Student Research Opportunities

Marisa Brook
Linguistics / English
- The student will help build a database of urban dialects of English by either conducting new casual interviews with locals or working with local archives to find speech samples from the past, or both.

Blake Brown
Gun Control  
- The student will provide research support for a project examining the history of gun control in Canada.

Peter Bush
Landscape Ecology / Natural Resource Management
- (1) Field work studying Old-growth forest or forest-bird relationships, (2) GIS/remote sensing research studying forest ecosystems and ecological connectivity, (3) Social science research studying forest values and policy development.

Diane Crocker
Criminology
- Student will work on projects related to gender-based violence working in partnership with a community-based agency working in the field.

Kate Ervine
Climate Policy / Carbon Dioxide Removal
- The student will support research on the responsible financing and scaling of durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to support local, national, and global climate change efforts.

Heather Green
Canadian Mining History
- This project examines mining disasters, accidents, injuries, and rescue missions in Nova Scotia coal mines.

Karen Harper
Plant Ecology / Biogeography
- Field work studying vegetation in NS forests, or data and remote sensing projects.

Pauline Hoebanx
Right-Wing Women
- The student will help build a database of right-wing women's personal blogs and websites. Work will include searching for relevant information on websites, collecting information into an Excel spreadsheet, and cleaning up previous entries.

Val Johnson
Social Justice & Community Studies
- This summer research will center on the complexities of community resistance to white settler colonization & institutionalized racism, with the particular project linked with the background and interest of the relevant student and other capacity issues (e.g. via a community-driven or -informed focus on residential school history, digitization of archival materials in the Lynn Jones African Canadian & Diaspora Heritage Collection; or mapping Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, and Chinese histories of Kjipuktuk/Halifax).

Jamie Livingston
Mental Health 
- The student will support research focused on examining civilian (non-police) mental health crisis services.

John E. MacKinnon
Philosophy and the Roots of Reason
- The student will assist in preparation of a manuscript, accepted for publication, that comprises a collection of academic articles originally published in a variety of formats. Work will be both editorial (e.g., helping compile an index) and technical (helping to format) in nature.

Emma McClure
Feminist Philosophy
- Student will work on research related to philosophy of film and pop culture, and develop outreach events associated with the “Let’s Go to the SMUvies” series.

Sveva Savelli 
Languages and Cultures / Mediterranean Archaeology
- Assisting in processing artifacts, editing and organizing documentation from the archaeological excavation at the Oenotrian-Greek site of Incoronata "greca" (Italy) (8-6 c. BCE).

Karl Ka U Ng
Migration, Refugee, and Family
- Student helps with quantitative analysis and literature review on migration, refugee integration, and family dynamics.

Yasushi Akiyama
UI/UX Design and Evaluation
- Researching, evaluating, and improving the usability of educational technology platforms.

Colleen Barber
Avian Behavioural Ecology                  
- Students would help with studying our long-term breeding population of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) here on the campus of Saint Mary's University. Students will help with daily nest checks, weighing and numbering eggs, measuring and banding nestlings and recording adult male song. Behavioural observations include surveying band colours and conducting one-hour offspring provisioning watches. If time permits, student may learn some microsatellite DNA analysis techniques. Students wanting to do an Honours will have a choice between several potential projects.

Christa Brosseau
Chemistry         
- Dr. Brosseau's research interests are focused on the development of nanoscale sensors for medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring.  Project Description: The Student will conduct innovative exploratory research in the field of nanoscale plasmonics and will focus on the fabrication of a novel sensor for healthcare and/or environmental monitoring applications.

Peter Bush
Landscape Ecology / Natural Resource Management
- (1) Field work studying Old-growth forest or forest-bird relationships, (2)  GIS/remote sensing research studying forest ecosystems and ecological connectivity, (3) Social science research studying forest values and policy development.

Margherita Cameranesi
Psychology 
- Dr. Margherita Cameranesi's program of research focuses on mental health and resilience in equity-denied populations. Her current research projects involve refugee youth, newcomer gender-based violence survivors, and youth with type 1 diabetes.

Erin Cameron
Global Change Ecology
- Students will assist with field, laboratory, and/or data synthesis research on how global change affects earthworm invasions and soil biodiversity in Atlantic Canada. Website: https://www.erincameronlab.com/

Linda Campbell
Environmental Science
- Ongoing interdisciplinary research projects open to BIOL, ENVS, ERTH and GEOG students.  Our team is also available for collaborations on related projects. Currently, we are assessing the impacts of historical mining and contaminated ecosystems in Nova Scotia: (1) Ecotoxicology and environmental impacts, (2) Environmental mineralogy, speciation and geological composition, (3) GIS and mapping of historical and modern landscapes impacted by gold mining.  More information: https://www.ap.smu.ca/~lcampbel/Gold.html.

Patrick Carolan
Cognitive Neuroscience
- Projects examining emotion, attention, and/or attitudes and biases toward sexual violence survivors and perpetrators.

David Chiasson
Molecular Biology        
- Students will work on a research project which investigates transcriptional regulation in nitrogen-fixing bacteria. You will apply techniques in molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry to understand the mechanisms of gene activation.

Greg Christian
Nuclear Astrophysics / Structure
- Students will analyze data from particle accelerators, perform Monte Carlo simulations of complex detector setups, and/or work on laboratory-based detector development projects, all with the aim of studying fundamental nuclear structure and the reactions powering the stars and driving synthesis of the elements.

Nicole Conrad
Literacy Development from a Cognitive Psychology Framework
- Evaluating ecological resilience variables, in addition to cognitive skills, as protective factors in the relation between struggling to learn to read and negative developmental outcomes (e.g., academic, mental health, socio-emotional outcomes). Both quantitative and qualitative methods will be used.

Anne Dalziel    
Evolutionary Physiology / Fish Physiology
- Students will study local fishes to learn how salinity tolerance evolves or the factors influencing rates of hybridization. This work will involve collecting fish from the field, caring for fish at SMU, breeding fish in the lab, studying fish metabolic rates and salinity preferences and potentially conducting molecular and biochemical analyses in the lab.

Ivana Damjanov
Astrophysics: Galaxy Formation and Evolution Using Multi-Wavelength Observations
- Be among the first to work with early data from the Euclid space telescope, investigating how galaxy evolution over cosmic time is shaped by the density of their surroundings.

Jane Ferguson
Physical Chemistry
- Students will develop and implement innovative methods to measure the density, heat capacity, and phase behaviour of high-temperature materials for clean energy applications.

Luigi Gallo        
High-Energy Astrophysics 
- Black holes, active galaxies: analyzing data of supermassive black holes collected with space-based X-ray telescopes.

Ellie Goud
Plant Functional Ecology and Stable Isotopes Research Group
- Plant biology, ecology, habitat restoration, water stable isotopes. We study how plants respond to environmental challenges, such as water limitation, salinity, acidity, pollution, and climate change. Summer research assistants do lab work and plant care on campus, and field work in various Nova Scotia habitats as part of the larger Goud lab research team. Lab website: www.elliemgoud.com

Karen Harper
Plant Ecology / Biogeography
- Field work studying vegetation in NS forests, or data and remote sensing projects.

Vincent Hénault-Brunet
Astronomy and Physics / Stellar Dynamics
- The student will perform and analyze state-of-the-art computer simulations of globular star clusters and compare them with observations from space telescopes, with the aim of identifying tell-tale signatures of black holes in these systems and ultimately better understanding the demographics, formation and evolution of black holes.

Jason Ivanoff
Cognitive Neuroscience / Behavioural Economics
- Students will collaborate on various research projects examining: (i) the interaction between attention and action; (ii) how some processes potentially evade multi-tasking costs; (iii) the impact of price-brand interactions on attention and decision-making.

Somayeh Kafaie
Complex Networks, Knowledge Graphs, and Bioinformatics
- Assisting research on constructing knowledge graphs and applying explainable AI techniques for addressing health related issues.

Dawn Kellett
Geology (Tectonics/Geochronology)
- The student(s) will conduct research on a major shear zone in the Canadian Cordillera, including hands-on lab experiences.

Jillian Kendrick
Earth Science / Metamorphic and Igneous Petrology
- The student will make observations and collect data from samples of metamorphic rocks from southwestern Nova Scotia.

Stavros Konstantinidis
Mathematics and Computing Science / Limits of Algorithms and Approximate Solutions to Hard Algorithmic Problems
- Project 1: Investigate algorithms for converting nondeterministic systems to deterministic ones. Project 2: Write software to assist people in creating timetables.

Mitja Mastnak
Mathematics and Computing Science / Linear Algebra and Abstract Algebra            
- The student will assist in research in the area of simultaneous triangularization of collections of matrices or in the research in the area of Hopf algebras.  Both projects can be combined by writing code in the computer algebra package Sage.

Jason Masuda
Chemistry / Chemical Synthesis 
- Pushing Nature’s limits to make new chemical bonds – using state-of-the-art methods and analysis techniques, students will make exciting, new molecules to explore the limits of what Nature will allow.

Adel Merabet
Engineering
(1) Parametric Estimation of Diode Models for Solar PV Cells: Estimate parameters of different solar PV diode models using computational optimization and compare model accuracy and performance,  (2) IoT Instrumentation for Soil Health Monitoring: Develop an IoT system to monitor soil parameters (NPK, pH, EC, moisture, temperature) and compare soil properties across samples, (3) Waste-to-Energy Conversion Using Thermal Processing: Conduct thermal (pyrolysis) experiments on biomass feedstocks, analyze byproducts, and build datasets for modeling and prediction of process outcomes.

Jiju Poovancheri           
3D Computer Vision  
- Develop AI models to analyze urban LiDAR scans, and help collect and label real-world 3D data.

Thanassis Psaltis
Nuclear Astrophysics/ The origin of the Elements in the Cosmos
- Where do the elements come from? Students will gain hands-on Python/C++ coding and data analysis experience, working with results from nuclear physics experiments and running simulations of stellar explosions. This project combines real-world data with cutting-edge computational modeling. For more information: https://psaltisa.github.io

Cory Pye
Computational Chemistry
- The student will use computers to calculate energies, structures, and vibrational frequencies of systems relevant to aqueous solution chemistry.

James Rickards
Mathematics & Computing Science / Number Theory
- The student will investigate number theory, through studying Apollonian circle packings or related objects.

Nicolas Roulin
Industrial / Organizational Psychology
- The student will help examine the risks and benefits of integrating Artificial Intelligence) in the hiring process.

Robert Singer
New Materials, Separations and Catalysis with Ionic Liquids - Green Chemistry in Organic and inorganic Synthesis
- The undergraduate summer researcher will work on a project directed at preparing a specialized NHC-pincer ligand for potential use in catalysis and materials research. Experiments will require training on nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, mass spectrometry, x-ray crystallography, and other instruments. Other projects will be assigned as necessary.

Steven Smith
Social, Health, and Forensic Psychology
- There are three projects we may be working on. 1) Services in place to support student success through university and college mental health and accessibility services; 2) how race and criminality impact hiring biases for people with criminal records; and 3) how we can create more inclusive environments in organizations.

Skye Stephens
Clinical Forensic Psychology
- Clinical forensic psychology project including, but not limited to, studies of risk factors for sexual exploitation of children, research on sex tourism/commercial exploitation, child sexual exploitation perpetration prevention (e.g., bystander intervention, programming for at risk populations).

Veronica Stinson
Forensic Psychology
- Examination of sentencing rulings in the Halifax area with a focus on victim impact statements and offender character evidence (and/or other forensic psychology research projects).

Meg Ternes     
Forensic Psychology     
- Students will work on research related to psychopathy, remorse, rehabilitation, recidivism, and lie detection.

Danielle Tokarz
Chemistry, Biophysics, Optics
- Investigating the ultrastructure of nanostructures (e.g. cancer collagen or muscle) using nonlinear laser microscopy.

Laura Weir
Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology
- Conducting laboratory and field research on mating behaviour, sperm competition and reproductive success of fishes.

Aldona Wiacek
Atmospheric Environmental Science
- Student will analyze air pollution data from Halifax Harbour and may occasionally assist with field work. Open to interdisciplinary-curious students in ENVS, CHEM, PHYS/ASTRO, ERTH and BIOL who are able (or eager to learn) to use Python. More project info at https://www.ap.smu.ca/~awiacek/research_Alliance.html 

Vasiliki Athanasakou
Managing Nature dependency / Biodiversity Risk               
- The student will engage with analysis of corporate reports and releases to identify alliances and other mechanisms that firms use to manage their nature dependency risk. The role offers hands-on experience with real-world research, ideal for an undergraduate student interested in environmental issues, capital markets, and emerging ESG trends.

Matthew Boland
Stock Analysis using Python and ChatGPT     
- Python, supported by ChatGPT, will be used to extract publicly available company data to inform stock selection in across several portfolio strategies.

Amna Chalwati
Financial Reporting, Corporate Governance, ESG, Sustainability, Climate Change
- Students will gain hands-on experience working with real ESG, sustainability, and financial reporting data, while developing strong technical skills in Stata, SAS, and Python. Through this work, they will learn how to analyze disclosure practices and understand how ESG reporting influences financial markets and investor behavior.

Hany Fahmy
Financial Time Series Analysis (regime switching volatility models), Financial Econometrics (diffusion processes and duration hazards), and the emerging field of Climate Finance (climate transition policy, climate risks, and climate sentiment)
- This project employs textual analysis and machine learning techniques to construct a news-based climate policy sentiment index.

Jocelyn Grabke
Consumer Behaviour, Secondhand Marketplace, Circular Economy
- Students will help in the development and execution of a research project that investigates consumer attitudes and behaviours in the secondhand marketplace.

Karen Grandy
Business Communications
- Collection and analysis of tech executives' podcast interviews on the topic of Generative AI.

Nicholas Manuel
Sports Economics
- Examining how baseball umpires respond to their pitch calls being evaluated by Automated Ball-Strike Systems.

Ramesh Venkat
Marketing
1) Studying adoption and impact of AI in the retail sector, (2) Using biometrics (EEG and eye-tracking) to understand consumer response to promotions.

Megan Walsh
Organizational Behaviour
- Two potential projects: 1) Gender and barriers to leadership roles, 2) Understanding implications of leader well-being in organizations.

Hai Wang
Management Information Systems and Analytics / Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
- Students will help and assist in a research project involving the evaluation of different artificial intelligence models for business analytics applications.