Dr. Shawn Lewenza holds a PhD in Molecular Microbiology, with a specialization in studying bacterial pathogens and how they cause disease. He did his postdoctoral fellowships at the University of British Columbia, and the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. His research focusses on how bacteria that are ubiquitous in the environment also cause disease in individuals that are immunocompromised. Of interest are the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, immune evasion and how biofilms promote long-term survival.
Dr. Lewenza’s current research interests are in designing bacterial technologies for use in detecting toxins in industrial or municipal waste water. Using genomic methods, he is studying bacterial organisms recovered from oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) to understand the natural bioremediation capacity of organisms growing in this toxic environment. The goal of this research is to build new technologies to improve environmental monitoring of water, and to ultimately improve bioremediation and treatment of organic toxins.
Dr. Lewenza is a member of the Athabasca River Basin Research Institute (ARBRI) and also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases.
Visit Dr. Lewenza’s blog synbiosmart.com to learn more about synthetic biology, his research and publications.
Contact Dr. Lewenza:
slewenza@athabascau.ca
1 844 816 3212