alumni, donors, and allies. Thank you for the trust you have placed in me.

How peer learning improved agricultural technology adoption in Tanzania

admin — Thu, 22 May 2025 20:08:14 +0000

As mobile phones proliferate across the developing world, digital delivery of agricultural advice is positioned to play a transformative role in increasing agricultural productivity and improving livelihoods for smallholder farmers. Meanwhile, evidence shows that peer-to-peer learning, at least in person, can successfully promote technology adoption.

Pascal Thériault warns consumers to be on the lookout for misleading Canadian labels

admin — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:54:28 +0000

Canned soup giant Campbell's has come under fire for engaging in "maple washing" — a marketing tactic where foreign-made products are falsely associated with Canada through the use of maple leaves or vague labels like “Designed in Canada.” This misleading practice gives consumers the impression that products are Canadian when they are not.

Natural Resource Sciences postdoc wins prestigious Banting Fellowship

admin — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 16:28:02 +0000

Anaïs Médieu, a ɬ�﷬ postdoctoral researcher working in Natural Resource Sciences Professor Kyle Elliott's lab, has been awarded a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship for her project on the interactive effects of climate change and plastic contamination on Arctic seabirds.

WELL-E: Rethinking Cow Care with AI

admin — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:25:23 +0000

In Canada, researchers from ɬ�﷬’s WELL-E Chair are using artificial intelligence to improve the welfare of dairy cows. At a farm in Montreal, high-definition cameras track cows’ movements, ear positions, and walking patterns to gather behavioral data. These subtle signals help assess the animals’ physical and mental health.

Nutrition students recognized at 2025 CNS Conference

admin — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 14:18:49 +0000

Recently, the Canadian Nutrition Society held its annual conference, where awards were distributed to winners of the society's poster presentations. Among them, two ɬ�﷬ grad students studying nutrition were recognized.

Ferial Hamdi, M.Sc. Thesis student with Prof. Brittany Jock (formerly of the School of Human Nutrition), won the George Beaton Award for Student Work in Public Health Nutrition and took second place in the Graduate Oral Competition

AES administrative appointments

admin — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:12:14 +0000

Dean Salwa Karboune is please to announce the following appointments in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences:

Jessica Head Director of the Morgan Arboretum and Molson Nature Reserve

Professor Jessica Head has been appointed as Director of the Morgan Arboretum and Molson Nature Reserve for a three-year term starting September 2025. Professor Head is an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences.

Ghana's Cocoa Price Surge: A Bitter Truth for Chocolate Lovers

admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 19:26:53 +0000

Last week, La Presse reporters spoke to agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault about a recent price surge of 62.58% for Ghanaian cocoa, a move aimed at supporting its struggling farmers. This significant price hike is expected to affect not only other cocoa-producing countries but also global chocolate manufacturers and consumers.

Bioresource Engineering Ph.D. candidate pitches biogas to turn farm waste into renewable energy

admin — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 19:36:13 +0000

In her presentation at a scientific symposium hosted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre in June, ɬ�﷬ Ph.D. candidate Anjaly Paul highlighted the potential for Canadian farms to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while generating renewable energy, by converting agricultural waste into biogas.

Macdonald Campus welcomes new leadership

admin — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 15:24:55 +0000

As we welcome the Fall semester, the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is pleased to announce the following appointments:

Sebastien Faucher Associate Dean (Research)

Dr. Faucher obtained his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the Université de Montréal in 2007 and joined our Faculty in July 2011. He has previously served as Acting Associate Dean (Research) in 2020.

Sacrifice Zones: Life along the fenceline between the land and industry

admin — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:21:51 +0000

In a recent article exploring the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution on Indigenous fenceline communities in Canada—residential areas that sit next to facilities that emit pollutants like noise, light, odours, chemicals, and even traffic—Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) spoke to Kanien’kehá:ka environmental advocate Lynn Jacobs about how plastic waste and industrial pollution have turned Indigenous homelands into “sacrifice zones.” Jacobs, who is pursuing a Ph.D.

Patrick Cortbaoui Appointed UNAI Vice Chair

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:23:23 +0000

Patrick Cortbaoui, Senior Managing Director of ɬ�﷬’s Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security, has been appointed Vice Chair for Outreach and Partnership for the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) SDG 2 Hub for the 2025–2027 term. This appointment recognizes Patrick’s ongoing leadership in advancing SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) through global academic collaboration.

ɬ�﷬ Plant Science students win big for conference presentations

admin — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 22:59:11 +0000

Congratulations to two plant science students in Professor Mehran Dastmalchi's lab, who received awards for their presentations at two recent conferences!

Cracking the Code of Pre-Harvest Sprouting

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 17:44:13 +0000

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is a major global issue affecting cereal crops like wheat and barley. It occurs when grains begin to germinate on the plant before harvest due to environmental triggers like moisture and humidity, combined with genetic factors such as low seed dormancy. This premature sprouting degrades starch, reducing grain quality and leading to significant economic losses—estimated at $1 billion globally, and $100 million annually in Canada.

ɬ�﷬ students win top poster awards at National Association of Plant Breeding Conference

admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 15:54:29 +0000

Congratulations to ɬ�﷬ Plant Science students Henry Cordoba Novoa and Mason Jackson, who were awarded top honours at the National Association of Plant Breeding Conference, which took place in Hawaii from May 19 to 23, 2025.

Cordoba Novoa won first place in the Ph.D. poster competition for his poster on improving the understanding and breeding of common bean using multiple genome-wide approaches and the study of the accumulation partners of deleterious mutations in breeding populations.