Jessica Ewald
PhD Student, McGill University Quantitative toxicogenomics to support decision-making [email protected] |
A) Educational Background
PhD McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada (2017-present)
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
School of Natural Resource Sciences
BSc Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA (2012-2017)
Major: Engineering Sciences (Specialization: Environmental Engineering)
Minor: Applied Mathematical Sciences
Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
School of Natural Resource Sciences
BSc Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA (2012-2017)
Major: Engineering Sciences (Specialization: Environmental Engineering)
Minor: Applied Mathematical Sciences
B) Research Interests and Current Projects
My current research interests include the development of quantitative methods for alternative toxicity testing and the integration of computational biology and data science methods into traditional toxicology regulatory frameworks. At McGill, my PhD research focuses on the development of toxicogenomics technologies for ecotoxicology testing. More specifically, I am evaluating various methods of selecting gene sets that can be used to predict organism-level adverse outcomes of regulatory concern that result from exposure to chemicals with unknown toxicity.
Beyond my current computational biology-focused research, I am also interested in the many components of environmental risk assessment, including contaminant fate and transport modelling, environmental exposure assessment, community-based bio-monitoring, and the Environmental Impact Assessment process in Canada. I am especially interested in how computational modelling currently impacts regulatory and community-based decisions, and how it can be better framed and communicated to improve its effectiveness in decision making in the future.
Beyond my current computational biology-focused research, I am also interested in the many components of environmental risk assessment, including contaminant fate and transport modelling, environmental exposure assessment, community-based bio-monitoring, and the Environmental Impact Assessment process in Canada. I am especially interested in how computational modelling currently impacts regulatory and community-based decisions, and how it can be better framed and communicated to improve its effectiveness in decision making in the future.
C) Honours and Awards
2018-2021 NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship - Doctoral
2018 McGill Graduate Excellence Award
2017 Canada Graduate Studies Harmonized Tri-Council Masters Award (NSERC)
2017 McGill Graduate Excellence Award
2017 Dean's Award for Outstanding Senior Design Project (Harvard University)
2015 Harvard University Center for the Environment Grant for Undergraduate Research
2018 McGill Graduate Excellence Award
2017 Canada Graduate Studies Harmonized Tri-Council Masters Award (NSERC)
2017 McGill Graduate Excellence Award
2017 Dean's Award for Outstanding Senior Design Project (Harvard University)
2015 Harvard University Center for the Environment Grant for Undergraduate Research
D) Previous Research and Professional Experience
2016-2017 Research Assistant, Historic Songbird MeHg Exposure Assessment, Biodiversity Research Institute
2016 Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
2014-2017 Research Assistant, Biogeochemistry of Global Contaminants Lab, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
2014-2016 Contaminated Sites Technician, Golder Associates Ltd (3 summers)
2014 Research Assistant, Biosphere-Atmosphere Exchange Lab, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
2013 Summer Internship, Silverwood Environmental Consulting
2016 Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
2014-2017 Research Assistant, Biogeochemistry of Global Contaminants Lab, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
2014-2016 Contaminated Sites Technician, Golder Associates Ltd (3 summers)
2014 Research Assistant, Biosphere-Atmosphere Exchange Lab, Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
2013 Summer Internship, Silverwood Environmental Consulting
E) Publications and Presentations
Soufan O., Ewald J.,Viau C., Crump D., Hecker M., Basu N., Xia J. 2019. T1000: A Reduced Toxicogenomics Gene Set for Improved Decision Making. PeerJ. [MANUSCRIPT - in review]
Zhou G., Soufan O., Ewald J., Hancock R., Basu N., Xia J. 2019. NetworkAnalyst 3.0 – a visual analytics platform for comprehensive gene expression profiling and meta-analysis. Nucleic Acids Research. [MANUSCRIPT]
Ewald J., Kirk J., Li M., Sunderland E. 2019. Organ-specific differences in mercury speciation and accumulation across ringed seal (Phoca hispida) life stages. Science of the Total Environment. [MANUSCRIPT]
Ewald J., Soufan O., Crump D., Hecker M., Xia J., Basu N. 2018. Quantitative toxicogenomics methods to predict adverse outcomes in fathead minnow. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Sacramento, USA. November 4-8, 2018. [TALK]
Soufan O., Ewald J., Viau C., Crump D., Hecker M., Xia N., Basu N. 2018. T1000: Identification of toxicogenomics gene sets for improved risk assessment of environmental toxicants. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Sacramento, USA. November 4-8, 2018. [POSTER]
Basu N., Ewald J., Pain G., Hecker M., Crump D., Head J., Hogan N., Xia J., Hickey G., Maguire S. 2018. Design thinking to inform micro-level features of the EcoToxChips and EcoToxXplorer.ca. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Sacramento, USA. November 4-8, 2018. [POSTER]
Ewald J., Soufan O., Crump D., Hecker M., Xia J., Basu N. 2018. Quantitative toxicogenomics methods to predict adverse outcomes in fathead minnow. International Council of Chemical Associations – Long-Range Research Initiative (ICCA-LRI). Ottawa, Canada. June 20-21, 2018. [POSTER]
Ewald J., Kirk J., Li M., Sunderland E. 2017 Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling of methylmercury in young ringed seals. International Conference for Mercury as a Global Pollutant. Providence, USA. July 2017. [POSTER]
Li M., Schartup A., Valberg A., Ewald J., Krabbenhoft D., Yin R., Balcom P., Sunderland E. 2016. Environmental origins of methylmercury accumulated in sub-arctic estuarine fish indicated by mercury stable isotopes. Environmental Science and Technology. [MANUSCRIPT]
Zhou G., Soufan O., Ewald J., Hancock R., Basu N., Xia J. 2019. NetworkAnalyst 3.0 – a visual analytics platform for comprehensive gene expression profiling and meta-analysis. Nucleic Acids Research. [MANUSCRIPT]
Ewald J., Kirk J., Li M., Sunderland E. 2019. Organ-specific differences in mercury speciation and accumulation across ringed seal (Phoca hispida) life stages. Science of the Total Environment. [MANUSCRIPT]
Ewald J., Soufan O., Crump D., Hecker M., Xia J., Basu N. 2018. Quantitative toxicogenomics methods to predict adverse outcomes in fathead minnow. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Sacramento, USA. November 4-8, 2018. [TALK]
Soufan O., Ewald J., Viau C., Crump D., Hecker M., Xia N., Basu N. 2018. T1000: Identification of toxicogenomics gene sets for improved risk assessment of environmental toxicants. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Sacramento, USA. November 4-8, 2018. [POSTER]
Basu N., Ewald J., Pain G., Hecker M., Crump D., Head J., Hogan N., Xia J., Hickey G., Maguire S. 2018. Design thinking to inform micro-level features of the EcoToxChips and EcoToxXplorer.ca. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Sacramento, USA. November 4-8, 2018. [POSTER]
Ewald J., Soufan O., Crump D., Hecker M., Xia J., Basu N. 2018. Quantitative toxicogenomics methods to predict adverse outcomes in fathead minnow. International Council of Chemical Associations – Long-Range Research Initiative (ICCA-LRI). Ottawa, Canada. June 20-21, 2018. [POSTER]
Ewald J., Kirk J., Li M., Sunderland E. 2017 Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling of methylmercury in young ringed seals. International Conference for Mercury as a Global Pollutant. Providence, USA. July 2017. [POSTER]
Li M., Schartup A., Valberg A., Ewald J., Krabbenhoft D., Yin R., Balcom P., Sunderland E. 2016. Environmental origins of methylmercury accumulated in sub-arctic estuarine fish indicated by mercury stable isotopes. Environmental Science and Technology. [MANUSCRIPT]