M.Sc. Student, Dalhousie University
Supervisor: Dr. David Burton
About Leah MacIntyre
Leah grew up in St. Andrews, a small seaside town in New Brunswick. After high school, she moved to Charlottetown to attend the University of Prince Edward Island to obtain her bachelor of science, majoring in molecular biology. In her final year at UPEI, she completed her honours research project using next-generation sequencing to monitor aquatic invertebrates in rivers undergoing eutrophication caused by intensive row-cropping agriculture. Through her undergraduate research, she developed an interest in sustainable agricultural practices, and wanted to use molecular biology to better understand the environmental impacts of crop production. She will begin her masters thesis in the fall of 2022, and will work under Dr. David Burton (Dalhousie University) and Dr. Claudia Goyer (Agriculture and Agri-foods Canada, Fredericton, NB). Her thesis will investigate the effects of integrated crop production systems on soil health, soil microbial diversity, and greenhouse gas emissions. This research will help to understand the benefits and possible trade-offs of applying agro-ecological principles to potato production systems in New Brunswick. When not in the lab or in the field, Leah enjoys cycling, gardening, and trying new restaurants.