Principal Investigators
Dr. Kirstin Brink
Associate Professor; University of Manitoba
Associate Director; PaleoSed+
Dr. Paul Durkin
Associate Professor; University of Manitoba
Associate Director; PaleoSed+
Dr. Ricardo Silva
Assistant Professor; University of Manitoba
Associate Director; PaleoSed+
Graduate students
Tessa Lawrence
MSc Student
Supervisors: Kirstin Brink and Tracey Loewen (DFO)
Reid Adams
MSc Student
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink and Tracey Loewen (DFO)
Jessica Kristof
MSc Student
Supervisor: Ricardo Silva
Urgon Snider
MSc Student
Supervisor: Ricardo Silva & Joe Moysiuk (Manitoba Museum)
Ezinne Ugwu
MSc Student
Supervisor: Paul Durkin
Maria Hussain
MSc Student
Supervisors: Kirstin Brink & Michael Schindler
Kelsey Strickland
MSc Student
Supervisors: Kirstin Brink & Mostafa Fayek
Christine Ng'alambi
MSc Student, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Supervisors: Ricardo Silva & John Gama and Emily Kiswaka (University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
Daniel Gowryluk
MSc Student
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
Bruno Costa
PhD Candidate
Supervisors: Kirstin Brink & Ricardo Silva
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Muditha Goonetilleke
PhD Student
Supervisors: Ricardo Silva & Jamie Wilson (University of Liverpool)
Tristan Joubarne
PhD Student
Supervisors: Kirstin Brink & Paul Durkin
Mira Thompson
PhD Candidate
Supervisors: Kirstin Brink & Paul Durkin
Thilini Wathsala
PhD Student
Supervisor: Ricardo Silva
Undergraduate students
Kendal Courchaine
Honors thesis student
Supervisor: Paul Durkin
Jared Dyck
NESRC USRA
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
Sarah Gledson
NSERC USRA
Supervisor: Ricardo Silva
Charlotte Gill
Student Researcher
Mitchell Baker
Student Researcher
Ashlee Vachon
Student Researcher
Ebubechukwu Alozieuwa
Research Assistant
Supervisor: Ricardo Silva
Amanthi Ambagala
Honors thesis student
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
Postdocs and staff
Junmo Nam
Volunteer
Kylie Halkowich
HistoCore Technician
Dr. Melina Jobbins
Postdoctoral Researcher
Alumni
Masters graduates
Trevin Ferens
From mine-face to micron-scale investigation of the Cretaceous McMurray Formation at Kearl Mine, northeastern Alberta, Canada. 2021.
Supervisor: Paul Durkin
Virginia Gold
Formation and diagenesis of growth marks in marine reptile teeth. 2023.
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
​
Muditha Goonetilleke
Sedimentary processes and organic matter dynamics of Late Cretaceous fluvial floodplains, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. 2025
2025 Winthrop Spencer Gold Medal
2025 CHRFEER Best MSc Thesis Award
2025 CEGA Best MSc Thesis Award
Supervisor: Paul Durkin and Ricardo Silva
Aaron Kilmury
Vertebrate faunal assemblages of the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of Manitoba. 2022.
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
Victoria Markstrom
Thermoregulation in Late Cretaceous mosasaurs of Manitoba. 2023.
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
​
Claire Morrow
The sedimentology, geomorphology, and hydrology of extreme floods on the Assiniboine River, southwestern Manitoba. 2022.
Supervisor: Paul Durkin
​
Maximillian Scott
Compiling trends in published mosasaur combat pathologies for new insights into the social lives of Cretaceous marine lizards. 2025.
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
Adam Snyder
Evolution of bite force in Dimetrodon. 2022.
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
Student Researchers
Iyowuna Amakiri
Research assistant 2023
Adriana Amundsen
University of Oslo GeoInternInternational 2023
Maximus Barten
V.J. Kirkness Scholar 2023
Gina Bilic
Student researcher 2024
Kendal Courchaine
Student researcher 2025
Dev Dave
Student researcher 2024
William Ezeana
Research assistant 2023
Brenna Findlay
NSERC USRA 2023
​
Maria Hussain
Otolith Technician (ECO Canada) 2023-2024
Matthew Hordosi
Student researcher 2025
Adam Isaak
Student researcher 2025
Logan McCaughan
V.J. Kirkness Scholar 2023
Arison Mintenko
Student researcher 2025
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Alexis Monias
V.J. Kirkness Scholar 2024
Tiarra Pitura
Research Assistant
Sierra Schlief
NSERC USRA 2021
Truston Trujilo
Student researcher 2024
Ethan Valley
NSERC USRA 2022
Kat Wai
Student researcher 2024
Oliver Wood
V.J. Kirkness Scholar 2024
Honours thesis and directed study students
​Christian Plouffe
Description and paleoecology of a new ​polycotylid plesiosaur from Manitoba. 2022.
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
Sierra Schlief
Bone histology and skeletochronology in captive leopard geckos (2021-2022) and preparation and examination of fish otoliths for potential contaminants with collaborator Michael Schindler in the Environmental Nano Geoscience Facility (2022-2023).
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
Ashley Verstrate
Enamel microstructure of heterodont theropod dinosaurs.
Supervisor: Kirstin Brink
​
Kateesha Wai
Sedimentary organic matter record of the Sinemurian–Pliensbachian transition recovery in the Prees 2C core (Cheshire Basin, UK). 2025
2025 CHRFEER Best Honours Thesis Award
Supervisor: Ricardo Silva
​
Jessica Kristof 2025-2026
Supervisor: Ricardo Silva
​
Gina Bilic 2025-2026
Supervisor: Paul Durkin
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Other alumni
Brigid Christison, MSc
Laboratory Technician, 2024 - 2026
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Dr. Chengcheng Zhang
Visiting researcher, BETY lab 2024-2025