// About
Mark Louie Lopez, Ph.D., R.P.Bio.
I am a molecular ecologist and a registered professional biologist (RPBio) in British Columbia, Canada. As a freshwater biologist by training, I use metatranscriptomics, DNA metabarcoding, and qPCR-based environmental DNA analysis to study population and community dynamics in freshwater ecosystems.
Using the genes-to-ecosystem approach, I aim to understand how freshwater populations respond to natural and anthropogenic disturbances.
I am a postdoctoral fellow cross-appointed in the School of Molecular Life Sciences, working with Dr. Caren Helbing, and in the School of Public Administration, working with Dr. David Castle at the University of Victoria. I lead projects for iTrackDNA, developing and implementing eDNA tools for ecological monitoring in collaboration with First Nations communities and the Thriving Ecosystems initiative.
As part of my Liber Ero Fellowship, I manage a work plan under Alberta's Oil Sands Monitoring Program, braiding Indigenous Knowledge with sedimentary DNA analysis to reconstruct historical aquatic community composition in lakes across the Oil Sands region—establishing ecological baselines for long-term environmental monitoring.
In January 2027, I will be joining the University of Oklahoma as a faculty member affiliated with the Oklahoma Biological Survey and the School of Biological Sciences. I will also be leading the Molecular Freshwater Ecology and Conservation (MFEC) Laboratory. Please feel free to reach out if you are interested in graduate student or postdoctoral opportunities.
// Expertise
Research Interests
Environmental DNA (eDNA) and RNA (eRNA)
Species-targeted PCR-based qPCR and dPCR assay design and validation for monitoring key species, including taxa at risk and invasive species.
DNA Metabarcoding
High-throughput sequencing for characterizing aquatic community composition and biodiversity in freshwater systems.
Metatranscriptomics
RNA-based profiling of active gene expression across communities to capture biological responses to environmental change.
Sedimentary DNA
Reconstructing historical aquatic community composition from sediment cores to establish long-term ecological baselines.
Braiding Knowledge
Braiding Indigenous Knowledge with molecular monitoring in collaboration with Indigenous communities.
Freshwater Monitoring
Genes-to-ecosystem approaches for understanding how freshwater populations respond to natural and anthropogenic disturbances.
