EN Seminar: Jan. 17, 2025

Date: January 17, 2025 12:00 pm (ET)

Speaker(s)

  • Jonathan Challis
    Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, AAFC

Title:
Environmental Agrochemistry at AAFC: Pesticides, Veterinary Drugs, and Algal Toxins in Agriculturally-Impacted Environments

Abstract:
This seminar will summarize some of the research conducted in my analytical chemistry lab at the AAFC Lethbridge Research and Development Centre over the past three years. We use LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS to measure large suites of pesticides, veterinary use pharmaceuticals, and other agriculturally important compounds in order to better understand their occurrence and behaviour in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Research topics in this seminar will be wide ranging, including methodological comparisons for the effective sampling and analysis of pesticides in irrigation water; microcystin accumulation and effects on soil/crop systems; fate and effects of veterinary drugs in cattle feedlot environments; and of course (if you know me) the development and application of passive sampling devices. In addition to my fundamental research questions, a goal of my research program is to produce data that can be used to inform and improve upon existing regulatory and risk assessment frameworks. I will try to provide perspective related to the positioning of my research at the intersection of government, industry, and environmental regulation and risk assessment.

Bio:
Jonathan Challis is a Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre. He received his B.Sc. from The University of Winnipeg (2011) and his Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba (2018) in Chemistry. Following his Ph.D., Jonathan Challis spent three years as a Banting Postdoctoral fellow in the Toxicology Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. His background is in analytical and environmental chemistry and he has focused his research on the agricultural sector since joining AAFC in 2022. He runs a research program focused on characterizing the environmental occurrence, sources, fate, and effects of agricultural-related chemicals.