Jackie Goordial

Jackie Goordial is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Biodiversity at the University of Guelph. Her research focuses on environmental microbiology in extreme and rapidly changing environments, particularly permafrost soils, polar regions, and cold-arid ecosystems. She employs genomic sequencing, culturing, and in situ metabolic activity measurements to study microbial interactions and biogeochemical cycling.

Academic History:

• BSc Honours, University of Toronto at Scarborough
• MSc, University of Toronto
• PhD, McGill University

Research Interests:

Her work investigates microbial survival strategies in extreme conditions, including permafrost thaw, Antarctic dry valleys, and deep-sea environments. She explores links between microscale processes and global biogeochemical cycles, with applications to astrobiology and climate change. Key themes include microbial community dynamics, extremophile physiology, and contamination prevention in low-biomass studies.

Awards & Recognition:

No specific awards listed, but her research has been highlighted in ISME Journal and Environmental Microbiology.

Advising & Collaboration:

Current opportunities exist for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Her lab emphasizes Indigenous partnerships in research stewardship, acknowledging traditional lands and collaborating with marginalized communities in polar science.

Labs & Teams:

Her lab integrates fieldwork, genomic technologies, and cross-disciplinary approaches to advance understanding of microbial life in Earth’s extreme environments and potential extraterrestrial analogs.