Post Doctoral Fellows

Postdoctoral Fellow
serfurth@uoguelph.ca

Dr. Sophie Erfurth conducts research at the intersection of groundwater resource use and irrigation agriculture. Her research investigates the impacts of predicted changes in groundwater availability on smallholder farming communities, associated local livelihoods, and global food security. She graduated with a BSc in Geography from University College London, UK and an MEM in Water Resources Management from Duke University, USA. Using transdisciplinary tools, including Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), her PhD research at the University of Oxford, UK sought to unpack social-ecological drivers of decision-making in groundwater management in fragile political systems. Prior to her doctoral studies, she served as policy officer at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Within the framework of the BMZ graduate programme, she worked as a hydrogeologist for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) in Tunisia providing technical support on groundwater management to the governments of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. 

Postdoctoral Fellow
narandac@uoguelph.ca

Nataly Aranda is a Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Sao Paulo. During her doctorate project, she applied seismic and electric methods to assess and monitor some physical and mechanical properties of a sanitary landfill in Brazil. Nataly worked for three years as a Professor at Ikiam University in Ecuador, teaching physics and geophysics courses and doing research in the Earth and Water Science Department. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Morwick G360 group, Nataly will be working on analyzing geophysical data.

Postdoctoral Fellow
forden@uoguelph.ca

Olenka Forde is a hydrogeochemist with expertise in gas transport and reaction processes in the subsurface. In 2019, Olenka completed her Doctor of Philosophy under the guidance of Prof. Uli Mayer at the University of British Columbia. Her research uses large-scale field experiments to characterize the subsurface transport and fate of methane leaking from oil and gas wells. After completing her Ph.D., Olenka moved to BGC Engineering Inc., where she worked on hydrogeochemical characterization of water quality at mine sites. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Morwick G360 group, Olenka will use her expertise to contribute to various site investigations focusing on source water protection.