Fernando Galvez

Fernando Galvez has over 30 years of university research experience. He received his PhD from McMaster University with a focus on the effects of water chemistry on the bioavailability of metals in fish. He later completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Alberta, the University of Waterloo, and McMaster University. Before joining ARI, Fernando was a faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University managing a research laboratory and studying the effects of environmental stressors on animal health. He procured over $3.1 million USD from diverse federal funding sources. He has used his research to inform federal policy, including testifying to a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, the research on the environmental effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in coastal Louisiana. Over the last decade, Dr Galvez has served on multiple grant review panels for federal programs supporting scientific research in Canada. He served as a member of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)'s Discovery Grants Program. He has also reviewed grants for multiple Canadian and international research programs. In his previous role, Fernando chaired the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. He also was part of the leadership team on the Quality Enhancement Plan accreditation to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges.

Fern is originally from Kitchener, Ontario, and enjoys whitewater canoeing, hiking, tennis, and playing chess. Coming to the ARI from Baton Rouge in late October, 2024, he is joined by his wife MacKenzie and youngest son, Jonathan (his oldest son, Tomas, is studying at Brock University). 

As the Facilitator of Research Development for ARI, Fern is responsible for developing, supporting, facilitating, and expanding research activities across the institute.