Rate My Professor Rod Ubrihien

Rod Ubrihien is a Lecturer in Applied Chemistry in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Canberra, where he also serves as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Applied Water Science (CAWS) within the Institute for Applied Ecology. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Science at the University of Canberra in 2018, under the supervision of Professor Bill Maher and Dr. Anne Taylor. His PhD research examined the movement of chemicals through environmental systems and their subsequent impacts on organisms. Prior to his academic career, Ubrihien transitioned from professional roles in banking and the food and beverage industries to pursue higher education as a mature-age student, driven by an interest in environmental science fostered by his rural upbringing.

Ubrihien's academic interests lie in environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology, particularly the toxicological effects of metals such as copper, lead, and arsenic on aquatic organisms. His research employs biomarkers, oxidative stress indicators, and assessments of reproductive and fitness responses to evaluate contamination in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. Key publications include 'The Response of the Planorbid Snail Isidorella newcombi to Chronic Copper Exposure Over a 28-Day Period: Linking Mortality, Cellular Biomarkers and Reproductive Responses' (2020), 'Fitness of Isidorella newcombi Following Multi-generational Copper Exposure' (2022), and 'Fitness of two bivalves Saccostrea glomerata and Ostrea angasi exposed to a metal contamination gradient in Lake Macquarie, NSW Australia: Integrating subcellular, energy metabolism and embryo development responses' (2020). He has contributed to practical reports like 'Review of the Lake Tuggeranong Catchment Nutrient Contribution' (2024), 'Lake Tuggeranong Research Project Report: Stage 3' (2020), and 'Lake Tuggeranong Research Project Final Report' (2019), informing urban water quality management and algal bloom mitigation. Ubrihien's 19 publications have accumulated 150 citations on ResearchGate, and his work supports CAWS initiatives, including ACT Government-funded projects totaling $643,690 for waterway research.