Felicity Ni

PhD Student, University of Toronto

Education:

Master of Environmental Science, University of Toronto, Canada. 2013 - Present.
Bachelor of Science, Honours. Specialist in Ecology, Minors in Environmental Ethics and Bioethics. University of Toronto, Canada. 2009 - 2013.

Relevant Experience:

Consultant/Design Engineer
Tetra Society of North America, Toronto Chapter
March 2015 - Present
Toronto, ON
  • Formulated an improved design for urinary bag retention/release system to overcome existing constraints faced by clients with limited mobility while meeting budgetary limitations
  • Design and prototype won first place in the Tetra Society of North America Design Challenge at the University of Toronto

    • Ecological Modeller
    University of Toronto
    December 2013 - Present
    Toronto, ON
  • Modelled physiology of organisms under various settings through execution of Monte Carlo simulations to assess system responses and to ultimately develop an early warning system based in MATLAB
  • Diagnosed and actively debugged models through strong understanding of model logic and mechanics
  • Developed R and MATLAB scripts to efficiently identify meaningful relationships in data and produce easy-to-read graphs

    • Research Assistant - Faculty of Forestry
    University of Toronto
    Supervisors: Sandy M. Smith
    September 2013 - March 2015
    Toronto, ON
  • Efficiently point-mounted and pinned hundreds of sawflies and Ichneumonid wasps used in a study of the biodiversity in Northern Canada
  • Created data labels for pinned insects to prepare for future display
  • Catalogued specimens into a spreadsheet for further analysis on diversity and abundance
  • Measured insect bites on leaves to assess efficacy of different beetle species as biocontrol for Cynanchum rossicum

    • Undergraduate Researcher - Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
    University of Toronto
    Supervisor: James D. Thomson
    June 2012 – April 2013
    Toronto, ON
  • Studied pollinator-mediated selection on corolla tube lengths and whether or not it was involved in assortative mating in an artificial flower system
  • Trained and reared bees to recognize and associate artificial flowers and different flower tube lengths
  • Analyzed data with a spectrophotometer to assess and quantify dye transfer, as a surrogate to pollen dispersal

    • Research Assistant - Sport Fish and Biomonitoring Unit
    Ontario Ministry of Environment
    Supervisors: Satyendra P. Bhavsar and Margaret R. Neff
    June 2012 - October 2012
    Toronto, ON
  • Performed a risk-benefit analysis of Lake Erie fish, evaluating the consumption advisories of sport fish
  • Analyzed fatty acid and contaminant data collected as part of the Sport Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program and compared consumption advisories based on contaminant levels and fatty acid (specifically EPA and DHA) levels with various international fatty acid intake requirements
  • Designed a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel to calculate consumption advisories based on contaminant levels and human population groups

    • Lab Assistant - Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
    University of Toronto
    Supervisor: Hélène Cyr
    September 2011 - March 2012
    Toronto, ON
  • Identified hundreds of diatoms (specifically Achnanthidium minutissimum, Gomphonema acuminatum, Gyrosigma acuminatum, and Surirella sp.) for a study examining seasonal variation in size and abundance of various freshwater diatoms
  • Measured length of diatoms using a compound microscope and Optimas, software used for image analysis
  • Compiled data into a spreadsheet to analyze spatial density and concentration of diatoms

    • Publications:

  • Neff, M.R., S.P. Bhavsar, F.J. Ni *, D.O. Carpenter, K. Drouillard, A.T. Fisk, and M.T. Arts. In press. Risk-benefit of consuming Lake Erie fish. Environmental Research.

    • Presentations and Posters:

  • Interdisciplinary Research and Discovery Symposium, 2013 (Presentation)
  • Ontario Ecology, Ethology and Evolution Colloquium, 2013 (Poster)
  • Toronto Entomologists' Association Student Symposium, 2013 (Presentation)

    • Technical Skills and Software:

  • Languages:
    • English (native proficiency)
    • Mandarin Chinese (working proficiency)
  • Software:
    • Microsoft Office
    • VisSim
    • Statistica
    • Adobe Creative Suite
    • Ecopath with Ecosim
    • Optimas
  • Programming languages:
    • MATLAB
    • R
  • Web Development:
    • HTML
    • CSS
    • CMS
    • Wordpress

    • Lab and Field Skills:

  • Ontario G class driver's license
  • Knowledgeable of bee anatomy and capable of identifying bees from Eastern Canada to genus level
  • Experienced in insect surveying and sampling techniques (sweep-netting, pan traps, Malaise traps)
  • Trained in stream assessment as per the guidelines set by the Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol

    • Awards:

  • Arts and Science Student Union Graduating Award for Course Unions 2013
  • Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for the Top Scholarship 2009
    •