Stéphanie Shousha
PhD candidate
Supervised by Jean-François Lapierre
Co-supervised by Maranger
stephanie.shousha@umontreal.ca
MSc Integrated Water Resources Management
BSc Biology

Natural and human influences on coupled carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in watersheds

Understanding the transport and transformation of carbon, nitrogen and phophorus through a hydrological network is essential to assess aquatic ecosystem functioning and identify different ecosystem services. However the anthropogenic influence on hydrological flows and a watershed's capacity for exportation and retention of coupled elements remains poorly understood. Stephanie will therefore study the biogeochemical coupling of elements, as well as the temporal and spatial dynamics of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the limnological landscape of the Laurentians within the context of climate change and rapid development. She aims to sample dozens of lakes and rivers in major watersheds that differ in their landscape (landuse and geomorphology). Because Stephanie is also interested in a multidirectional knowledge transfer between scientists, decision makers and citizens affected by these issues, her project will also include a chapter that focuses on knowledge sharing to accelerate the application of her results in a watershed management context.

Career path and other interests

With an undergraduate degree in biology and a Master's degree in Integrated Water Resources Management from McGill University, Stephanie has a passion for protecting the outdoors. It helps that she loves to go camping! She's hoping that her PhD project can generate knowledge that will be used by decision makers to help them manage their territory more sustainably and move towards a greener future.
Outside of school, you can find Stephanie playing soccer with friends, or skiing with her family. She also believes that after a long day of fieldwork, there is nothing better than to play violin and sing around a campfire.