Sophia Shu Han Hsu

master's student in the Faculty of Environment

Hello, I am a second-year master’s student and lab member of the Environmental Toxicology Research Group. I received my BSc in Biology from McGill University. I became interested in environmental toxicology in my undergraduate degree when I partook in a project on evaluating the impacts of micro-plastic bead pollution in the St. Lawrence River. Since then, I have continued with my passion and am currently working on PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid), one of the most common forever PFAS chemicals. Outside of school, I like to hike, swim, and take care of my plants.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

I came to SFU because I wanted to learn from Dr. Frank Gobas, an expert in environmental toxicology, and also because of the interdisciplinary framework at the School of REM.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?

PFOS is a ubiquitous chemical that is used in many industrial and commercial products in our daily life, unfortunately, its desired physical properties also render it a detriment to the environment. Already, PFOS is detected in the environment and wildlife, however, its toxicity has only been evaluated under laboratory or case-specific settings, limiting their application and extrapolation to field conditions. My research aims to tackle this by finding out its basic chemical behaviour (via chemical activity, a). This will then allow me to link different PFOS findings together and help improve PFOS risk assessments.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

I am really grateful for the support from my research lab and the department!

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.

NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship and the graduate fellowship

Contact : shh11@sfu.ca