Meet Our Staff

Christina Collard
Program Leader, Administration
& Fundraising
ccollard@riverinstitute.ca

Jeff Ridal
Executive Director
jridal@riverinstitute.ca

Jennifer Jarvis
Office Coordinator
jjarvis@riverinstitute.ca

Leigh McGaughey
Program Leader Research & Community Engagement
lmcgaughey@riverinstitute.ca

Crystal Martell
QA/QC Officer
cmartell@riverinstitute.ca

Luc St. Pierre
Lab Coordinator
lstpierre@riverinstitute.ca

Cristina Charette, M.Sc.
Education Coordinator
ccharette@riverinstitute.ca

Lexy Harquail
Environmental Educator / Biologist
lharquail@riverinstitute.ca

Stephany Hildebrand
Research Assistant / Technician
shildebrand@riverinstitute.ca

Zachary Zwanenburg
Web Developer & IT Specialist
zzwanenburg@riverinstitute.ca

Josh Filion
Project Support Specialist
jfilion@riverinstitute.ca
Elsie Lewison
Developement Officer
elewison@riverinstitute.ca
Alanna Akkermans
Environmental Educator/Biologist
aakkermans@riverinstitute.ca

Georgia Bock
Remedial Action Plan Coordinator
gbock@riverinstitute.ca
Bojian Chen
Research Scientist
bchen@riverinstitute.ca

Emilie DeRochie
River Strategy Coordinator
ederochie@riverinstitute.ca
Emma Ridal
Assistant Web Developer & Communications Support
eridal@riverinstitute.ca

Mackenzie Wylie-Arbic
Research Assistant
mwyliearbic@riverinstitute.ca

Courtney Holden
Research Scientist
cholden@riverinstitute.ca

Jamie Hilworth
Project Support Technician
jhilworth@riverinstitute.ca

Matt Windle
Program Leader, Research & Technical Services
mwindle@riverinstitute.ca

Dr. Mary Ann Perron
Research Scientist
maperron@riverinstitute.ca

Brian Hickey
Research Scientist
bhickey@riverinstitute.ca
Bailey Ruest
Research Assistant/Biologist
bruest@riverinstitute.ca
Sylvia Rodriguez
MITACS Post Doc Fellow
srodriguez@riverinstitute.ca
Elizabeth Grohmann
Biologist/Field Technician
egrohmann@riverinstitute.ca
Elizabeth Hall
Research Assistant/Biologist
ehall@riverinstitute.ca
River Institute Board of Directors
Debora Daigle
Community Member,
Chair
Stephen Alexander
Community member,
First Vice Chair
Jackie Baird
Cornwall Electric,
Treasurer
Diana Rourke
Manager BASF Plant,
Secretary
Directors
Sylviane Duval
Community member
Clement Gwanyama
Community Member
Channelle Martel
RBC
Scott Gagnon
OPG
Scott Lecky
Ramada Hotel
Mireille Lemire
Community Member
Jean Marc Gladu
Community member
Andrew Guindon
Warden and United Counties of S. D. & G. Representative
Jennifer Haley
St. Lawrence College, Representative
Dean Hollingworth
City of Cornwall Representative
Kayla Sunday
Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Representative
Research Scientists

Dr. Brian Hickey
Program Leader Education / Research Scientist
bhickey@riverinstitute.ca
I received my graduate training in biology at York University where I studied behavioural and physiological variation of red (Lasiurus borealis) and hoary (Lasiurus cinereus) bats in response to changing environmental conditions. Since then, my research has involved both basic and applied aspects of this question. My current research efforts are directed at evaluating the responses of fish and wildlife communities to habitat degradation (habitat loss and mercury contamination), restoration efforts and ecological effects of water level variation. In addition to research, I oversee public education and outreach programs at the River Institute.
Research Interests
My research involves a wide range of taxa including bats, birds, fish and invertebrates, with a unifying theme to understand the role environmental variation plays in the responses of individual animals, and how these responses ultimately structure animal populations and communities.

Dr. Leigh McGaughey
Program Leader Research & Community Engagement
lmcgaughey@riverinstitute.ca
Leigh is an ecologist, who started her career in South Africa where she completed a BSc (1994), BSc Honours (1995) and MSc (2000) degrees in Biological Sciences. In 2001 she moved to Australia and worked as a Research Assistant at Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute as part of the Abalone Research team to provide scientific support to the fishing industry. In 2005 she took up a scholarship for her PhD studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada, where she built an ecosystem model of a sub-Antarctic system which was used to explore past population dynamics and climate change scenarios. In 2010, Leigh was employed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, based in Italy, as a Postdoctoral Grantholder where she worked on developing indicators for both fisheries and conservation applications.
Research Interests
Leigh’s expertise include invertebrate biology, stable isotopes, ecosystem modelling, remote sensing, ecosystem indicators and ecosystem services.

Dr. Mary Ann Perron
Research Scientist
maperron@riverinstitute.ca
I am a freshwater biologist with expertise in wetland ecosystems and urban ecology. I grew up in a small town in northern Ontario and spent my free time outdoors, usually on the water. I completed my B.Sc. Honours in Biology with a specialization in conservation and restoration ecology from Laurentian University in Sudbury (2010-2014). I then went on to complete my Ph.D. in Biology specializing in wetland ecosystems, entomology and urban ecology from the University of Ottawa (2014-2020). I have experience teaching in the classroom and in the field as well as running workshops for youth organizations. I am a certified wetland evaluator with skills in wetland plant identification, multivariate statistics and spatial analyses. I am currently involved in leading citizen science programs and collaborate in international efforts in insect conservation.
Research Interests
My research interests include wetlands, Odonatology (study of dragonflies and damselflies), conservation biology, botany, urban ecology, freshwater ecology, biostatistics and spatial analyses. I also have a keen interest in natural history.

Matthew Windle, MSc.
Research Scientist
mwindle@riverinstitute.ca
I am a biologist with experience in environmental science, freshwater ecosystem ecology, spatial analyses, contaminant analyses, and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). I completed a BSc in environmental science from Queen’s University, and a M.Sc. in Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In addition to my work as a Research Scientist at the River Institute, I am also a professor in the Environmental Technician Program at St. Lawrence College. I possess certifications for open water SCUBA, the Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol (OSAP), Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) fish identification workshops, advanced operations and flight reviewer status for RPAS from Transport Canada, and the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES).
Research Interests
My research focuses on the ecological health of aquatic ecosystems, including studies of nearshore fish communities, species-at-risk, aquatic invasive species, contaminated sediments, and coastal wetlands. As a certified advanced drone pilot and Geographic Information Systems instructor, my research incorporates remote sensing and spatial analysis tools to study shifting trends, habitat interactions and large scale processes of freshwater ecosystems.