Lesley Warren, University of Toronto

Research

biogeochemical redox cycling integrated geochemistry & meta-omics oil sands tailings reclamation oxygen impairment pit lake microbiology seasonal and spatial investigation Sulfur mass balance and speciation sulfur risk assessment

Latest papers

Clades of huge phages from across Earth’s ecosystems
Nature · 2020

All 1 publications

Latest funding

Seasonal Microbial Characterization of the First Nitrogen Compound Degrading Bioreactors Operating at an Active Gold Mine
NSERC · 2026 · Principal investigator
$214,286
Determination of water cap biogeochemical cycling, oxygen consumption and sulfur risks in the first pilot Alberta oil sands pit lake, Base Mine Lake
NSERC · 2022 · Principal investigator
$899,997
Establishing tailings associated sulfur biogeochemical cycling across the resource extractive industries
NSERC · 2018 · Principal investigator
$216,000

All 4 grants and awards

1 publications.

01

Clades of huge phages from across Earth’s ecosystems

Al-Shayeb B, Sachdeva R, Chen L-X, Ward F, Munk P, Devoto A, Castelle CJ, Olm MR, Bouma-Gregson K, Amano Y

Nature2020538 citations

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2007-4

Seasonal Microbial Characterization of the First Nitrogen Compound Degrading Bioreactors Operating at an Active Gold Mine

Principal investigatorNSERC2026Advantage

Principal investigators: Warren, Lesley

Keywords: Water; Pollutants and toxic agents (waste, use 902)

$214,286

Determination of water cap biogeochemical cycling, oxygen consumption and sulfur risks in the first pilot Alberta oil sands pit lake, Base Mine Lake

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Alliance Grants

Principal investigators: Warren, Lesley LA

Keywords: biogeochemical redox cycling; integrated geochemistry & meta-omics; oil sands tailings reclamation; oxygen impairment; pit lake microbiology; seasonal and spatial investigation; sulfur mass balance and speciation; sulfur risk assessment; water cap oxygen concentrations; water capped tailings technology

$899,997

Establishing tailings associated sulfur biogeochemical cycling across the resource extractive industries

Principal investigatorNSERC2018Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Warren, Lesley

$216,000

The role of redox biogeochemistry in oxic zone development in the oil sands first reclamation end pit lake, Syncrude Canada's Base Mine Lake.

Principal investigatorNSERC2015Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Principal investigators: Warren, Lesley

$1,482,290

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

Lesley A Warren

Earth, Environment & Society

1 shared papers, latest 2020

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

Mention their NSERC grant from 2026

Subject: Prospective PhD student: biogeochemical redox cycling Dear Professor Warren, 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 "Clades of huge phages from across Earth’s ecosystems" (2020), 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 "Seasonal Microbial Characterization of the First Nitrogen Compound Degrading Bioreactors Operating at an Active Gold Mine" (2026), 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]