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Becoming a Golden Hawk means more than just cheering on our (really good) varsity teams – it means being a student who cares about your community, who works hard in the classroom, and who takes advantage of all the learning opportunities that can happen outside the classroom, too.
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I've been at Laurier since July 2010.
Prior to joining Laurier, I was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at Western University (2008-2010).
I received my PhD in Cell and Systems Biology from the University of Toronto Scarborough in 2007 and my MSc in Biology from Queen’s University in 2000.
My lab focuses on the electron transport systems of photosynthesis and respiration. Our particular interest is alternative proteins involved in putting electrons into or taking electrons out of these systems. Current research projects focus on the alternative oxidase, plastoquinol terminal oxidase, and alternative NAD(P)H dehydrogenases of bacteria, fungi, protists, plants and animals. We use various techniques to study the molecular, regulatory, and functional properties of these enzymes. I also have a strong interest in scholarship about women in science, science communication, and the professional development of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
Undergraduate students interested in conducting an undergraduate research thesis (Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, or Health Sciences) should contact me by email. I will be recruiting thesis students for September 2022.
Birceanu O, Tessier LR, Buitrago BH, Li W, McDonald A, Wilkie MP. 2021. At the intersection between toxicology and physiology: What we have learned about sea lamprey and bony fish physiology from studying the mode of action of lampricides. Journal of Great Lakes Research, in press).
Purhonen, J, Banerjee R, McDonald A, Fellman V, Kallijärvi J. 2020. A sensitive assay for dNTPs based on long synthetic oligonucleotides, EvaGreen dye, and inhibitor-resistant high-fidelity DNA polymerase. Nucleic Acids Research. 48: e87.
McDonald AE, Gospodaryov DV. In press. Alternative NAD(P)H dehydrogenase and alternative oxidase: Proposed physiological roles in animals. Mitochondrion. 45: 7-17.
McDonald AE, Pichaud N, Darveau CA. 2018. “Alternative” fuels contributing to mitochondrial electron transport: Importance of non-classical pathways in the diversity of animal metabolism. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 224: 185-194. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2017.11.006.
Del-Saz NF, Ribas-Carbo M, McDonald AE, Lambers H, Fernie AR, Florez-Sarasa I. 2018. An In Vivo Perspective of the Role(s) of the Alternative Oxidase Pathway. Trends in Plant Science. 23: 206-219. Doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2017.11.006
Roberston A, Schaltz K, Neimanis K, Staples JF, McDonald AE. 2016. Heterologous expression of the Crassostrea gigas (Pacific oyster) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes. 48:509-520.
Fall 2021 BI305 Origin of Life on Earth and Endosymbiotic Theory
Winter 2022 BI196 Practical Skills for Biologists, BI496C Science Communication
Contact Info:
Office location: BA436 (Bricker Academic, Waterloo campus)
Office hours: By appointment.
Languages spoken: English
Personal website:
aemcdonald.wordpress.com
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