Hugh Joseph MacIsaac is a Canadian ecologist. He is a Tier 1

Canada Research Chair Canada Research Chair (CRC) is a title given to certain Canadian university research professors by the Canada Research Chairs Program. Program goals The Canada Research Chair program was established in 2000 as a part of the Government of Canada ...

in Aquatic Invasive Species at the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

and a professor at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research.

Early life and education

MacIsaac completed his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in biology from the

(UWindsor) before enrolling at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

for his

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in botany. He then completed his formal education by earning his PhD in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

Career

Following his PhD, MacIsaac accepted a

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; , CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. NSERC directly funds university professors and students as ...

(NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Zoology Department at his alma mater, the University of Toronto. In 1992, MacIsaac joined the Department of Biological Sciences at UWindsor. While also working with the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) in 1999, MacIsaac focused his research on how human beings were affecting the environment. He published a paper suggesting that the introduction of non-indigenous species to

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

were a direct result of human behaviour. By 2011, MacIsaac was serving as the director of the NSERC Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network II and leading a nation-wide study of invasive species along the Canadian coasts. MacIsaac later broadened his research to include countries such as Japan and China. In 2013, MacIsaac expanded his role with the NSERC by playing an integral role in determining how Canada and Japan could better protect their water resources from pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Following this, MacIsaac was appointed a Tier 1

in Aquatic Invasive Species to fund his research into studying invasive species from a molecular perspective. Although his research continued, the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network closed down in 2016 due to a lack of funding. In 2019, MacIsaac continued his international collaboration by engaging in an environmental exchange program with Chinese university students. The program brought eight Chinese students to Windsor for the two-week course while UWindsor students travelled to

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

. In 2021, MacIsaac refocused his invasive species research onto quagga mussel and zebra mussels populations. His Canada Research Chair position was renewed to fund his study into understanding these species at their molecular level.

Personal life

MacIsaac is married to Jaimie M. Loaring.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:MacIsaac, Hugh Living people 20th-century Canadian scientists 21st-century Canadian scientists Canadian ecologists Academic staff of University of Windsor Dartmouth College alumni University of Windsor alumni University of Toronto alumni Canada Research Chairs Year of birth missing (living people)