Very Employable Person (VEP) - Sabrine Farjallah
- Carolyn Martinko
- 24 hours ago
- 4 min read
Check out our most recent Very Employable Person (VEP), Sabrine Farjallah!
Hiring? Or interested in Sabrine's research? Reach out via her contact information below.
SABRINE FARJALLAH
Msc
Applied Bioscience | Freshwater Ecology & Watershed Management
Ontario Tech University
Describe your involvement or experience with L-SETAC:
I recently had the fantastic experience of attending the Laurentian SETAC Conference, which served as a vital bridge between my graduate research in applied bioscience and the regional professional community. To maximize my impact, I completed two intensive L-SETAC short courses, sharpening my technical skills in ecotoxicology and regulatory frameworks. For me, L-SETAC is an invaluable hub for multidisciplinary dialogue, and I look forward to remaining an active member as I collaborate with fellow scientists to tackle multi-stressor impacts on regional water systems.
Describe your short-term career aspirations:
Over the next five years, my goal is to transition my expertise in freshwater ecology and urban stressor dynamics into a dynamic role within environmental consulting or public water resource management. As an Environmental Professional in-training (EPt), I am focused on leveraging spatial analysis (QGIS) and ecological data analytics to design resilient monitoring programs for urban stormwater systems and watersheds. Within this window, I aim to secure my full EP designation and step into project lead roles, helping stakeholders balance urban infrastructure growth with robust ecological preservation.
Describe your long-term career aspirations:
In the long term, I aspire to serve as a Senior Environmental Director or Principal Consultant, directing large-scale watershed management and climate adaptation frameworks. I want to operate at the strategic intersection of environmental science, public policy, and urban infrastructure, advocating for nature-based solutions to protect critical aquatic ecosystems. Ultimately, I aim to be a recognized authority in freshwater sustainability, driving impactful conservation policy while actively mentoring the next generation of emerging environmental professionals.
Describe any interests or hobbies outside of academics:
When I’m not analyzing data or in the field, you can usually find me in the kitchen treating cooking like a creative lab. I love experimenting with plant-based whole foods and legumes to create high-protein, sustainable alternatives from scratch. To keep my spatial reasoning and analytical skills sharp, I dive into strategic online gaming and complex mechanical puzzles. I am also deeply passionate about community sustainability, whether volunteering for regional food security programs or mentoring younger students on green projects like alginate-based bioplastics!
If you could meet anyone, living or historical, who would it be and why?
As someone immersed in applied bioscience and freshwater ecology, I would love to sit down with Darwin and show him how his foundational theories of adaptation look through a modern lens. I’d want to share how we are currently studying rapid evolutionary and ecological responses in real-time as organisms adapt to intense, human-induced environmental pressures, like the multi-stressor impacts of urbanization and chemical runoff on aquatic life. Discussing how modern stressors are shifting the selective pressures he originally observed in pristine ecosystems would be an unforgettable conversation. Plus, I think he would be absolutely fascinated (and perhaps a bit overwhelmed) by how we use spatial data analytics and genetic tools to map out the very patterns he first sketched in his notebooks!
What is your most memorable graduate school moment and why?
Presenting my research poster at the ASLO-SIL Joint Meeting in Montreal. Stepping onto an international stage to share my work on how urban multi-stressor pollution drives stormwater pond ecology was an incredibly rewarding milestone. Having spent months in the field and diving deep into complex multivariate data, standing in front of a global community of limnologists and oceanographers to present my findings was exhilarating. The moment really clicked for me when leading experts in the field stopped by, looked at my data visualization, and engaged in passionate, high-level discussions about urban runoff and chloride dynamics. It was the exact moment where I realized my graduate work wasn't just an academic exercise, it was a meaningful contribution to global freshwater conservation.
What accomplishments are you most proud of, and why?
Successfully bridging two distinct professional worlds while supporting a family.
My proudest accomplishment is my non-traditional journey: successfully pivoting from a established background in project coordination into the deep tech of freshwater ecology and applied bioscience, all while raising a family, with my eldest now an undergraduate student alongside me. Transitioning back into intensive graduate research, mastering spatial data analytics (QGIS), and earning my Environmental Professional in-training (EPt) designation required immense adaptability and grit. Proving to myself, and demonstrating to my children, that it is never too late to reinvent one's career, follow a passion for environmental sustainability, and excel on an international scientific stage.
Thesis Title:
Effects of Urban Multi-Stressor Pollution on Macrophyte and Filamentous Algae Dynamics in Stormwater Management Ponds (SWMPs)
Supervisor:
Dr. Andrea Kirkwood
Expected Graduation Date:
Fall 2026
Send Sabrine a message on LinkedIn or send an email to learn more about her research!
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