Dave is an emissions measurement scientist whose research helps reduce greenhouse emissions – through instrumentation development, use of chemical tracers, and computation. Dave is well known for his ability to carry out large-scale field studies.

Past work has seen FluxLab students and technicians using truck- and aircraft-based measurement to establish levels of methane pollution from oil and gas production at thousands of oil and gas facilities in western Canada, and from oil production platforms off Canada’s east coast.

More recently Dave has been overseeing a large-scale measurement program documenting landfill methane emission levels at over 100 sites from coast-to-coast to establish mitigation opportunities and to help inform the development of new regulation. Dave maintains a footprint in other areas of industrial emissions management, including Carbon Capture and Storage projects where he has continued involvement in the monitoring programs at Aquistore and Weyburn. A soil scientist by training, some of Dave’s favourite projects involve documenting methane and other emissions from thawing permafrost and polar terrain.

Dave is always interested in moving important expertise into the world and is co-founder of two successful Canadian-based companies called Arolytics, and Eosense. Outside of work, Dave can be found playing outdoors and traveling with his family, riding some sort of bike, or (slowly) restoring another Land Rover.

Chelsie, Manager, Research Operations joined the lab in 2011 and she enjoys the fast-paced requirements of her position and working with this ambitious, evolving research team. As a parent to young children, and both an exercise and outdoor enthusiast, she is accustomed to balancing many things at once.

Over the past decade plus, Chelsie has accumulated significant expertise in all areas of research management. She manages the largest research budgets on campus, monitors and reports on project deliverables, and has been involved in preparing countless proposals for new research.

She has developed a flair for facilitating professional (and personal) development activities and stakeholder engagement, which reflects her teaching and Education background.

Alyssa is currently an undergraduate student in the Climate and Environment program who joined FluxLab in April 2025. She will soon be working towards a Master’s degree focusing on how open-cut coal mines emit methane.

When she’s not working, Alyssa likes to spend her time hiking and discovering new music.

Anonna is a graduate student from Bangladesh, currently pursuing her Master’s degree at StFX University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and an MSc in Petroleum Geology, with a focus on Oil and Gas.

Her current research focuses on measuring methane emissions in various landfills. Outside of work, Anonna enjoys spending time in nature, watching TV shows, or dancing in her free time.

Ati holds two Master’s degrees; one in Mathematics and another in Computer Science, and as a Research Associate, processes landfill methane data and generates comprehensive emission reports. Her expertise in mathematical and statistical algorithms enables her to analyze complex datasets and identify factors influencing emission rates and quantities. Through advanced analytical techniques, she extracts meaningful information from data which is then used to facilitate informed development of emission mitigation strategies.

Ati is driven by a desire to uncover insights that can enhance environmental management polices for landfills. She thrives in fast-paced environments and prefers to work in noisy places. Aside from her work, Ati enjoys hiking and watching Friends for the hundredth time.

In his third year of an honours degree in Climate and Environmental Sciences, Austin took one of Professor Dave Risk’s classes and became interested in FluxLab research. While working full time in the summer and part time during the school year, Austin has helped validate a novel drone sensor for measuring flare stack methane combustion efficiency and supported an air quality monitoring study for a nearby rocket launch.

When not working, he enjoys sharpening his home cook skills and listening to music.

Evelise has been a member of the FluxLab since 2017, where she is the resident expert on methane emission modelling. She completed her undergrad in Structure and Matter Sciences, Physics and Marine Geosciences in France, and completed her PhD in Solid-Earth Geophysics in Montreal at UQAM. Her past experiences encompass various aspects of solid-earth geophysics, paleoclimate, and greenhouse gases in the surface environment. Evelise’s work with the lab focuses on large-scale emission measurement problems using various remote sensing techniques (i.e. truck, airborne, or satellite devices) on a wide range of scales.

Currently, much of her time is spent developing and optimizing code to quantify methane emissions from oil and gas production and landfill operations across the country, using data collected with our mobile surveying vehicles. Evelise serves as a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students in the lab on their coding and data analysis projects.

Outside of the lab, she can be found spending time with her daughter and enjoying the great outdoors through hiking and running.

After living in Mexico for seven years, Lindi returned to her hometown of Antigonish and joined us as a Research Technician. She holds remote sensing and GIS training, and brings loads of experience from past employment in natural resources and environmental compliance.

Lindi set up and maintains a calibration gas production system and keeps our gas analyzers running well to ensure we collect reliable greenhouse gas measurements. She also leds the design, build, and installation of ambient air quality measurements for a spaceport. Her two little girls and aging dog are her favorite companions, and she loves being in nature with them.

Although she’s been sticking closer to home lately, she enjoys remembering her (extensive) travels by cooking local foods from countries where she travelled or lived. Who can resist a good taco?!

Martin is a research scientist and data analyst with 20+ years of combined experience in ecology, forestry, environmental sciences, gas leak detection technology, and financial and real estate data. His work focuses on data analytics, data visualization, and building interactive dashboards, often using R and Shiny. Martin has held Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Florida, University of South Florida, and St.FXU.

He completed his undergrad in Biology, M.Sc. in Soil Ecology, and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences in Québec, and inspires and helps students with all their R and data questions.

He is also our webmaster, research-vehicle-transporter, and traducteur français. Outside of work, Martin enjoys too much cycling!

Meaghan is a graduate student from Barrie, Ontario. She completed a BASc in Climate and Environment with Co-op Education from St. Francis Xavier University in 2024.

During her co-op she worked at a landfill for eight months, which sparked her interest in landfills and the world of waste disposal. She is currently working under an Environment and Climate Change Canada project developing various measurement approaches for landfills using drone-based sensors.

Outside of school, Meaghan likes to spend time in nature, especially at a beach or lake, hanging out with friends, and trying her hand at crocheting.

Mohammad is a Ph.D. student at Memorial University of Newfoundland, collaborating with the FluxLab at St. Francis Xavier University. He holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Energy Systems Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology.

His research focuses on developing and deploying advanced, small Canadian-made methane sensors. These sensors are used to identify emission sources to validate their accuracy and enhance their performance in real-world conditions. He is also involved in quantifying methane emissions and performing data analysis.

Previously, Mohammad gained hands-on experience working on renewable energy and energy-saving projects. These roles allowed him to work closely with affected communities and address climate change challenges. Outside academia, Mohammad enjoys listening to music, playing guitar, jogging, reading, and travelling.

Nadia Tarakki is a scientist with a diverse background in Earth Science and Biochemistry. She earned her Master’s degree in Earth Science in FluxLab at St. Francis Xavier University where she delved into Carbon, Capture and Storage (CCS), focusing on storage containment monitoring using geochemical tools. It was an adventure that made her aware of the critical importance of mitigating carbon emissions.

Eager to continue her academic odyssey, she moved to vibrant Windsor, Ontario, for a Ph.D. at the University of Windsor in Chemistry and Biochemistry. Her specialization? Gas migration monitoring from oil and gas wells using complementary geochemical and microbial approaches. Now, as a FluxLab postdoctoral researcher she is investigating gas migration from landfills, seeking to shed light on the environmental implications and develop innovative solutions.

Beyond the lab, she is a devoted fan of the Korean boyband sensation, BTS, and an avid follower of K-dramas. Her downtime is often spent in the delightful company of her three adorable fur babies, who bring boundless joy to her life.

Pylyp is an instrumentation engineer with a background in biomedical engineering and holds a Master’s degree in Radiophysics and Electronics. His primary research interest is in implementing technologies that prevent pollution.

Pylyp is the principal engineer of SIMFLEX, our Simulation Facility for Landfill Emission Experiments, which is the only controlled testing environment to evaluate, enhance, and validate aerial, satellite, and other methane detection technologies for dispersed and multipoint sources. On top of designing and building measurement equipment and systems for our projects, he provides conceptual and targeted support to our staff and students who work across numerous projects.

Spending time with his young family is one of Pylyp’s favorite things, and having recently moved to Canada, they have a long list of places they plan visit and explore.

Rafee Iftakhar Hossain is a research engineer with a background in chemistry and chemical engineering. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Saint Mary’s University and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Dalhousie University. Rafee’s capstone research project used Otter Lake landfill emissions as a feed and reformed steam methane to produce blue hydrogen gas.

His work at FluxLab focuses on designing experiments for SIMFLEX (Simulation and Measurement Facility for Landfill Emission Experiments) and providing logistical support for controlled methane release studies. Rafee is also a MSc student where he investigates the efficacy of landfill methane measurement technologies ranging from truck based to aerial/satellite-based methodologies.

Outside of his work, Rafee enjoys practicing all kinds of martial arts such as karate, jiujitsu, and boxing.

Rebecca hails from Massachusetts, USA and cheers on the New England Patriots. Following in her stepmom’s footsteps, she attended StFX and graduated in 2022 with a Honours BSc in Math with a minor in Climate and Environment. Her undergraduate research focused on how population growth, climate change, and extreme climate events affect food security in Nigeria.

She pursued a Masters with the FluxLab and graduated with a MSc in Earth and Environmental Science in 2024. Her research focuses on assessing GHG emissions at Canadian landfills with our mobile surveying team, improving government landfill gas estimation models, and assessing the affects of atmospheric pressures on landfill methane. Rebecca is enthusiastically pursuing her PhD in Civil Engineering with the FluxLab, through Memorial University, with focus on physics based models for landfill gas estimation.

She loves exploring Canada while on field campaigns, and squeezes in adventures through the great outdoors whenever she can. Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys cooking for others and fulfills her love for the gym and pilates whenever she gets a chance.

Regina Gonzalez Moguel is an environmental geochemist whose research has focused on tracing methane emissions using carbon isotopes. Her work spans diverse environments, including permafrost lakes, oil-sands operations, and urban areas.

At FluxLab, she contributes to controlled-release projects that help improve the accuracy of methane measurements in landfill and mining contexts.

Outside of research, Regina spends her time practicing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

After completing her undergraduate thesis with the FluxLab and earning an Honours degree in Physics, Robyn completed a Master’s in Physics and Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University. Her Master’s research focused on evaluating and improving the representation of aerosol optical properties in the chemical transport model, GEOS-Chem.

After working for several years in the private sector in air quality consulting and data science roles, she returned to the lab as a PhD student and is now midway through her Engineering (Oil and Gas) doctorate.

Her research focuses on oil and gas producing areas in Alberta and estimating “top down” regional methane emissions. She is also improving scripts for processing mobile survey data.

Yurii is a power engineer with a Bachelor’s degree in Operation and Power Supply, who specializes in electronics designs and fabrication. He is an integral contributor to our Simulation Facility for Landfill Emission Experiments (SIMFLEX), which provides a controlled environment to evaluate, enhance, and validate aerial, satellite, and other methane detection technologies for dispersed and multipoint sources.

Yurii builds new technology to improve the efficiency and reliability of our measurement power systems and he created a novel drone sensor for measuring flare stack methane combustion efficiency.

Fishing, swimming, and traveling occupy Yurii’s time when he isn’t tinkering with devices in the lab.

Faith is a Mechanical Engineer from Nigeria, currently pursuing her MSc in Earth and Environmental Sciences at St. Francis Xavier University. Her interests span energy systems, emissions, air quality, and environmental monitoring, with a growing focus on understanding how greenhouse gas emissions can be measured and monitored in real-world environments.

She gained field experience in the oil and gas sector, working with a team at a flow station on the installation of an ultrasonic flare meter. During her undergraduate studies, she also investigated emissions and air quality from a gasoline vehicle retrofitted to accommodate CNG. At FluxLab, Faith is investigating continuous monitoring of methane emissions from offshore platforms, bringing together field measurements, sensors, atmospheric processes, and data-driven approaches.”

Beyond research, Faith has experience in product management and has worked on digital products. She has also taught children technology and coding.

Outside the lab, she enjoys travelling, exploring nature, spending time with friends, and capturing candid moments through photography.