People

Mary Kang

Mary is an associate professor in the department of Civil Engineering at McGill University. Her main research interests are groundwater hydrology and environmental impacts of energy development, with a focus on methane emissions. Previously, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University studying energy, climate, and water problems in the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences.  She received a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) from Princeton University, a certificate from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and a M.A.Sc. and a B.A.Sc. in CEE from University of Waterloo. She also spent a semester in Applied Mathematics at the University of Bergen in Norway. Between her time at Waterloo and Princeton, she worked as a water resources engineering consultant based out of Reston, VA.  When she's not teaching, doing research, or serving on committees, she likes to cook and try recipes using seasonal and local ingredients. 

Jade Boutot

Jade is a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering at McGill and holds a NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral Program. She completed her Master-Thesis degree in Civil Engineering at McGill in December 2023 and was a recipient of the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's and the McGill Engineering Undergraduate Student Award (MEUSMA). Her research is on abandoned and orphaned oil and gas well database analysis and methane emissions detection and quantification. She completed her undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at McGill in 2021. She first joined the lab in summer 2020 through McGill’s Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) program with a National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC USRA).  She worked part-time as a research assistant in Summer 2021 (while working for the City of Saint-Basile-le-Grand) and completed a CIVE 470 Undergraduate Research Project in Fall 2021. Her interest in research was sparked through her internship at Agri-Food and Agriculture Canada in Lac-St-Jean, Quebec where she conducted field measurements on forage crops. 

Scott Seymour

Scott is a PhD candidate who joined the lab in September 2022 and holds a NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral Program. As a Senior Research Analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Scott specializes in policy and measurement analyses for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the oil and gas industry – most notably for production and processing. Scott previously worked in a research lab at Carleton University designing, building, and implementing custom laser systems for GHG detection in remote field settings. These works focused on methane and black carbon detection from venting, fugitive, and flaring sources.  He holds an M.A.Sc. and B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Carleton University.

Bianca Lamarche

Bianca is a master's student in Civil Engineering at McGill, working on low-cost measurement options for measuring methane emissions from non-producing oil and gas wells and potential to convert oil and gas wells for geothermal energy production. She is a recipient of the CSA Group graduate scholarship. Previously, she was an undergraduate student in Civil Engineering at McGill University with a focus on Environmental Engineering. In 2022, she joined the lab as a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student. She completed a CIVE 470 Undergraduate Research Project in Fall 2022, and three SURE internships in 2022, 2023 and 2024. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, figure skating and swimming.

Gloria Ding

Gloria is a master's student (starting September 2025) and was an undergraduate Chemical Engineering student at McGill University. She joined the lab in the Winter of 2023 for her Environmental Research Project and then held a SURE internship in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Since Fall 2023, she also serves as the laboratory coordinator. She is interested in better understanding environmental impacts from the energy sector. Her research focuses on gas leak detection, quantification and analysis. When she is not studying, Gloria loves to work on art projects, take care of her plants, listen to podcasts, and take trips to local museums.

Sanghyeon Song

Sanghyeon started his Ph.D. studies in Civil Engineering at McGill University in Fall 2023 and is a recipient of the McGill Engineering Doctoral Award (MEDA). His research is focused on developing a comprehensive spatiotemporal database of natural resource development and anthropogenic activities in Canada. He completed his M.Sc. in Environmental Science and Engineering and B.Sc. in Chemistry at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in Ulsan, South Korea. For his M.Sc., he worked on estimating aerosol using remote sensing and machine learning. In his free time, he likes swimming, cooking, writing, and playing the piano.

Desmond McReynolds

Desmond is a Research Assistant, who completed his Master's in Civil Engineering in Fall 2024 on methane emissions and the effects of hydrogen injection in natural gas systems. Prior to that, he completed his bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Astronomy at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he interned with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to design and manufacture the chassis and drivetrain for a doppler hemispheric LiDAR scanner. In his spare time, he enjoys writing, cooking, and playing the mandolin.

Liam Woolley

Liam is a master's student in Civil Engineering at McGill University and the recipient of the McGill Engineering Undergraduate Student Award (MEUSMA). He is currently working on aerial methods for measuring methane emissions from oil and gas wells. Previously, he was a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student in 2022, 2023, and 2024 and completed a CIVE 470 Undergraduate Research Project in Fall 2022. In his spare time, he likes playing hockey and soccer, cycling, and practicing guitar. 

Gianni Micucci

Gianni is a postdoctoral researcher and an engineer with a background in chemistry and physics who decided to use his knowledge and expertise for the study of environmental processes and climate change. He completed a PhD at the University of Birmingham on nitrous oxide emissions from soil under different agricultural managements and the effect of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer application on these emissions. Method development has been a huge part of his project, notably to distinguish the different microbial processes responsible for the emission of nitrous oxide. In his free time, Gianni enjoys playing the guitar, bouldering, and listening to the Beatles.

Dylan Szostopal

Dylan is a PhD student in Civil Engineering who joined the lab in September 2023 and is a Vadasz Scholar. He completed his MASc in Environmental Engineering at the University of Windsor in August 2023 and his BASc in Environmental Engineering at the University of Windsor in August 2021. For his MASc, Dylan worked on the hydrolytic depolymerization of polylactic acid and polyhydroxybutyrate in sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. As an undergraduate student, Dylan was involved in numerous research projects spanning topics such as the optimization and modelling of the anaerobic digestion process, integrated project delivery method, and modelling to reduce construction wastes. During his spare time, Dylan enjoys cycling, golf, swimming, and going on walks.

Paola Prado

Paola is a M.Sc.- Thesis student in Civil Engineering at McGill and a recipient of the McGill Engineering Undergraduate Student Award (MEUSMA). She was an undergraduate Civil Engineering student at McGill and was a Data Analyst at Maples Group before returning for her master's. Her research is on methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells. Paola is interested in all things environmental, with a special interest in greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. In her spare time, she likes to go on a run around the city, trying new recipes, and practicing her embroidery skills. 

Sebastian Ibarra Mendez

Sebastian finished his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto with a double major in Statistics and Physics and a minor in Computer Science. He joined the lab as part of the SURE internship during the summer of 2024 before starting his master's in Civil Engineering in the fall of the same year. He is interested in post-meter methane emissions and finding methods to quantify methane concentrations using low-cost sensors. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer and running.

Zachary Mailhot

Zachary is a master's student in Civil Engineering and completed his undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering at McGill University in Fall 2024. He joined the lab in the summer of 2024 as a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student to assist in a field measurement campaign on methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells. In his free time, Zach enjoys camping, sunsets, playing hockey, and working on cars.

Manuela González Sánchez

Manuela is a master's student in Civil Engineering under the COLFUTURO-McGill funding program. She completed her undergraduate degree in Geological Engineering at the National University of Colombia and worked for three years in environmental and mining studies before starting her graduate studies. Her current research focuses on measuring methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells in Colombia.

Yamina Boumenna

Yamina is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at McGill University. She joined the lab in May 2024 as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) project and continued in the lab as a research assistant until April 2025. She is now again a SURE student working in the lab. When Yamina is not busy with school or work, she takes pleasure in reading, swimming, spending time outdoors and hanging out with friends and family.

Violet McCloskey

Violet is an undergraduate student in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo. She joined the lab in January 2025 as an Undergraduate Research Trainee to assist with field campaigns focused on measuring methane emissions from natural gas appliances and non-producing oil and gas wells. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, baking, and trying new outdoor activities.

Gabriella Ardilla

Gabriella is an undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo, in the last year of Honours Environmental Sciences program. She joined the lab in January 2025 as an Undergraduate Research Trainee to work with Dr. Kang’s team to study gas emissions from natural gas sources and abandoned oil and gas wells.  In her free time, Gabriella loves to read, play guitar, travel, and run.

Flora Sun

Flora is a master’s student in Civil Engineering at McGill University (starting September 2025), exploring groundwater implications of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells. Previously, she was an undergraduate student in Integrated Science at McMaster University with a focus on Environmental Sciences. In May 2025, she joined the lab as a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student. In her free time, Flora enjoys exploring restaurants around the city, painting, and watching documentaries.

Saman Sadeghi

Saman is an undergraduate Civil Engineering student at McGill University. He joined the lab in May 2025 and is supporting a helicopter-based measurement campaign to quantify greenhouse gas emissions at oil and gas sites in western Canada. His responsibilities include site selection using ArcGIS,  project coordination, and analyzing emissions data. Outside of school, he enjoys playing soccer, skiing, and cooking.

Stone Aitken

Stone is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering at McGill University. He joined the lab in May 2025 through the Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) program, focusing on field-based magnetometry data and results. In his spare time, he enjoys park skiing, cooking with his mom, and playing basketball.

Ida Bobyleva

Ida is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at McGill University. She joined the research team in May 2025 through the Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) program. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, running, and spending time with friends and family.

Cora Jezioranski 

Cora was an undergraduate student studying Physics at the University of Waterloo. She joined the lab in September 2023 until April 2025 and worked on global abandoned oil and gas well data analysis. Cora has spent previous work terms working for Environment and Climate Change Canada doing weather data modelling, and the University of Waterloo doing instructional support. In her free time, Cora likes to play hockey and video games. Cora is now pursuing a master's in Physics at the University of Waterloo. 

Tabitha Ball

Tabitha is an undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Student at the University of Waterloo and is the recipient of the Waterloo President’s Scholarship. She joined the lab in the winter of 2025 as an Undergraduate Research Trainee. Her work primarily focuses on database management and analysis for global inventories of abandoned wells. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar, exploring the city and sports.

Sophia Caleca

Sophia is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She joined the lab in September 2024 as a co-op student. She is assisting with a field campaign focused on measuring post-meter methane emissions from natural gas appliances. Her interests include emissions research, carbon capture, and sustainable manufacturing. Outside of school, she loves doing ballet, baking, and hiking.

Gabriel Jon

Gabriel is a civil engineering undergraduate at McGill and recipient of the Global Challenges Award and COTC Memorial Scholarship. He joined the lab in May 2024 and as of September 2024 will be a lab research assistant. As a passionate learner, Gabriel is particularly interested in sustainable energy & architecture. He is currently working on methane sample analysis via gas chromatography. In his free time, Gabriel loves to boulder, sing, and chat with friends.

Khalil El Hachem

Khalil completed his PhD studies in Civil Engineering in August 2024 and was a recipient of the McGill Engineering Doctoral Award. He completed his M.Eng degree in Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics at McGill University and his bachelor degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Lebanese American University in May 2018. For his M.Eng., Khalil worked on numerical modeling of multi-phase leakage through faults. While an undergraduate student, Khalil worked on durability of different types of concrete in the Department of Materials at the University of Belgrade through IAESTE Serbia. In his free time, Khalil likes to go hiking, cycling, and swimming and enjoys natural environments across Quebec. He is now a postdoctoral research at St. Francis Xavier University. 

Louise Klotz

Louise completed her Master's in Civil Engineering at McGill in December 2022 and was working on methane emissions from oil and gas and urban sources as a research assistant until May 2024. She was a recipient of the Graduate Excellence Fellowship. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences and Engineering at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland in August 2019. In 2020, she completed an internship at SUEZ in Paris, focusing on water distribution network management and leak detection. In her spare time, she likes to run, do pottery and brew kombucha. She is now a graduate student at the Technical University of Denmark. 

Adriana Tavares

Adriana is an undergraduate student from the University of Waterloo studying health science who joined the lab in January 2024 for a co-op work term. She has an interest in environmental and public health research. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, listening to music, and playing hockey.

Judy Pak

Judy is currently an undergraduate student in Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She joined the lab as a co-op student to assist with research on orphaned oil and gas wells in 2022 and has returned again for another term in 2024. She has a particular interest in greenhouse gases and wastewater treatment. She enjoys creating digital art, reading books, and being outside while seasons change.

Anna Shellhammer 

Anna is an undergraduate student in her second year of chemical engineering at the University of Waterloo. She joined the lab in 2023 as a data analyst and works with global oil and gas well and production data. In her free time Anna enjoys playing rugby and football, baking, and sewing

James Hulme

James is a Civil Engineering undergraduate from the University of Waterloo and was on a 4-month co-op placement as a Research Trainee at McGill University. He is working with Dr. Kang’s team to study methane gas emissions from natural gas sources through lab and field activities. He is planning to pursue a degree specialization in Building Science in the latter half of his degree and hopes to complete internships in a variety of fields in Civil Engineering. Apart from studying and research, he enjoys cycling, reading, and contributing his efforts as the Artistic Director for the University of Waterloo’s charity-driven fashion club, Fashion for Change.

Sarah Hilderley

Sarah is an undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo studying environmental sciences. She joined the lab in September 2023 as an Undergraduate Research Trainee contributing to a research project on methane emissions from natural gas systems. Sarah is interested in greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the environment, specifically related to the agriculture sector. When she is not studying, she likes to read, row with her friends and attend concerts.

James Williams

James was a PhD candidate in Civil Engineering who joined the lab in January 2019 and held a National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada's Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral Award (NSERC CGS-D) . He completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at Saint Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia where he studied fugitive emission detection of methane from a variety of sources in the oil and gas industry. He worked on methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells and urban sources. While at St. Francis Xavier, he worked with an oil and gas company in Calgary to lead a soil gas measurement plan, helped pioneer the first study on fugitive methane emissions from legacy fossil fuel sites in the Atlantic provinces, and drove across Canada twice as part of his role as a technician in the FluxLab. In his spare time, he likes to play hockey and baseball, loves the outdoors, enjoys woodworking, and has recently started paddle-boarding. James is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Environmental Defense Fund. 

Mengsha Yin

Mengsha joined the team in September 2022 as a postdoctoral researcher. Her research was on measuring methane emissions from natural gas systems. Before this, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Calgary for one year, working on the alteration of geological organic matter by subsurface irradiation. She obtained her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in organic geochemistry at the University of Calgary and China University of Geosciences, respectively, where she mainly used GC-MS, IRMS, and FTICR-MS to tackle oil and gas exploration problems. She obtained her B.Sc. in Geology at Yangtze University in China in 2014. She likes to hike, cook, and read in her leisure time.

Jiawen Liu

Jiawen was a Graduate Research Trainee in Civil Engineering who joined the lab in November 2022 as a visiting PhD student from Tongji University (Shanghai, China). Her PhD research mainly focuses on surface runoff and urban runoff pollution, and she is continuing to work on her doctoral research to further investigate the impact of LID (Low Impact Development) measures, such as the permeable pavement, on groundwater quality and quantity at McGill University. She obtained her bachelor’s degree of transportation engineering at Dalian University of Technology, and then joined Tongji University as a PhD candidate (5.5-year program). In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading novels and listening to music.

Camille Demouveaux 

Camille joined the lab in April 2023 as a visiting Master Student in Civil Engineering at McGill University to work on methane emissions from oil and gas wells and participate in a field measurement campaign. She is currently enrolled in the Energy and Environmental Engineering program at the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) of Lyon, France. In her free time, she enjoys reading, discovering new places, and doing creative activities of all kinds (scrapbooking, drawing, painting, sewing, etc.). 

Alexandre Moali

Alexandre was a visiting Master Student in Civil Engineering at McGill University since April 2023. He was involved in field measurements to quantify methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells. Alexandre is part of the energy and environmental engineering program at the National Applied Science Institute (INSA) in Lyon, France. Previously, he has completed a research internship on the development of an energy demand projection model for developing countries at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. In his spare time, he likes beach volleyball, drawing, hiking, and playing music.

Kevin Mayeux

Kevin was a visiting Master Student in Civil Engineering at McGill University and joined the lab in April 2022. He was working on methane emissions from oil and gas systems. Kevin is currently enrolled in the Energy and Environmental Engineering Program at National Applied Science Institute (INSA) of Lyon in France. In his spare time, he likes to try new recipes, take photos, hike and travel.

Oumar Aljabre

Oumar joined the team as a research assistant in November 2021. He received a B.Sc. in Geology from the American University of Beirut and completed his Master of Applied Science degree in Reservoir Engineering with commendation from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom. His research focus was on petroleum geology and exploration. He completed his thesis in subsurface modeling and simulation, a project sponsored by Schlumberger. Oumar enjoys a many activities such as painting, hiking and reading.

Lee Brickman

Lee was an undergraduate student at McGill University majoring in Civil Engineering and minoring in Software Engineering. He joined the lab as a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student helping with research on methane emissions of abandoned oil and gas wells, as well as research on hydrogen-based energy infrastructure. He is doing a CIVE 470 Undergraduate Research Project in Fall 2022. In his spare time, Lee enjoys weightlifting, reading, and listening to music. He is now a graduate student at the University of California - Berkeley. 

Talia Schraven

Talia is an undergraduate student in Civil Engineering at McGill University and is planning to specialize in Environmental Engineering. She joined the lab as a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student in May 2022 helping to collect and analyze data on methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells. In her spare time, she enjoys playing hockey, traveling, spending time outside, and baking. 

Alicia Qiao

Alicia was an undergraduate student in Civil Engineering at McGill University. She worked part-time to assist with research on orphaned oil and gas wells in Winter 2022 and joined the lab as a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student in May 2022. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing the ukulele.

Kendra Bueley

Kendra is an undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo studying physics. She joined the lab in September 2022 as an Undergraduate Research Trainee to work on projects involving methane emissions from oil and gas systems. Kendra is very interested in research and hopes to continue learning throughout her career. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, bouldering, and cooking.

Michael Cimino 

Michael was an undergraduate student studying Civil Engineering with a minor in mathematics. He joined the lab for Summer 2020 as a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student to work on developing data processing tools for better characterizing and analyzing deep groundwater aquifers. He was a recipient of the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC USRA). In his spare time he enjoys reading and working on topics in mathematics. 

Chantel Yung 

Chantel was an undergraduate student in Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics at McGill University. She was a Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) student in 2020 involved in research regarding methane emission inventory analysis from oil and natural gas systems in Canada. She is particularly interested in the effects of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and environment. In her spare time, Chantel enjoys baking and painting. 

Amara Regehr

Amara was an undergraduate student in Civil Engineering at McGill University. From 2018 to 2019, she conducted field measurements and geospatial analysis of methane emissions from oil and gas development. She is a two-time recipient of the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC USRA). In addition to two summer internships in the lab, she also completed an Undergraduate Research Project with Prof. Kang. In addition, she spent a semester abroad at the National University of Singapore, where she learned about Singapore’s water management and got to explore Southeast Asia. She is currently an environmental engineer at CDM Smith and will be working toward her M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering at Northeastern. 

Amara in McGill Alumni News

Lianne Campbell

Lianne was an undergraduate student in the Mechanical Engineering at McGill University. She worked in this group though McGill’s Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering program in summer 2019. She was involved in a field campaign to measure methane emissions from oil and gas development. She spends most of her spare time on her involvement in various committees of the engineering undergraduate society, and playing ultimate frisbee. She is currently an intern at WSP. 

Andre Fogal

Andre was an undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo studying Physics and Astronomy. He joined the lab for his 4th co-op work term, helping with lab analysis and studying post-meter methane emissions. He is interested in studying the atmospheres of the earth and other planets in the future. In his free time, Andre enjoys rock climbing, reading, and playing the guitar.

David Kim

David was as an undergraduate in Civil Engineering at McGill University. He worked on an undergraduate research project (CIVE 470) for Fall 2021. His project focused on oil and gas and groundwater well database analysis to assess groundwater contamination risk posed by oil and gas well production.  In his spare time, David enjoys hiking and readings. 

• Yuhao Wu, M.Eng Student in Bioresources Engineering, 2020

• Shuwen Zhao, MEng Student in Civil Engineering, 2018-2019

• Yuhan Dong, MEng Student in Civil Engineering, 2018-2019

• Salar Jalali, NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2018 - Now, a M.A.Sc student in Civil Engineering at the University of Waterloo

• Ying Zhan, NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, 2018 - Now, a medical student at the University of Montreal

• Lilianne Gonthier, CIVE 470 Undergraduate Research Project, Fall 2018 - Now, a graduate student in Civil Engineering at McGill

• Marguerite Lorenzo, McGill Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering, 2018 - Now, an undergraudate student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell