Douglas Holdway
Protecting our water quality is Dr. Douglas Holdway's life's work. As Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Toxicology and Professor of Ecotoxicology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Dr. Holdway and his research team are making major breakthroughs in our understanding of the impact threatening contaminants have on aquatic life. Equally important, they are developing the right tools to help us rapidly respond to potential threats.
Threats to our aquatic ecosystem can come from a variety of sources including the chemicals found in pharmaceuticals and personal care products such as drugs, cosmetics and soaps. And while much has been written about these chemicals and rising rates in breast cancer, asthma, autism and reproductive problems in humans, very little has been to done to study their impact on the broader environment, specifically aquatic life. That's where Dr. Holdway and his team come in.
In his research, Dr. Holdway is carrying out comprehensive laboratory studies to investigate the effects of short and long-term exposures to contaminants on the survival, growth, and reproduction of aquatic organisms such as fish at various life stages and under a variety of environmental conditions.
The discoveries arising from Dr. Holdway's research are contributing to improving environmental regulations concerning chemical usage and land-use practices involving agriculture and urban development. The development of rapid real-time water pollution sensors has enormous potential to provide significant social, environmental and financial benefits for Canada.
After post-doctoral research at the University of Waterloo and the National Water Research Institute, CCIW, Burlington, Ontario, Dr. Holdway moved to Australia where he worked for three years at the Alligator Rivers Region Research Institute in Jabiru, Northern Territory followed by 13 years at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT-University) in Victoria, Australia. Dr. Holdway was appointed the first Professor of Ecotoxicology in Australasia in January 1997. Dr. Holdway returned to Canada in 2002, spending a year at the University of Prince Edward Island before coming to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology as a foundation Professor of Ecotoxicology in July, 2003. Dr. Holdway was awarded UOIT's first Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Toxicology in June, 2004 (renewed in 2011). He has more than 314 publications and professional works including 122 refereed papers and reports and 160 conference abstracts investigating the impacts of contaminants on aquatic organisms and has supervised 13 MSc and 15 PhD students to completion. His expertise is in aquatic toxicology and marine biology with particular interest in fish reproduction, endocrine disruptors and biomarkers. He is presently supervising one senior research laboratory technician, 2 MSc students, 2 PhD students and 2 undergraduate research students in his state-of-the-art UOIT Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory.
Dr. Holdway is married to Tracey, his wife of 29 years, and they live in Courtice, Ontario. They have three children: son Nathanial - 24 a Lt in the Canadian infantry (Dukes company, 1st RCR) stationed at CFB Petawawa, Ontario, daughter Jazmin - 20 in third year Human Resource Management at University of Guelph and son Morgan – 18 enrolled as a first year Officer Cadet in the infantry at Royal Military College in Kingston, all of whom are dual Canadian-Australian citizens.
Protecting our water quality is Dr. Douglas Holdway's life's work. As Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Toxicology and Professor of Ecotoxicology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Dr. Holdway and his research team are making major breakthroughs in our understanding of the impact threatening contaminants have on aquatic life. Equally important, they are developing the right tools to help us rapidly respond to potential threats.
Threats to our aquatic ecosystem can come from a variety of sources including the chemicals found in pharmaceuticals and personal care products such as drugs, cosmetics and soaps. And while much has been written about these chemicals and rising rates in breast cancer, asthma, autism and reproductive problems in humans, very little has been to done to study their impact on the broader environment, specifically aquatic life. That's where Dr. Holdway and his team come in.
In his research, Dr. Holdway is carrying out comprehensive laboratory studies to investigate the effects of short and long-term exposures to contaminants on the survival, growth, and reproduction of aquatic organisms such as fish at various life stages and under a variety of environmental conditions.
The discoveries arising from Dr. Holdway's research are contributing to improving environmental regulations concerning chemical usage and land-use practices involving agriculture and urban development. The development of rapid real-time water pollution sensors has enormous potential to provide significant social, environmental and financial benefits for Canada.
After post-doctoral research at the University of Waterloo and the National Water Research Institute, CCIW, Burlington, Ontario, Dr. Holdway moved to Australia where he worked for three years at the Alligator Rivers Region Research Institute in Jabiru, Northern Territory followed by 13 years at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT-University) in Victoria, Australia. Dr. Holdway was appointed the first Professor of Ecotoxicology in Australasia in January 1997. Dr. Holdway returned to Canada in 2002, spending a year at the University of Prince Edward Island before coming to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology as a foundation Professor of Ecotoxicology in July, 2003. Dr. Holdway was awarded UOIT's first Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Toxicology in June, 2004 (renewed in 2011). He has more than 314 publications and professional works including 122 refereed papers and reports and 160 conference abstracts investigating the impacts of contaminants on aquatic organisms and has supervised 13 MSc and 15 PhD students to completion. His expertise is in aquatic toxicology and marine biology with particular interest in fish reproduction, endocrine disruptors and biomarkers. He is presently supervising one senior research laboratory technician, 2 MSc students, 2 PhD students and 2 undergraduate research students in his state-of-the-art UOIT Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory.
Dr. Holdway is married to Tracey, his wife of 29 years, and they live in Courtice, Ontario. They have three children: son Nathanial - 24 a Lt in the Canadian infantry (Dukes company, 1st RCR) stationed at CFB Petawawa, Ontario, daughter Jazmin - 20 in third year Human Resource Management at University of Guelph and son Morgan – 18 enrolled as a first year Officer Cadet in the infantry at Royal Military College in Kingston, all of whom are dual Canadian-Australian citizens.
