Denina Simmons, Ontario Tech University

Research

Community Health Lc-Ms/Ms Modelling Opioids Qpcr Social Determinants Stbbis Wastewater Epidemiology

Latest papers

Systemic Effects of Pesticides on Insectivorous Bats: A Proteomics Approach
Integrative and Comparative Biology · 2025
The role of catchment population size, data normalization, and chronology of public health interventions on wastewater-based COVID-19 viral trends.
The Science of the total environment · 2024
SARS-CoV-2 viral titer measurements in Ontario, Canada wastewaters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientific data · 2024

All 9 publications

Latest funding

EngAging Older Adults in Citizen Science - A Co-Creation and Feasibility Project
CIHR · 2024 · Co-investigator
$100,000
Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis for Innovation in Materials and Biological Science
NSERC · 2024 · Principal investigator
$148,982
Examining community health by measuring Opioid drug and STBBI prevalence in wastewater across a Public Health Unit in Ontario.
CIHR · 2024 · Nominated PI
$768,825

All 15 grants and awards

9 publications.

01

Systemic Effects of Pesticides on Insectivorous Bats: A Proteomics Approach

Sandoval-Herrera N, Lara-Jacobo L, Faure PA, Simmons D, Welch K

Integrative and Comparative Biology20252 citations

DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaf121

02

The role of catchment population size, data normalization, and chronology of public health interventions on wastewater-based COVID-19 viral trends.

Islam G, Gedge A, Ibrahim R, de Melo T, Lara-Jacobo L, Dlugosz T, Kirkwood AE, Simmons D, Desaulniers JP

The Science of the total environment2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173272 PMID: 38763190

03

SARS-CoV-2 viral titer measurements in Ontario, Canada wastewaters throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

D'Aoust PM, Hegazy N, Ramsay NT, Yang MI, Dhiyebi HA, Edwards E, Servos MR, Ybazeta G, Habash M, Goodridge L, Poon A, Arts E, Brown RS, Payne SJ, Kirkwood A, Simmons D, Desaulniers JP, Ormeci B, Kyle C, Bulir D, Charles T, McKay RM, Gilbride K, Oswald C, Peng H, Pileggi V, Wang ML, Tong A, Orellano D, WSI Consortium, DeGroot CT, Delatolla R

Scientific data2024

DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03414-w PMID: 38906875

04

How does temperature rise affect a freshwater catfish Rhamdia quelen? A proteomic approach.

Vicentini M, Simmons D, Silva de Assis HC

Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part D, Genomics & proteomics2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2024.101219 PMID: 38377663

05

Different response of females and males Neotropical catfish (Rhamdia quelen) upon short-term temperature increase.

Vicentini M, Pessatti JBK, Perussolo MC, Lirola JR, Marcondes FR, Nascimento N, Mela M, Cestari MM, Prodocimo V, Simmons D, Silva de Assis HC

Fish physiology and biochemistry2024

DOI: 10.1007/s10695-023-01278-2 PMID: 38112904

06

Sex-specific omic responses in animal physiology and toxicology.

Martyniuk CJ, Simmons D

Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part D, Genomics & proteomics2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2022.100990 PMID: 35500499

07

Pasteurization, storage conditions and viral concentration methods influence RT-qPCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater.

Islam G, Gedge A, Lara-Jacobo L, Kirkwood A, Simmons D, Desaulniers JP

The Science of the total environment2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153228 PMID: 35090920

08

An 'omics approach to investigate the growth effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of guanylurea exposure on Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).

Ussery EJ, Nielsen KM, Simmons D, Pandelides Z, Mansfield C, Holdway D

Aquatic toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands)2021

DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.105761 PMID: 33550114

09

Data-Independent Identification of Suspected Organic Pollutants Using Gas Chromatography–Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization–Mass Spectrometry

Schreckenbach SA, Simmons D, Ladak A, Mullin L, Muir DCG, Simpson MJ, Jobst KJ

Analytical Chemistry202110 citations

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c03733

EngAging Older Adults in Citizen Science - A Co-Creation and Feasibility Project

Co-investigatorCIHR2024Project Grant - Priority Announcement: Population and Public Health - General

Principal investigators: Dogra, Shilpa

Keywords: Active Aging; Age-Friendly Environments; Citizen Science; Community Science; Healthy Aging; Physical Activity; Sedentary Time; Social Isolation

$100,000

Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis for Innovation in Materials and Biological Science

Principal investigatorNSERC2024Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Simmons, Denina

Keywords: Bioparticles and Extracellular Vesicles; Carbon free catalyst supports; Environmental toxicology; Functionalized nanosurfaces; Nanoparticle tracking analyzer; Sensing and biosensing; Sol Gels; Wildlife health biomonitoring

$148,982

Examining community health by measuring Opioid drug and STBBI prevalence in wastewater across a Public Health Unit in Ontario.

Nominated PICIHR2024Project Grant

Principal investigators: Simmons, Denina D

Keywords: Community Health; Lc-Ms/Ms; Modelling; Opioids; Qpcr; Social Determinants; Stbbis; Wastewater Epidemiology

$768,825

Ecosystem level assessment of the fate and effects of quaternary ammonium compounds in fresh waters

Co-investigatorNSERC2023Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Kidd, Karen KA

$172,763

Harmful Algal Blooms in the Nigerian-Canadian Context - an exchange of knowledge and expertise for the measurement and remediation of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins

Principal investigatorNSERC2023Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Simmons, Denina BD

Keywords: Aquatic Toxicology; Cyanotoxins; Harmful Algal Blooms; Knowledge exchange; Water (bio)remediation; Water security

$25,000

Aquatic Toxicology

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Canada Research Chairs

Principal investigators: Simmons, Denina

Keywords: Aquatic Toxicology; Proteomics; Metabolomics; Biofluids; Non-lethal methods; Liquid Chromatography; Mass Spectrometry; Environmental Biology; Aquatic Contaminants; Aquatic Stressors

$125,000

Multimode microplate reader with imaging for versatile analyses in immunology, microbiology, biochemistry and environmental toxicology

Co-investigatorNSERC2021Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Green-Johnson, Julia

$137,860

Wastewater epidemiology to measure community gastrointestinal disease

Co-investigatorSSHRC2021New Frontiers in Research Fund - Special Call

Principal investigators: Desaulniers, Jean-Paul

Keywords: RNA oligonucleotides PCR mass spectrometry proteomics wastewater epidemiology

$237,970

Liquid Chromatography High Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Proteomics, Metabolomics, Epigenetics, and Synthetic Oligonucleotides.

Principal investigatorNSERC2020Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Simmons, Denina

$150,000

Use of multi-omic approaches to enable non-lethal biological effects monitoring of wild fish

Principal investigatorNSERC2019Discovery Launch Supplement

Principal investigators: Simmons, Denina

$12,500

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

PATHOLOGY & LABORATORY MEDICINE, Western University
Microbiology and Immunology
Chemistry & Chemical Biology
Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
Civil Engineering
Other

Co-authors at Ontario Tech University, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Art Poon

PATHOLOGY & LABORATORY MEDICINE, Western University

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Paul Faure

Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Karl Jobst

Chemistry & Chemical Biology

1 shared papers, latest 2021

Eric Arts

Microbiology and Immunology

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Robert Delatolla

Civil Engineering

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Hui Peng

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2024

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Community Health Dear Professor Simmons, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Systemic Effects of Pesticides on Insectivorous Bats: A Proteomics Approach" (2025), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis for Innovation in Materials and Biological Science" (2024), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]