Meet our Team

Director

Dr. Geneviève Metson

Associate Professor

Dr. Metson obtained a PhD from McGill University in Natural Resource Science, as well as a Master’s from Arizona State University in Sustainability, and an undergraduate in Earth System from the University of California San Diego. She has had the privilege of working in Australia, the USA, and Sweden before returning to Canada and joining Western University.

Her research uses nutrients as a lens to look at food security and water quality, and she is passionate about the role of cities in biogeochemistry as well as art-science collaborations for sustainability.

Her favorite city in the world in Montreal Quebec, and she enjoys spending time outdoors, as well as dance.

See Dr. Metson’s CV and learn more.

Current Members

  • Erika Hill

    Lab manager, Geography & Environment

    With over 18 years of experience as the Laboratory Manager of Geography & Environment, Erika Hill brings a wealth of expertise in chemical, nuclear radiation, and biological laboratories. She has spent over a decade with the Western Hazmat and Confined Space Team, ensuring safety and efficiency in complex environments. Erika has supervised and trained hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students in diverse laboratory and field techniques, including paleolimnology, micrometeorology, hydrology, geomorphology, aquatic biology, dendrochronology, biogeography, and spatial ecology.

    Outside of her professional pursuits, Erika is an avid hiker and camper, finding inspiration in the great outdoors. She also enjoys creating stained glass art, blending her scientific and creative passions.

  • Aviva Fournie

    MSc Student, Year 1

    Aviva is a first-year MSc student in Geography and the Environment. She completed her BSc Honours in Biological Sciences, at the University of Guelph in 2024. Aviva is interested in environmental sustainability, phosphorus management, water quality and climate change impacts. In her free time, Aviva enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, camping, and spending time with friends and family.  

  • Leanne Ferguson

    Research assistant, May 2024-February 2025

    Leanne is currently in her first year of the MA program in the Department of Geography and Environment. She holds a BA Honours in Environment and Urban Sustainability from Toronto Metropolitan University. Leanne’s research focuses on socio-political tensions within urban agriculture. Passionate about urban community development, she is especially interested in how urban agriculture sites may serve as spaces for promoting urban citizenship and social cohesion. Leanne enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including canoeing, hiking, and camping.

  • Arielle Jazz Santos

    MSc Student, Year 1

    Arielle graduated from Western University in 2024 with a BSc in the Honours Specialization in Environmental Science program. In September 2024, Arielle joined the RESTORE lab as a Master of Engineering Science student under the co-supervision of Dr. Clare Robinson and Dr. James Roy to continue her education. She is also a part of the Collaborative Specialization in Environment and Sustainability program at Western with Dr. Metson as her advisor. 

Western SRM Alumni

  • Ryan Quirk

    Summer USRI Student, May-August 2024

    Ryan spent the summer of 2024 working under Dr. Metson as an internship student through the USRI program. She is currently in her fourth-year of undergraduate studies in Biology. She has a specific interest and focus in environmental biology, biodiversity, climate change impacts, and conservation. In her time off, Ryan enjoys spending time with friends and family, as well as hiking, home botany, and reading. 

    She was a research assistant on the first phase of “Nutrients in urban climate thinking,“ generating a preliminary report that can be accessed here.

  • Aiyshah Kirmani

    Summer Research Assistant, May-August 2024
    Website Design Lead, August-October 2024

    Aiyshah is a fourth-year BSc student in Biology. She is completing an Honours thesis under Dr. R.G. Thorn, conducting multigene phylogenetic analyses of Hohenbuehelia on Aspen trees in the Yukon and maritime provinces (Fall 2024-Spring 2025).
    She was a research assistant on the first phase of “Nutrients in urban climate thinking,“ generating a preliminary report that can be accessed here. She is passionate about graphic design and computer science, so she worked with Dr. Geneviève Metson to launch this website soon after her summer role.
    In her free time, Aiyshah enjoys hiking, baking, and going on road trips.  

  • Allison Pert

    Summer Research Assistant, May-July 2024

    Allison is a first-year student in the MD program at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She graduated with and Honours BSc in Environmental Science with a Major in Biology in 2024, and entered medicine aiming to bridge gaps in medical practice between the health of people, populations, and environments, as well as the non-human relatives we live amongst within those environments. Allison spends most of her free time outside, with her favourite naturalized place visited being the Krka National Park in southern Croatia. She worked on a literature review about green infrastructure and ecosystem service provision during her tenure at the SRM lab.

Collaborators

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