Meet the undergraduate and graduate students, research professionals, and postdoctoral fellows who make up the Aquatic Geochemistry Group. We emphasize dedicated mentorship and a culture of peer support, with the goal of producing strong, independent researchers. Graduate students in the group compete successfully for national scholarships (NSERC, FRQNT) and publish student-led research in scientific journals.
Graduate students & postdocs
Anne-Sophie Lachance
NSERC MSc Graduate Scholar
Trace element fluxes at the sediment-water interface of Canada's northernmost lake
2026-now: M.Sc. Chimie, U. Laval
2023-2025: B.Sc. Chimie, U. Laval
Pedro Freitas, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral fellow in arctic limnology
Co-supervisor: W.F. Vincent
2026-now: Postdoc, Chemistry (Limnology), U. Laval
2019-2025: Ph.D. Physical Geography, U of Lisbon.
2016-2018: M.Sc.in GIS and Spatial Modeling Applied to Planning, U of Lisbon.
2013-2016: B.Sc. in Spatial Planning and Management, U of Lisbon.
Santiago Mareque
NSERC MSc Canada Graduate Scholar
Dynamics of rare earth elements along a productivity gradient in lake sediment
2025-now: M.Sc. Chemistry, U. Laval.
2022-2024: B.Sc. Chemistry, U. Laval.
Félix Cloutier-Artiwat
NSERC MSc Canada Graduate Scholar
Sulfur cycling along redox gradients in ice-covered arctic lakes
Co-supervisor: André Pellerin, ISMER
2024-now: M.Sc. Chemistry, U. Laval.
2021-2023: B.Sc. Chimie et bioressources, UQAR.
Florence Mercier
NSERC PhD Canada Graduate Scholar
Dynamics of redox-sensitive micronutriments in ice-covered meromictic lakes.
Co-supervisor : C. Girard
2023-now: Ph.D. Chemistry, U. Laval.
2020-2023: B.Sc. Chemistry, U. Laval.
Méliane Renaud
FRQ MSc Graduate Scholar
Co-supervisor : J. Gigault
Oxyanion binding to colloidal organic matter in sub-arctic catchments
2025-now: M.Sc. Chimie, U. Laval.
2022-2024: B.Sc. Chimie et bioressources, UQAR.
Thomas Bossé-Demers
PhD Candidate
Dynamics and geochemical signatures of sediment-bound rare earth elements in the Mackenzie delta region.
2020-2026: Ph.D. Chemistry, U. Laval.
2017-2019: M.Sc. Chemistry, U. Laval.
2014-2017: B.Sc. Chemistry, U. Laval.
Kimia Motevalli
PhD Candidate
Co-supervisor: I. Laurion , INRS-ETE
Modelling oxythermal conditions and light environments in Arctic lakes.
2021-2026: Ph.D. Chemistry, U. Laval.
2015-2018: M.Sc. Water resource engineering, Tehran Polytechnic, Iran.
2011-2015: B.Eng. Civil engineering, UST, Iran.
Undergraduate research assistants
Inès Bosse-Thompson
NSERC USRA Scholarship
Chemistry
Research professionals
Claude Bélanger, Ph.D.
2021-now: Research associate, Chemistry (Physical limnology), U. Laval
Marie-Christine Lafrenière, Ph.D.
Project Manager · FROST · ArcticNet and Communications Officer
Expertise : Aquatic ecotoxicology, metals, rare earth elements, bioaccumulation, speciation, scientific redaction, illustrations, podcast.
2026–now: Research associate, Chemistry (Arctic limnology), U. Laval
2025: Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology, UdeM
2020–2024: Ph.D., Biology, UdeM
2015–2018: B.Sc., Biology, UdeM
Mélodie Minville
Technicienne en travaux d'enseignement et de recherche
2023–2026 : Technician, research and teaching, Chemistry, U.Laval
2020-2023 : Laboratory Technology (Analytical Chemistry), Cégep de Lévis
Past members
Laurie Martin
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2025
Analysis and Mobilisation of Radium in Tailing Management Lake from Elliot Lake
Supervisor: D. Larivière
Now: Research professional, Takuvik
Louis-Marc Bruneau Dumoulin
M.Sc. Geography, 2025
FRQ MSc Graduate Scholar
Supervisor: É. Saulnier-Talbot
Now : Environmental Professional, CIMA+
Audrey Laberge-Carignan
Ph.D. Chemistry, 2025
Sentinelle Nord PhD Graduate Scholar
Biogeochemistry of selenium and of redox-sensitive elements in thermokarst lakes in Nunavik.
Co-supervisors: D. Larivière, J. Molson
Thesis papers published in Biogeochemistry and ACS Earth and Space Chemistry
Now : HAZMAT Manager, Canadian Armed Forces
Chloé Rivest
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2025
Mobility of rare earths in northern soils.
Co-supervisors: D. Larivière , K. Mueller
Now: Chemist at Béton Provincial
Brandon Blanchette
M.Sc. Biology, 2024
La dynamique interannuelle du CO₂ et O₂ en eau de surface dans un petit lac de tête
Thesis paper published in Ecosystems.
Supervisor: R. Maranger
Daniel Fillion
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2023
NSERC MSc Canada Graduate Scholar
Co-supervisor: F. Dominé
Thesis paper published in ACS Earth & Space Chemistry
Now: PhD candidate at UQAR.
Émilie Leclerc
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2021
Arsenic mobility in sub-artic lake sediments impacted by mining activities.
Thesis paper published in Environmental Pollution
Now: Chemist at GSK.
Léo Chassiot
Sentinelle Nord Postdoctoral Fellow, 2019
Limnogeology of Lake Strathcona, Ellesmere.
Supervisor: P. Lajeunesse
Now: Assistant professor, UQTR
Catherine Gagnon
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2025
NSERC MSc Canada Graduate Scholar & Governor General's Academic Medal Laureate
Role of colloidal organic carbon on trace elements transport in sub-arctic surface waters.
Co-supervisor : J. Gigault
Now : Project Manager, MELCCFP, Gouvernement du Québec
Gabriel St-Pierre
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2025
Sediment porewater as indicators of the response of the Great Whale River to a major landslide.
Thesis paper published in Environmental Research
Co-supervisor : P. Archambault
Now: PhD candidate at UQAR
Allyson Dalpé
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2023
Distribution des métabolites inorganiques du cycle du soufre dans les lacs.
Now: Environmental scientist at Englobe.
Marianne Côté
M.Sc. Chemistry, 2022
Modeling fish oxythermal and optical habitats in boreal lakes.
Thesis paper published in Inland Waters
Now: Biologist at GCM Consultants.
Past members - Undergraduate research assistants
Maxime Del Mistro
Chemistry, 2024
NSERC USRA scholarship
Université Laval
Éloise Giroux
Chemistry, 2024
Université Laval
Santiago Mareque
Chemistry, 2023
NSERC USRA scholarship
Université Laval
Aurore Pouit
Civil and Env. Engineering, 2023
ENTPE, Lyon, France
Félix Cloutier-Artiwat
Chemistry, 2023
NSERC USRA scholarship
UQAR
Florence Mercier
Chemistry, 2022
NSERC USRA scholarship
Université Laval
Marie Demers
Chemistry, 2020 & 2021
Univeristé Laval
Audrey Gaudy
Chemistry, 2021
NSERC USRA scholarship
Université Laval
Julien Bellavance
Scientific programming, 2019
Université Laval
Sarah-Michèle Cormier
Chemistry, 2019
Université Laval
Marie Rheault-Leclair
Chemistry, 2019
Université Laval
Bya Ezzahr
DUT Chemistry, 2018
Université Paris-Est
Visiting researchers, past and present
Brandon Blanchette
Visiting MSc, 2023
GRIL
Université de Montréal
Supervisor: R. Maranger
Diogo Ferreira
Visiting PhD, 2019-2021
Instituto Superior Técnico
University of Lisbon
Supervisor: J. Canário
Nicolas Messina
Visiting MSc, 2018
Civil Engineering
University of Maine
Supervisor: A. Amirbahman
Leonor Carvahlo
Visiting MSc, 2023
Instituto Superior Técnico
University of Lisbon
Supervisor: J. Canário
Matilde Pereira
Visiting MSc, 2022
Instituto Superior Técnico
University of Lisbon
Supervisor: J. Canário
Cristiana Dias
Visiting MSc, 2022
Instituto Superior Técnico
University of Lisbon
Supervisor: J. Canário
Rachel Pilla, Ph.D.
Visiting PhD, 2019
Global Change Limnology
Miami University
Supervisor: C. Williamson
Kateri Salk, Ph.D.
Visiting postdoc, June 2018 Environmental Geochemistry
University of Waterloo
Supervisor: S. Schiff