René Sahba Shahmohamadloo

René Sahba Shahmohamadloo is an environmental toxicologist that seeks to understand the ramifications of anthropogenic stressors causing sub-lethal effects on ecosystem processes, communities, and populations in rapidly changing environments. He completed his Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Guelph under the supervision of Paul Sibley. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Integrative Biology with John Fryxell. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on understanding, managing, and mitigating health challenges posed by harmful algal blooms (HABs) by characterizing the toxicological responses of freshwater organisms exposed to them. His postdoctoral research characterizes how anthropogenic stressors drive rapid evolutionary responses in freshwater organisms exposed to HABs. Shahmohamadloo's career goal is to enhance scientific understanding of the interplay between environmental toxicology and community and ecosystem ecology, and to apply this knowledge to restore biodiversity and maintain ecosystem services in freshwater ecosystems. He makes every effort to conduct high-impact, interdisciplinary research and consistently publish first-author papers in relevant journals. He is also being increasingly recognized as a next-generation leader in his field, as demonstrated by his election to the IAGLR Board of Directors, inclusion in planning committees for the Interdisciplinary Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms Workshop, invitations to speak at international conferences, universities, and governmental agencies protecting the Great Lakes, and participation in a growing number of productive collaborations. He is honored to serve as a Canadian member on the IAGLR Board of Directors.