Shira Joudan, PhD (she/they)
Assistant Professor, 2023-present
Shira grew up in Winnipeg and obtained her BSc in Chemistry from Carleton University, where she was first exposed to mass spectrometry research through lipidomics while working with Prof. Jeff Smith. During her summers and the year before graduate school, she worked with Prof. Charles Wong at the University of Winnipeg, where she really learned about environmental chemistry! She attended the University of Toronto to pursue her PhD in Chemistry (Environmental Chemistry) with Prof. Scott Mabury, where her research investigated reactions of legacy and replacement per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment. During her postdoc research at York University with Prof. Cora Young she made atmospheric measurements of PFAS, and did something new to her by innovating a novel online chromatography-mass spectrometry instrument to measure atmospheric organic acids. Outside of research and teaching, she enjoys canoeing, concerts, quality time with friends, and is getting back into tap dancing! You can read more about Shira.
Zhefei Guo (he/him)
PhD student, 2022-present
Zhefei comes from Wuhan, China. He completed his BSc degree in Chemistry at Wuhan University in June 2022, then joined the Joudan group at the University of Alberta as a PhD student in September 2022. During his undergraduate research, he participated in several projects, such as organic asymmetric catalysis and analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soil. Through the environmental analytical research of PFAS, he found a strong interest in environmental chemistry. His current study is to investigate the release of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) from some organic compounds occurring in the environment. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, reading books, watching movies, and listening to music.
Dean Nguyen, MSc
PhD student, 2022-present
Dean is from Vietnam and earned his BSc in Chemistry & Biochemistry and MSc in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota Duluth. During an undergraduate summer internship he performed soil testing and worked for a year of research projects in physical chemistry and molecular dynamic simulations of gaseous P2O5. He then developed an interest in analytical instrumentation and did his masters project on analysis of plant samples with GC-MS and RStudio software. He joined the Joudan Lab at UofA in Fall 2022 and is working to understand reactions of PFAS using GC-MS and LC-MS. His hobbies include watching movies, eating BBQ, lifting weights, and shooting traps.
Nipuna Senanayake
PhD student, 2022-present
Nipuna is from Sri Lanka and earned his BSc (Honours) in Environmental Science from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. He then joined the Environmental Science research group of the National Institute of Fundamental Studies in Sri Lanka as a Research Assistant. He has experience related to graphene membrane fabrication and RO water treatment. In Fall 2022, he started his grad school at UofA in the Joudan Lab because of his interest in environmental chemistry. He will be measuring tire-wear compounds in precipitation across Canada to understand atmospheric sources and transport. He enjoys outdoor activities and loves to enjoy nature in his free time.
Danielle Molenaar (she/they)
MSc student, 2023-present
Danielle is from Edmonton and earned her BSc in Physical Sciences from MacEwan University in 2020. In 2018, she joined Dr. Matthew Ross’ group as a research assistant, investigating the concentration of microplastics in stormwater runoff. Following this introduction to environmental research, she began working on a project using silicone wristbands as personal passive samplers for exposure to organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs). After a few years off, she joined the Joudan Lab in May 2023 to begin research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in snow samples. In her free time, she enjoys video games, listening to music, spending time with friends, and painting ceramics.
Samantha Burke (she/her)
Undergraduate Researcher (CHEM 399), 2024
Samantha grew up in Prince George BC but moved to Edmonton to attend the University of Alberta. She is currently completing her BSc in Chemistry with a minor in Earth Sciences. She became interested in environmental chemistry through her course work and seeing peers’ research projects at a local conference. Samantha will be working alongside Nipuna Senanayake in studying diphenylguadine (DPG), a contaminant originating from rubber. Outside of school, Samantha enjoys playing the saxophone, crochet, and spending time with friends.
Group Alumni
Undergraduate researchers
Azka Attar, BSc. May - December 2023. Lloyd and Margaret Cooley Memorial Studentship in Analytical Chemistry and CHEM 401