Postdoc - Université de Montréal
I worked as a postdoctoral fellow on a large interdisciplinary project funded by Genome Canada (GenoRem) that aimed to enhance phytoremediation efficacy in willows. We used a variety of genomic approaches to examine the relationships between willows, microorganisms, soil characteristics, and contaminant uptake. These studies led us to understand that willow-microbe relationships vary in response to a number of factors, including willow species and soil contaminant concentrations. A better understanding of how plant-microbe relationships are influenced by the environment will allow us to characterize variability in the effectiveness of phytotechnologies. Ideally, this will eventually lead to more predictable outcomes when "green" technologies such as phytoremediation are applied, allowing them to better compete in the market with approaches that have a much larger environmental impact (e.g. dig and dump). |