Rate My Professor Monique Gagnon

Professor Monique Gagnon is a Professor in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University, serving as Leader of the Ecology Discipline. She holds a Ph.D. in Ecotoxicology from Laval University, Canada, funded by an NSERC PhD Scholarship, an M.Sc. in Ecotoxicology, and a Graduate Diploma in Ecotoxicology. She also received an NSERC Industrial Fellowship. Her academic career includes postdoctoral research at RMIT University, Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Biology (1996-1998), Associate Professor of Teaching and Research at Curtin University (2007-2017), and Ecology Discipline Lead since 2018. Early research focused on the effects of bleached kraft pulp and paper effluents on fish populations in Canada.

Gagnon's research specializations encompass ecotoxicology, with emphasis on fish biomarkers, pollution from oil spills, petroleum exploration and production, urban runoffs, sewage treatment plants, endocrine disruptors, and toxicity of drilling muds used in the petroleum industry. She has led major research projects funded by industry, government agencies, and the Australian Research Council, advancing knowledge on impacts to fish health and marine environments. Key publications include "Fish Fingerprinting: Identifying Crude Oil Pollutants Using Bicyclic Sesquiterpanes (Bicyclanes) in the Tissues of Exposed Fish" (2022), "Characterizations and comparison of low sulfur fuel oils compliant with 2020 global sulfur cap regulation for international shipping" (2022), "Gut Microbiome as a Potential Biomarker in Fish: Dietary Exposure to Petroleum Hydrocarbons and Metals, Metabolic Functions and Cytokine Expression in Juvenile Lates calcarifer" (2022), "Phytoremediation Potential of Azolla filiculoides: Uptake and Toxicity of Seven Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Environmentally Relevant Water Concentrations" (2024), and "Very low sulfur fuel oil spilled from the MV Wakashio in 2020 remains in sediments in a Mauritius mangrove ecosystem nearly three years after the grounding" (2024). With 2846 citations on Google Scholar, her contributions have influenced environmental monitoring and oil spill response strategies. She has participated in public outreach, including a Curtin University podcast on marine biodiversity discussing oil spills and rising sea temperatures.