THE TEAM
About Us
DR. SARAH BOUDREAU
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Sarah Boudreau recently graduated with her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Memorial University of Newfoundland while under the supervision of Prof. Francesca Kerton and Dr. Edmond Lam. Originally from Petit de Grat, NS, she started her chemistry journey at Cape Breton University and graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry. During her Ph.D. she developed a sustainable method to transform Atlantic salmon bones to a feedstock of hydroxyapatite. She has extensive experience with sustainability, green chemistry, life cycle analysis, and circularity. Sarah is also very passionate about science communication and making chemistry more accessible for the general population. She recently started as a Postdoctoral Researcher with the CHArTl research group at Cape Breton University. Her research focuses on the valorization of waste by-products to a variety carbon materials for CO2 adsorption.
DR. BILLUR ECER
Research Associate
Dr. Billur Ecer holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and is a Research Associate with the ChArTl research group at Cape Breton University. Her research integrates biomass pyrolysis, biochar production, optimization, and sustainability-oriented decision support. At ChArTl, she works on pyrolysis-based conversion of regional organic by-products into value-added carbon materials and contributes expertise in multi-criteria decision-making, techno-economic assessment, capacity planning, site selection, and supply chain analysis to support feasible and sustainable process development.
DR. ANDREW CARRIER
Research Associate
Dr. Andrew Carrier is a physical organic chemist and research associate in the Department of Chemistry at Cape Breton University. He manages industry, community, and public-sector partnerships in materials, analytical chemistry, and catalysis. His research interests are in surface modification, redox catalysis, free radical chemistry, and product/process development. He is currently modifying biochar surfaces to enhance the adsorption of carbon dioxide and other flue gases, and to improve their interactions with concrete and asphalt for sequestration and long-term stabilization.
DR. DAVID IRWIN
Technical Assistant
Dr. David J. G. Irwin is a retired associate professor of Physics, and currently a research assistant in support of the research of a colleague in the Chemistry department of Cape Breton University. He earned the degree BA (Mod) at Trinity College, Dublin University, and that of PhD at Johns Hopkins University (1969) specializing in vacuum ultraviolet photographic spectroscopy of triply ionized Neodymium. In 1973 he joined the faculty of the then St. Francis Xavier University, Sydney Campus (now Cape Breton University).
He has since retired from active teaching in 2004 and began working as a research associate, having developed the design and fabrication of a 1700 W pyrolysis reactor system for extraction of condensates and char from birch bark, crab shell, wood, and a variety of other materials. More recently he developed and built a larger (4400 W) pyrolysis reactor for greater productivity.
JUDY MACINNIS
Senior Lab Instructor & PhD Candidate
Judy is a Senior Lab Instructor in the Department of Chemistry at Cape Breton University (CBU) and serves as the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) Technician. A proud Cape Breton native, she holds a Master of Science in Chemistry from St. Francis Xavier University, along with a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education (Mathematics and Science), with distinction from Mount Allison University. Judy is currently completing the final year of her Ph.D. at Memorial University of Newfoundland under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie MacQuarrie (CBU) and Dr. Christina Bottaro (Memorial University). Her research focuses on the valorization of crab shell waste through the production and characterization of calcium-rich biochar via pyrolysis, with an emphasis on demineralization, material characterization, and potential applications.
Judy is a dedicated advocate for Green Chemistry and sustainability in science education and research. She played a leading role in the CBU Department of Chemistry's adoption of the Green Chemistry Commitment with Beyond Benign and currently chairs the department's Green Chemistry Subcommittee, where she promotes sustainable practices in teaching and research. Committed to fostering equity and inclusion in STEM, Judy is co-lead of Island WISE, supporting women, girls, and underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She is also a strong champion of equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigenization, and accessibility (EDIIA), working to create a more welcoming and inclusive scientific community.
MADELINE MARINELLI
M.Sc. Student
Madeline graduated with a Chemistry degree at Cape Breton University in 2022 after completing her honours project in the MacQuarrie group. She has been part of the MacQuarrie Research group since the summer of 2020, and in 2026 is completing a M.Sc. in chemistry through Memorial University under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie MacQuarrie (CBU) and Dr. Michael Katz (MUN). The focus of her research is on the thermochemical conversion of fruit waste into biochar for application in body odor adsorption.
LAURYN MCCORMICK
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Lauryn is a fourth-year Bachelor of Science Chemistry student at Cape Breton University, with plans to complete her honours thesis this year. Lauryn’s current research project focuses on pyrolyzing Mg(CH3COO)2 templated bio-oil to create porous biochar with high CO2 adsorption. This is Lauryn’s second summer working in the MacQuarrie Research Group, and this year she is a member of the Net Zero Atlantic project. In her free time, Lauryn enjoys listening to music, reading, and going to Pilates. After completing her undergraduate degree, Lauryn plans to pursue medical school.
JACEK MARMULAK
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Jacek is a fourth year Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) student at Cape Breton University. His project focuses on the functionalization of biochar with thiourea to act as an organic catalyst in the Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction. This is his second summer as a member of the MacQuarrie Research Group.
CLAIRE MCNEIL
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Claire is a fourth-year chemistry student at Cape Breton University planning to complete her honours thesis this year. Her current research projects focus on performing Suzuki Cross-coupling reactions on brominated larch wood biochar and making green crab biochar. This is Claire’s second summer working in the MacQuarrie Research Group as a NSERC USRA research assistant, with plans to attend dental school after her undergraduate degree.
EMMA CHOLAK
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Emma is a Biochemistry Major (Chemistry Minor) going into her third year at Mount Allison University. This is her second summer in the lab. She is working on making hydrophilic chars that can absorb CO2, as well as developing a method for our lab to measure the CO2 absorption capacity of biooil.
NICK GUY
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Nick is entering his third year of a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a Minor in Physics at Dalhousie University. This is his second summer working in the MacQuarrie lab. Nick is working on functionalizing bio-oil so that it creates a highly porous material during pyrolysis for CO2 capture. Nick also works for the Clean Foundation, who has him working on characterizing the products of textile pyrolysis. In Nick’s free time, he enjoys playing soccer, playing piano, going on hikes and going to the gym. He plans to either pursue a master’s degree or medical school after completing his bachelor’s degree.
SIMI ANTAAL
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Simi is a Chemistry Major at Cape Breton University entering her fifth year. This summer, she is working in the MacQuarrie Lab as part of the Net Zero Atlantic project. Her research focuses on analyzing bio-oils derived from crab and wood at different stages of aging. She is investigating how these bio-oils influence biochar and biogas yields, and exploring whether freshly produced bio-oils can be functionalized to behave similarly to aged bio-oils in order to enhance overall yield and reactivity.
BRIELLE MCLEAN
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Brielle is a fourth year Bachelor of Science Chemistry student at Cape Breton University with a plan to pursue her honours thesis this upcoming year. Brielle’s current research project focuses on soft-templating bio-oils to form porous carbon materials with enhanced CO2 adsorption. This is Brielle’s first summer working in the MacQuarrie Research Group as a part of the Net Zero Atlantic Project. In Brielle’s free time she enjoys going for walks, going to the gym, and trying out new cafes. Once her undergraduate degree is completed, she plans to pursue medical school.
ERIN LAWLESS
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Work in progress!
EILIDH STEWART-ARSENAULT
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Work in progress!
ALUMNI
Look Where MacQuarrie Group Members Go (Work in Progress)
Dr. Marzieh Baneshi
Dr. Marzieh Baneshi holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry and was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Cape Breton University with the CHArTl research group until 2026. She worked on developing composite materials for drug delivery and environmental remediation. At CHArTl, she specialized in biochar-based composites for recovering precious metals, removing heavy metals, and degrading persistent organic pollutants. She now works at St. Francis Xavier University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry.
Dr. Kevin Scotland
Dr. Kevin Scotland received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2020 while studying the field of organic materials chemistry. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the CHArTl research group until 2025 and worked on the functionalization of biochar for environmental remediation, CO2 adsorption, and catalyst supports.
Brandon MacDonald
Brandon MacDonald graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Chemistry degree from Cape Breton University in 2025. He worked on two projects as a member of the CHArTl group: (1) the pyrolysis of mixed biomasses, specifically snow crab and larch wood, and (2) the functionalization of woody biochar with MPTMS for applications in gold adsorption. He spent four summers as a research assistant and then went to Dalhousie to start his Masters before transition to a Bachelor of Education degree at Cape Breton University.
Lauren MacDougall
Lauren MacDougall graduated from Cape Breton University in 2026 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Chemistry degree. During her two summers with the CHArTl research group she worked towards characterizing crab bio-oil to evaluate its potential as an alternative to conventional fuel sources
Connor Campbell
Connor graduated from Cape Breton University in 2026 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Chemistry degree. He worked on production methods and applications of snow crab and larch wood mixed biochar samples.
Navaeh Colburne
Nevaeh is a Cape Breton University Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) student, having completed her third year of an undergraduate degree with a minor in psychology. Last summer, through the Clean Foundation grant, Nevaeh primarily worked on characterizing and functionalizing nitrogen enriched biochar. She is planning to pursue a master's degree in the field.
Davan MacDonald
Davan is a fourth year Bachelor of Science Chemistry student with a minor in mathematics at Cape Breton University. Last year her project focuses on the nitrogen-functionalization of biochar and its applications for carbon dioxide adsorption. She plans to pursue a Masters and PhD in Chemistry.
Dr. Preston MacQueen
Dr. Preston MacQueen, from Sydney, Cape Breton graduated from Cape Breton University in 2013 with an Honours degree in Chemistry. Preston worked in Prof. Stephanie MacQuarrie’s lab for four years during his time at CBU on organic catalysis and silica materials chemistry projects. He completed his honours thesis under the supervision of Prof. Matthias Bierenstiel on incorporating BODIPPY dyes into silica materials.
Preston then went on to Dalhousie University to study organometallic chemistry under Prof. Mark Stradiotto. In the Stradiotto lab, Preston worked on ligand design and catalyst development for the arylation of small molecules with a focus on Nickel catalyzed C-N bond formation reactions. After graduating from Dalhousie with his Ph.D. in chemistry in 2018, Preston completed his postdoctoral studies at MIT as an NSERC postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Tim Jamison’s lab where he worked on developing reactions in continuous flow.
Since 2020 Preston has been a process chemist at MilliporeSigma, leading a group working on scale up and purification of catalysts, ligands and custom fine chemical products.
Dr. Ryan Bach
Ryan worked in the MacQuarrie Group from 2011 to 2013. After completing his Bachelor of Science at Cape Breton University he went to Dalhousie to complete his Doctor of Pharmacy in 2017. In 2019, Ryan and his team purchased Ferguson's Pharmacy in Glace Bay. They have since expanded by acquiring Stone's Pharmacy in Baddeck, which specializes in compounding.
Dr. Kori Andrea
Dr. Kori Andrea joined the MacQuarrie group in the summer of 2013 as an undergraduate researcher and continued to work in the MacQuarrie group throughout her undergraduate degree at Cape Breton University (2012 - 2016). After completing her Bachelor of Science she attended Memorial University of Newfoundland (2016 - 2021) to obtain her PhD in Chemistry where Dr. MacQuarrie was apart of her doctoral thesis committee. Still not tired of school, Kori then moved back to Halifax to attend Dalhousie University (2021 - 2025) to complete her Doctor of Dental Surgery. Kori currently works as a Dentist in St. John’s NL.
Nicholas MacLean
From 2018 - 2022, Nic worked in the MacQuarrie group. He graduated from Cape Breton University with a Bachlor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry in 2022. He is currently taking education here at CBU and assisting in a WHMIS enhancement project to help regulate the WHMIS program at CBU.
Dr. Ali Shafiee
Dr. Ali Shafiee received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry in 2020 and now he is working as a postdoctoral fellow in MacQuarrie group at the department of chemistry. His research is mainly concentrated on material chemistry to develop, characterize and utilize new methods and (nano)materials toward a greener environment.
Haley Oliver
Haley joined the MacQuarrie Research Group in the summers of 2021 and 2022 as an undergraduate researcher. She completed her Honours degree in Chemistry at CBU in 2022, before completing her education degree. Haley is currently a Grade 6 – 12 Math and Science teacher in Cape Breton, with a particular focus on high school chemistry. She is passionate about science education and inspiring the next generation of students to explore and engage with STEM subjects.
Sara Cheema
Sara received her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry in 2020 from Memorial University of Newfoundland after completing an honours project in the Bodwell Group. In 2023 she completed a M. Sc. in Organic Chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie MacQuarrie (primary supervisor) and Dr. Francesca Kerton (co-supervisor) in the Green Chemistry and Catalysis group at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her M. Sc. projects involved the exploration of functionalized biochar and collagen peptides. She has since
Olivia joined the MacQuarrie Research Group in 2019, spending her summers doing research in the lab until 2022. Following the completion of her BSc Honours degree under the supervision of Dr. MacQuarrie, she pursued a Master’s in Chemistry at Saint Mary’s University. Her MSc focused on untargeted metabolomic profiling of inducible metabolites to combat White-Nose Syndrome in North American bat species. She is excited to return to CBU in the fall of 2025 to study medicine at the Cape Breton Medical Campus. With a strong interest in rural family medicine, Olivia looks forward to one day serving the communities of Cape Breton.
Olivia Roland
Andrew graduated from Cape Breton University as a Chemistry Major (Biology Minor) in 2023. As an undergraduate researcher with the CHArTl group he worked on biochar made from pharmaceuticals for adsorption processes via an NSERC USRA. He is now at Memorial University of Newfoundland to pursue his Doctor of Pharmacy.
Andrew Gracie
Kuljit Kaur
Kuljit Kaur, originally from Mwanza Tanzania, graduated from Cape Breton University in 2020 with an Honours Degree in Chemistry. Kuljit started her chemistry experience in Bierenstiel Research Group for 8 months under Prof. Matthias Bierenstiel working on Birch Bark Oil project. She then worked with Prof. Stephanie MacQuarrie’s lab for 2 years during her time at CBU on various material chemistry projects. She completed her honours thesis under the supervision of Prof. Stephanie MacQuarrie on Applications of Crab Char for the treatment of Acidic Mine Wastewater; co-supervised by Prof. Martin Mkandawire.
Kuljit then went on to work in the Pharmaceutical Industry at a local Maritime Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (cDMO) called BioVectra (now a part of Agilent Technologies) located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
As her time as BioVectra comes to an end, she has now enrolled in Masters of Science Program at University of Victoria in Giebelhaus Research Group.
Alyssa Burke
Alyssa Burke is a CBU student who graduated with her honours in chemistry in 2025 and is now applying to medical school and dentistry school. She has worked throughout the semester and two summers in the CHArTl research group. Alyssa worked on finding a new route to functionalize biochar through carbon-carbon cross coupling with borylated biochar.
Ava Graham
Ava graduated from Cape Breton University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry with a second major in Mathematics. After working in the MacQuarrie Group for two years focusing on functionalizing biochar with thiourea, she decided to continue this work in her Honours Thesis which was co-supervised by Dr. MacQuarrie. Ava will be starting at Dalhousie University in September 2025 to complete the Juris Doctor and Master of Health Administration dual degree program.
Angela Amati
Angela Amati graduated from Cape Breton University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie MacQuarrie. She worked in the MacQuarrie Research group for two summers. Currently, she is continuing her education in the BEd program at CBU with hopes of teaching in the CBRM.
Crewe MacDonald
Crewe MacDonald joined the MacQuarrie Research group in the summer of 2024. He completed a B.Sc. (Honours) Chemistry in 2025. Currently, he is continuing his education as a BEd student, with aspirations of teaching high school chemistry within the CBRM.