I am originally from Valley, Nova Scotia, and have three degrees from Dalhousie University. These include a Bachelor of Technology in Applied Science (University Medal) along with a Master’s of Science in Agriculture and a PhD in Agricultural Sciences. The skills I’ve gained throughout my academic career have led to a broader understanding of agricultural issues and how the pillars of sustainability interconnect all our goals and aspirations in agricultural sciences.

My current research is focused on assessing the potential of electrothermal cover crop termination in potatoes. Cover cropping is an essential practice in potato production however, terminating cover crops in spring requires large volumes of herbicides to kill the crops prior to soil integration. Electrothermal termination would eliminate the need for herbicides in this practice however, the parameters for successful deployment of the technology and which cover crops are suitable have yet to be defined.

My PhD research looked at the development of a smart herbicide applicator for spot treatment of hair fescue in wild blueberry. Hair fescue is the pest of greatest concern for the wild blueberry industry due to its economically destructive nature and resistance to most agrochemicals. The project had considerable successes with an overall accuracy of 95% when spot treating hair fescue. The project has far reaching implications beyond wild blueberries as the successful design represents the world’s first spot applicator for granular herbicides in a field crop. This thesis received both the Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture’s Outstanding PhD Thesis Award as well as The Canadian Society for Bioengineering’s Graduate Thesis Award (PhD).   

Beyond personal academics, I am the Varsity Men’s Soccer Head Coach at Dal AC, an instructor for Aquacultural Systems Technology, Precision Agriculture, and Computer Methods, I served as coordinator for Dal AC’s community Garden and served as a member of Dalhousie’s Academic Quality Team. I also previously held the Killam-D scholarship, Presidents Award, and the Graduate Research Training Initiative. I am currently funded by the McCain Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.