UOIT awarded prestigious post-doctoral fellowship by the Ministry of Research and Innovation

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) continues to build on its reputation for research excellence with news it has been awarded a post-doctoral fellowship from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI), one of just under 50 awarded to research-intensive institutions across the province.

The MRI program provides outstanding scientists, who have recently received their PhD, with two-year fellowships at Ontario's research institutions. Dr. Rodrigo Orrego, the successful candidate at UOIT, will be working with Dr. Douglas Holdway, a professor of ecotoxicology in UOIT's Faculty of Science and holder of a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Toxicology, to study the effect of pulp mill effluent on fish reproduction, development and survival.

"Post-doctoral fellows play an important role in academic research teams, both as contributing scientists and as mentors to graduate students," said Dr. William Smith, dean of the Faculty of Science at UOIT. "We are delighted the ministry has recognized UOIT's research record with this fellowship, and we expect Dr. Orrego to continue to help drive and further our innovative and world-recognized research. The award is especially timely in view of this fall's incoming cohort of graduate students in our Master of Science in Applied Bioscience program."

The post-doctoral fellowships are open to scientists in all disciplines and are intended to support research in Ontario's priority economic sectors: agriculture, materials and advanced manufacturing, life sciences, information and communications technologies, energy systems and technologies, environmental technologies and emerging technologies. Each fellowship consists of salary support of $50,000 annually for two years, $25,000 from the MRI and $25,000 from the institution.

The selection and appointment of post-doctoral fellows for the program is managed solely by the research institutions and is based on a competitive process. At UOIT, each faculty was allowed to submit two nominations at most, with Dr. Orrego ultimately selected as the successful candidate by an internal panel consisting of UOIT deans and other faculty members.

Dr. Orrego earned his PhD in environmental sciences from the University of Concepcion (Center of Environmental Sciences EULA-Chile), where his research focused on evaluating the effects of pulp and paper mill discharges on fish in Latin America. His research was unique to Chile and has had an impact on the issue in his home country and in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. He has developed an extensive international reputation and is working with scientists from around the world, including Korea, Australia, the United States and Canada.

"Since my arrival in Canada, I have been able to initiate collaborative discussions and research with Canadian and Chilean scientists on this issue, one of increasing importance to both countries," said Dr. Orrego. "I am very grateful to have been awarded this post-doctoral fellowship and I look forward to sharing in the continuing discoveries and quality science that are the hallmarks of this institution."

Working with Dr. Holdway, his research efforts will continue to focus on the effects of effluent on aquatic ecosystems and will involve collaboration with researchers from several other institutions, including the Aquatic Ecosystem Protection Research Division at Environment Canada. Dr. Orrego will also play a role in UOIT's participation in the MRI's Teachers' Science and Technology Outreach Program (TSTOP).

Through TSTOP funding, two Ontario secondary school science and technology teachers are conducting leading-edge research under the guidance of two professors from UOIT's Faculty of Science this summer. One of the two will be investigating the effects of short-term (or pulse) toxicant exposure on fish alongside Dr. Orrego and Dr. Holdway.

"Our mandate is to focus on fundamental and applied research topics that directly impact society, be it a large multinational corporation, a small business or a community," said Dr. Kamiel Gabriel, associate provost, Research at UOIT. "As such, we are very excited by the potential discoveries resulting from Dr. Orrego's and Dr. Holdway's combined world-class expertise and research. We are looking forward to their contributions to UOIT's research agenda, and to the health, wellness and economic development of our local and global communities."

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