Career
After completing her Ph.D., Kirkwood undertook postdoctoral research at Oklahoma State University (2002–2004) and the University of Calgary (2005–2008). [2] She joined Ontario Tech University in 2008 as an assistant professor. She was promoted to associate professor in 2014, and became a full professor in 2022 and the first woman to reach that rank in the Faculty of Science at the institution. [2]
In 2023, she was appointed the Research Excellence Chair in Urban Water for the 2023–2025 term. [3] She teaches undergraduate courses in ecology, conservation biology, environmental research methods, and aquatic ecology, [1] and supervises graduate students.
She has participated in public discussions related to freshwater science and environmental policy. In 2025, she commented on proposed cuts to the Canada Water Agency, and was quoted in media reports on stressors affecting the Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario. [4] [5] [6]
Research
Kirkwood directs the Collaborative Laboratory in Environmental Aquatic Research (CLEAR) at Ontario Tech, which investigates microbial and algal communities in freshwater systems affected by urbanization. [1]
In 2024, Kirkwood received a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grant for a project examining the ecological role of benthic primary producers in lentic freshwater ecosystems. [7]
Kirkwood has also provided commentary on lake ecology in general-interest media. In 2025, she was interviewed by *Cottage Life* magazine regarding nuisance algal growth in recreational lakes. [8]
From 2016 to 2019, she served on the International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Science Advisory Board. [9]
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