Taylor Luu

Research and Professional Interests

I have interests in freshwater ecotoxicology. Currently, I am investigating the potential role of selenium in the 2000s population crash of kokanee salmon in the Kathleen Lake system (Kluane National Park and Reserve, YT). I am using LA-ICP-MS to measure trace metal levels in sagittal otoliths, and subsequently comparing selenium exposure in historic (1981, pre-crash) and contemporary (2019 - 2021, post-crash) kokanee populations.

My interests have also led me to work for Minnow Environmental, where I was an aquatic field technician on projects involving sediment, water, invertebrates, and fish trace metal monitoring, spawning and habitat surveys, and fish salvaging.

For my undergraduate honours thesis, I studied the effects of forest management on mercury levels in slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) in New Brunswick streams, under the supervision of Dr. Karen Kidd.

Honours and Awards

• 2021 NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship for Master's
• 2020 GGR Entrance Award
• 2020 NSERC USRA, Summer (University of Toronto)
• 2019 NSERC USRA, Summer (University of Alberta) (declined)