Team
- Project Management Team
- Work Package Teams
- Work Package 1: Community Histories, Strengths and Priorities
- Work Package 2: Green Processing and Engineering
- Work Package 3: Product Analysis
- Work Package 4: Product Development
- Work Package 5: Product Health Benefits
- Work Package 6: Entrepreneurship and Business Development
- Work Package 7: Evaluation, Engagement and Governance
- Work Package 8: Data Management
Project Management Team
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Project Manager | Jonathan Leudee |
| Indigenous Community Liaisons | Bay St George Nina Tourett-Retieffe is the Indigenous Community Liaison for the Bay St. George region. Nina works closely with the following communities: Flat Bay Band, Benoit First Nation, St. George’s Indian Band and Three Rivers Mi’kmaq Band. Bay of Islands Matthew Perrier is the Indigenous Community Liaison for the Bay of Islands region, working closely with the following communities: Elmastukwek First Nation (Benoit’s Cove Indian Band) and Corner Brook Ward (Qalipu First Nation). |
Work Package Teams
The MBI project is highly collaborative with research partners around the world. The researchers on this project are split across eight ‘work packages’, each with their own focus, goals and methodologies. There are eight different Work Package Teams (WPTs) working together on the MBI Project. The interrelated WPTs, which establish an integrated approach to assess, repurpose, and develop biomass products. Each Work Packages’ team members, purpose and objectives are detailed below.
Work Package 1: Community Histories, Strengths and Priorities
Purpose
Assessment of the socio-economic and community development context for product innovation. The purpose of this work package is to develop an understanding of the economic and cultural histories of coastal communities, especially in relation to fish waste. The Chiefs from Mi’kmaw partner communities and the Indigenous Community Liaisons are all key members of the WP1 research team.
Objectives
- Document past and current relationships with the ocean in partner communities, including ocean related industries, their histories, traditions and identities.
- Conduct a community asset assessment to identify existing capacities, entrepreneurial interests, and physical assets.
- Identify the types of organizational and governance structures that will advance product innovation.
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Team Leads | Erica Samms Hurley Heather Hall Kelly Vodden |
| Co-Investigators and Collaborators | Billy Newell - Business |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | Brennan Lowery |
| Research Assistants | Jason Penney Seyi Awosiyan Tara Cashen Marie Lopez Cruz |
| PhD Students | Avery Velez Bensonm Gihangange Brady Reid Chantal Pennell Mostaem Billah |
| Masters Students | Lawrence Nditsi Lisa Huang Prashansa Kooshna Sophie Bucholz |
Work Package 2: Green Processing and Engineering
Purpose
Develop innovative processing approaches for extracting value from marine raw materials which can help to create economic and entrepreneurial opportunities for the project regions. Shellfish (e.g., crab, mussels, shrimp) and finfish processing by-products (i.e., guts, trimmings, bones, shell), sea cucumber, and seaweed are the primary feedstocks being considered. Existing processes which can extract high value compounds from such materials are limited to lab scale, use toxic chemicals or aggressive operating conditions, and/or are not appropriate for remote and rural locations.
Objectives
- Develop innovative ‘green’ processes that can extract or convert fish processing by-products and raw materials - primarily feedstocks identified by work packages 3-5 into value added secondary products ranging from nutraceuticals to biomaterials.
- Act as a resource for processors and regions to build a sustainable fishery and export knowledge and processes created nationally and internationally.
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Team Leads | Kelly Hawboldt Stephanie MacQuarrie |
| Co-Investigators and Collaborators | Raymond Thomas - Principal Investigator Alexandro Tsoupras Bioactive Ingredients for Nutraceuticals |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | Sarah Ahmadkelaye |
| PhD Students | Ali Shafiee David Hopkins Julia Pohling Benson Gihangange Yuna Zhang |
| Masters Students | Yuana Yeusika |
Work Package 3: Product Analysis
Purpose
Research conducted by this work package seeks to assess the quality and safety of marine-derived materials using a multimodal metabolomic approach. Various analytical techniques will be employed, including molecular genetics, vibrational spectroscopy, chromatography, and mass spectrometry. Results obtained are expected to provide insight into marine-derived materials’ spatial, qualitative and quantitative composition. Such insight will facilitate targeted product development for applications, including functional foods, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and biofertilizers.
Objectives
- Assess the quality of raw materials or extracts for purity and composition of bioactive compounds.
- Assess the safety of raw materials or extracts to determine contaminant levels for product development by WPT4-5.
- Support and guide other work package teams with product development and market development.
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Team Leads | Raymond Thomas |
| Co-Investigators and Collaborators | Alexandro Tsoupras - Bioactive Ingredients for Nutraceuticals Atushi Miyawaki - Bioimaging and biosensor development Bohdan Luhovyy - Applied human nutrition Ioannis Zebetakis - Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals Svetlana Yurgel - Plant growth and development |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | Septila Renata |
| PhD Students | Abayomi Taiwo Brian Christiani Elham Momeny |
| Masters Students | Grace Callahan |
Work Package 4: Product Development
Purpose
The goals will be to investigate the development, formulation and testing of functional foods, biomaterials and nano-biofertilizers from the extracts and waste/residues.
Objectives
- Develop marine-based functional foods or nutraceuticals.
- Develop and evaluate nano-biofertilizer on high value crops under controlled environment using residues identified by WPT1, and secondary by-products identified in WPT2.
- Develop recommendations for industry and community stakeholders regarding marine biomass for sustainable agriculture production for improved food security in rural, coastal and Indigenous communities.
- Develop fishery residues as feed ingredients for aquaculture.
- Develop bio-materials and biosensors from marine-based organisms such as eels.
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Team Leads | Javier Santander Lord Abbey Mumtaz Cheema) |
| Co-Investigators and Collaborators | Lakshman Galagedara - Land and Water Management Sukhinder Cheema - Biochemistry Svetlana Yurgel - Plant Growth and Development |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | Zia-ul Islam Vimbie Machimbirike |
| PhD Students | Uzma Sharafat |
Work Package 5: Product Health Benefits
Purpose
The purpose of WPT5 is to establish health benefits of isolates, functional foods and nutraceuticals (FFN) from marine products. WPT5 will contribute to this project’s broad goals by assessing the health benefits of raw materials, novel extracts, and other bioactives from marine biomass identified by WPT2-4.
Objectives
- 5.1. Identify marine biomass that can be explored for potential health benefits
- 5.2. Work closely with WPT2 to generate isolates/bioactives, and to determine whether scale-up is warranted.
- 5.3. Work with WPT3 to conduct qualitative/quantitative analysis of targeted isolates, and conduct in-vitro and in-vivo studies.
- 5.4. Working with WPT4, develop FFN, and conduct animal studies and human clinical trials.
- 5.5. Share FFN showing promise with WPT1/6-8, and support them to determine markets for novel isolates and bioactives identified.
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Team Leads | Sukhinder Cheema Karen Doody |
| Co-Investigators and Collaborators | Atsushi Miyawaki - Bioimaging and Biosensor Development Fabien Basset - Effect of Food on Disease in Human Clinical Studies Ionnis Zebetakis - Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals Edward Randell - Biochemical Markers of Disease Bohdan Luhovyy - Applied Human Nutrition |
| Research Assistants | Cecilia Uzca Sornoza |
| PhD Students | Sakshi Hans Farinaz Aarabi Najvani |
| Masters Students | Narmada Weerakkody Shima Hajipour Mahya Akbari |
Work Package 6: Entrepreneurship and Business Development
Purpose
Work Package 6 aims to support industry partners and communities by exploring the commercial applications for marine biomass. Specifically, this works package works with industry partners through initial-stage market research to help determine the market potential for products they are interested in commercialising. The aim of this process is eliminate some of the uncertainty around initial stages of the search process in new product development.
Work Package 6 also aims to support communities in creating their own entrepreneurial opportunities through enterprises stemming from the use of marine biomass. Communities are unique groups of people, with their own cultures and histories. Therefore, they have unique sets of skills, knowledge, people, and resources at their disposal; meaning some opportunities that work for one community would not work another community. In conjunction with work package 1, this work package will also explore communities’ views on entrepreneurship and help create more entrepreneurs through workshops and community events.
Finally, this work package will also explore how other regions in the North Atlantic periphery have come to develop strong cultures and clusters of entrepreneurs developing sustainable businesses around marine biomass, that also preserve traditional knowledge and culture. The aim of this exercise will be to suggest how this can be applied to the communities in this project to help foster sustainable economic development in similar ways
Objectives
- Determine the potential value of the proposed products in WPT2-5, and the customer segments to whom this value would apply.
- Examine the alignment between these commercial opportunities and the community assests, identities, and socio-cultural contexts explored in WPT1.
- Explore how the commercialization of these potential products/processes boost existing economic capacities and support the launch of new entrepreneurial possibilities.
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Team Leads | Billy Newell |
| Co-Investigators and Collaborators | Heather Hall - Environment, Enterprise and Development Kelly Vodden - Environmental Policy Leo-Paul Dana - Entrepreneurship |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | Julie Mallet |
| Research Assistants | Ashtin King |
Work Package 7: Evaluation, Engagement and Governance
Purpose
Facilitate interconnection between other work packages, following Memorial University’s public engagement model which upholds that engagement is built on mutual contribution, is based on mutual respect, and ought to generate mutual benefit.
Objectives
- Design, implement and support effective and meaningful public engagement activities with particular emphasis on Indigenous community participation, while adhering to Memorial University’s Public Engagement Framework.
- Design, implement and support knowledge exchange and mobilization activities for diverse audiences within and across project regions.
- Conduct and support overall project and WPT assessment, monitoring, and evaluation activities that will ensure continuous project improvement and attainment of project goals and WPT objectives.
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Team Leads | Mery Perez Kelly Vodden Erica Hurley |
| PhD Students | Abdul-Latif Alhassan Benson Gihangange |
| Masters Students | Mauricio Rodriguez |
Work Package 8: Data Management
Purpose
Establish a data management system that upholds the OCAP principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty for the project such that data generated by all research teams are consolidated for integration and collaboration between WPTs. The team aims to help in the understanding of the relationships between the data collected across the various disciplines and support other work packages to make more informed coordinated project decisions.
Objectives
- Develop data management systems capable of holding and analysing databases created across all work packages and sites.
- Develop multivariate analysis solutions to assess the value of marine products.
| Role | Team |
|---|---|
| Team Leads | Jimmy Breen Flavia Esposito |
| Co-Investigators and Collaborators | Nicoletta Del Buono - Numerical Analysis Adam Heterick - Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Data Systems |
| Research Assistants | Holly Massacci Sehaj Dhariwal Allison Foster |
