Our Team

Dr. John Trant, Lab head

John was born and grew up in Ottawa, Ontario and attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute, where he met his future (and current) wife, took up cross-country running, and almost went into Classics. He obtained his B.Sc. in medicinal chemistry from the University of Ottawa in 2006, having carried out summer research in molecular biology with Dr. Natalie Goto (2004), bioorganic synthesis with Dr. Robert Ben (2005), and his Honours’ project in synthetic chemistry with Dr. William Ogilvie (2006). He then joined Dr. Ben’s group for his Ph.D. (2012) which focused on understanding the mechanism of action of synthetic biological antifreezes, the compounds responsible for allowing fish, insects, and plants to live in sub-zero environments. He demonstrated that small molecules could be almost as effective in this role as complicated glycopeptides. In late 2011 he joined the group of Dr. Tomas Hudlicky at Brock University as a postdoctoral fellow for his journeyman’s papers as a traditional synthetic chemist. In 2013 he joined the group of Dr. Elizabeth Gillies at the University of Western Ontario and studied materials science and polymer chemistry, and where he also worked with Dr. Joe Gilroy on polymer chemistry. He joined the faculty of the University of Windsor in July 2016, and his research focuses on the use of sustainable materials for health applications. This involves the preparation of new types of carbohydrates, peptides, amino acids, and lipids for a variety of immunological, biomedical and materials applications and allows him to combine his love of synthetic chemistry, materials science, and molecular biology. He is excited to be in Essex County as a licensed Sommelier (Algonquin College, 2012) and doesn’t miss the snow of the Frozen North. Although the occasional hill would be nice.

Dr. Mary Egbuta, Lead Analytical Chemist

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Mary completed her Bachelor of Science degree (BSc) in Applied Biochemistry from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria. She has a master’s degree in Biomedical Technology from University of Johannesburg, South Africa, where she worked on Mycotoxins analyses in food products. Mary has extensive knowledge on extraction, quantification, and evaluation of toxicity of mycotoxins present in different food products and was privileged to work under the supervision of one of the renowned professors of Mycotoxins, Prof Mike Dutton.
Due to her quest for knowledge, she went ahead to do a PhD study in Plant Science at Southern Cross Plant Science Research unit of Southern Cross university, NSW, Australia. In her PhD study, Mary investigated the presence of valuable volatile extractives in cotton gin trash, a collaborative work with the Cotton Research Development Corporation, Australia. After her PhD study, due to her remarkable performance, the supervisor recommended her to Plant Science department for a position and she was offered a role as an Analytical Officer with the Analytical Research Laboratory, Southern Cross University. In this role, she performed quality control analysis of plant products for industries in the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. Mary also worked on a wide range of natural products including fatty acids, terpenes, sterols, and cannabinoids. An experience she brings along with her to the Trant Research team at the University of Windsor.

Dr. Wence Herrera Rondon, Microbiologist

Wence was born in Valencia, Venezuela. He earned his B.Sc in Biological Science from University of Carabobo. Later, He joined the Mycorrhiza Laboratory at Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research to get a M.Sc in Biological Science with mention in Ecology focusing his research on how Mycorrhizas can promote a microenvironment in which bacteria can degrade oil spill in soils. Afterwards, He left his home country to start his doctoral studies at University of La Frontera in Chile, in which he joined the research group of Prof. Olga Rubilar at environmental nanobiotechnology Laboratory in which he is developing his thesis with superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPIONs) and the degradation of organic pollutants. Recently, he joined Trant team as part of microbiology team. In his spare time, he enjoys movies, games, and long walks with his dog.

Angela Mulcaster, Research Assistant

Angela was born and raised on the shores of Lake Erie. In her youth, she would visit family on Pelee Island, at Canada’s most southern tip; instilling in her the importance of the water quality of the Great Lakes and a curiosity for Oenology. This led Angela to complete the Chemical Laboratory Technology program through St.Clair College focusing on phosphate and nitrogen enriched surface water runoff from agricultural lands. Angela has spent the past several years at the largest private estate winery in Canada working with winemakers Walter Schmoranz and Martin Janz in the analytical lab of Pelee Island Winery; responsible for the quality control analysis from grape to bottle.