Vaughn Mangal

Assistant Professor, Chemistry

Office: Cairns 511
Lab: Cairns 551
Office Phone: 905 688 5550 x6136
Lab Phone: 905 688 5550 x
vmangal@brocku.ca

The Brock University Biochemistry Lab

The Brock University Biochemistry Lab (BUBL)

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Center for Research in the Anthropocene (CERA) Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada (2022). Supervisor: Dr. Carl Mitchell

NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada (2021). Supervisor: Dr. Carl Mitchell.

PhD Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Canada. (2019). Supervisors: Dr. Celine Gueguen & Dr. Alexandre Poulain

B.Sc (Hons) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology specializing in Health Sciences, Trent University, Canada (2013).

Our research group explores the molecular properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and soil organic matter (SOM) after land use and climatic changes with particular interest in the relationships between organic matter, metal transport, and uptake by microorganisms. Together with collaborators across academia, industry, and government, we are working to better understand how forest fires, forest harvesting, permafrost thaw, and agriculture impact the cycling of metals across terrestrial and aquatic continuums and the role that organic matter has on metal transport after disturbance.

We also specialize in microbial metabolomics where we explore the metabolic adaptations that algae have developed to aid in metal tolerance.  Our research group uses a suite of targeted and untargeted mass spectrometry based techniques to identify how humans are affecting fundamental biogeochemical cycles, and the implications for water quality.

Mangal, V., Lam, W.Y., Emilson, E.J.S., Mackereth, R.W., Mitchell, C.P.J. 2022. Molecular Associations of Dissolved Organic Matter to Inorganic Mercury and Methylmercury in Canadian Boreal Streams. Biogeochemistry.

Huang, H., Mangal, V., Rennie, M., Tong, H,. Simpson, M.J., Mitchell, C.P.J. 2022. Mercury methylation and methylmercury demethylation in boreal lake sediment with legacy sulphate pollution. Environmental Science: Process & Impacts.

Mangal, V., Donaldson, M., Saville, B., Guéguen, C. Identifying Euglena gracilis metabolic
and transcriptomic adaptations in response to mercury stress. 2022.  Frontiers in Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.836732

Mangal, V., Nguyen, T., Fiering, Q., Guéguen, C. 2020. An untargeted metabolomic approach for the molecular characterization of dissolved organic metabolites from Scenedesmus obliquus in response to cadmium stress. Environmental Pollution. 266(115123):1-10

Mangal V., Phung T., Guéguen C. 2020. An estimation of reactive sulfur concentrations

released by three algae (Chlorella vulgaris, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Scenedesmus obliquus) in response to variable growth photoperiods. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 27: 12491-12498.

Mangal, V., DeGasparro, S., Beresford, D., Guéguen C. 2020. Linking molecular and optical properties of dissolved organic matter across a soil-water interface on Akimiski  Island (Nunavut, Canada). Science of the Total Environment. 704(135415):1-11.

Mangal V., Phung, T., Nguyen, T., Guéguen C. 2019. Molecular characterization of  mercury binding ligands by freshwater algae grown at varying photoperiods. Frontiers in Environmental Science. 6(155):1-11.

Mangal V., Stenzler B., Guéguen C., Poulain A. 2019. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial  mercury uptake is driven by phytoplankton organic matter composition and molecular weight. Environmental Science and Technology. 53 (1):157-165.

For publications before 2019, please see Google Scholar page

  1. Guéguen, C., Winters, C., Lewis, A., Mangal V., Noble A., Long, A. Methods and uses of Encapsulated Exudates and Dried Euglena biomass for Metal Binding. Package File Name: P51020PC00. International Application Number: CA2018050431. Filed: April 6th, 2018.
  1. Mangal V., Guéguen C. Methods and Uses of Dissolved Organic Material Fractions for Binding Metal Ions. Published February 22nd, 2018. Patent No. WO2018/032115. International Patent Application Number: PCT/CA2017/050984.
  • CHEM 2P42: Introduction to Analytical Chemistry
  • CHEM 2P43: Environmental Chemistry
  • CHEM 3P41: Instrumental Methods for Quantitative Analysis
  • CHEM 5P38 (BTEC 5P38): Bioanalytical Chemistry
  1. Mary Chris Laguen (September 2023-Current): PhD Student
  1. Avalon Hargreen (September 2023-May 2024): Undergraduate Exchange Student Cardiff University
  1. Parwez Nejatie (May 2023-August 2023): CHEM 3P98 Student
  1. Lisa Harris (January 2023-June 2024): Volunteer/Undergraduate Thesis Student
  1. Eric Burgos (January 2023-June 2024): Volunteer/Undergraduate Thesis Student
  1. Nathan Uwimana (January 2023-June 2024): Volunteer Undergraduate Thesis Student
  2. Taylor Robinson (January 2023-June 2023): Volunteer
  1. Reem Mahamoud (January 2023-December 2023): Undergraduate Co-op Placement student
  1. Adithya Sethumadhavan (September 2022-June 2023): Undergraduate thesis student
  1. Stephanie Bedard (September 2022-Present): Volunteer
  1. Morgan Robinson (September 2022-January 2023): Volunteer. Current position: Laboratory assistant Environment Canada.