Nadine J. Kanik

Nadine J. Kanik

Research Assistant

Scientific Interests

Stable Isotope geochemistry; Clay minerals (layer charge, CEC, quantitative mineralogy); Clay structure; Rock-water interactions; High-temperature bentonite reactions; Hydrogen- & oxygen-isotope exchange reactions over thermal gradients. My scientific interests are applicable to materials science, the characterization/industrial applications of bentonites, and for investigations regarding the safe storage of nuclear waste in deep geologic repositories. 

Education and Degrees

(anticipated completion 2024)

Ph.D. Geology; Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland). 

February, 2021

M.Sc. Geology; The University of Western Ontario (Canada). Supervisor: Dr. Fred J. Longstaffe

June, 2017

Honours B.Sc. Physical Geography; The University of Winnipeg (Canada). Supervisor: Dr. William M. Buhay

Grants

Preludium-21: “Tracing the degree of structural H- and O-isotope exchange in smectite during bentonite-water interactions over a thermal gradient”. Term: 2022-2023 (2 years). Amount: 139,000PLN. Granting Agency: Narodowe Centrum Nauki (Polish National Science Agency). Hosting Institution(s): Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Science. Country: Poland. PI: Nadine Kanik

Industry Collaborations

01/2023 - Current: Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB) Swedish Nuclear Waste Agency (Sweden). Scope: Bentonite characterization/analysis. Funding: contract

10/2022 - 11/2022: Stephan Schmidt Group (Germany). Scope: Bentonite characterization/analysis. Funding: collaborative

Professional Experience

01/2020 - Current - Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow (Poland); Research Assistant

09/2017 - 12/2019 - The University of Western Ontario, Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science (Canada); Research Assistant 

09/2017 - 04/2019 - The University of Western Ontario, Department of Earth Sciences (Canada); Graduate Teaching Assistant

04/2018 - 10/2018 - The University of Western Ontario, Department of Earth Sciences, Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science (Canada); Project Manager for research audit conducted by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO)

07/2016 - 04/2017 - The University of Winnipeg (Canada); Laboratory Instructor

04/2016 - 04/2017 - Caribbean Research Institute Global College- University of Winnipeg (Canada); Research Assistant

05/2015 - 09/2015 - The University of Winnipeg Stable Isotope Laboratory (Canada); Research Assistant

03/2006 - 01/2013 - Private Sector (Canada) in the positons of: B-to-B Sales, Management, Operations, and Marketing

Teaching Experience 

The Teaching Assistant Training Program Certificate, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Conferred: August 19^th, 2018

Graduate Teaching Assistant: Department of Earth Sciences,University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada: (September 2017- April 2019)

EARTH SCIENCES 4440b/GEOLOGY 9540b: Hydrogeology: Principles, Processes, and Professional Practice, 01/2019-04/2019

EARTH SCIENCES 3340a/b: Watershed Hydrology, 09/2018-12/2018

EARTH SCIENCES 2240G: Catastrophic Events in Earth’s History, 01/2018-04/2018

EARTH SCIENCES 3340a/b: Watershed Hydrology, 09/2017-12/2017

Lab Instructor (contract): Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:

GEOG 1202: Introductory Earth Science, 12/2016-04/2017

Teaching Assistant: Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: (September 2013- April 2017)

GEOG 2213: Introductory Soil Science, Lab TA and assisting with curriculum development 2016-2017

GEOG 1202: Introductory Earth Science, Lab TA 2013-2017

Tutoring- for various geography courses 2014-2017

GEOG 1201: Introductory Atmospheric Science, Developed and marked midterm and final exams 2016

GEOG 2216: Physical Geology, Lab TA 2015

Honours and Awards:

The Clay Minerals Society Blair Jones Award for best student travel award abstract, The Clay Minerals Society.2023. ($500_USD)

The Clay Minerals Society Student Travel Award, The Clay Minerals Society.2023. ($1,500_USD)

The Clay Minerals Society Student Travel Award, The Clay Minerals Society.2020. ($1,500_USD, actual funding reduced due to COVID-19 travel restrictions)

Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology, The University of Western Ontario. 2019. ($15,000_CAD)

Western Graduate Research Scholarship, The University of Western Ontario. 2018. ($1000_CAD)

Brian Evans Memorial Scholarship in Geography, University of Winnipeg. 2015 and 2016. ($500X2=$1000_CAD)

Dean’s Honour List-Student of Distinction, University of Winnipeg. 2015 and 2016.

Paul Simpson-Housley/ CAG Student Travel Award, Prairie Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers. 2015. ($150_CAD)

Lifetime membership tothe Golden Key International Honours Society, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 2013. Membership by invitation only, extended to the University’s top 15% of students based on academic achievement.

Selected Conference Presentations

SKB Äspö Lasgit, LOT/ABM Workshop, February 7-9, 2023, Äspö, Sweden. “Layer charge alterations in the ABM2 & 5 bentonites as determined by the new spectroscopic O-D method”. Nadine J. Kanik, Arkadiusz Derkowski, Stephan Kaufhold, and Reiner Dohrmann. Invited Presentation by:Nadine Kanik

The 59^th Annual Meeting of the Clay Minerals Society joint with AIPEA-XVII International Clay Conference, July 25-29, 2022, Istanbul, Turkey. “Impacts of Chemical Pre-treatments on the Hydrogen Isotope Composition of Clay Minerals”. Nadine J. Kanik, Artur Kuligiewicz, Arkadiusz Derkowski, and Jeffrey T. Cullen. Presentation by:Nadine Kanik

2022 Goldschmidt Conference, July 10-15, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. “Negative verification of micas as hydrogen isotope standard materials: what next then?”. Arkadiusz Derkowski, Nadine J. Kanik, and Jens Dyckmanns. Keynote Presentation by: Arkadiusz Derkowski

8^th International Clay Conference on Clays in Natural and Engineered Barriers for Radioactive Waste Confinement, June 13-16, 2022, Nancy, France. “Probing subtle layer charge alterations of the Alternate Buffer Materials by the new spectroscopic O-D method”. Nadine J. Kanik, Arkadiusz Derkowski, Stephan Kaufhold, and Reiner Dohrmann. Presentation by:Nadine Kanik

The 57^th Annual Meeting of the Clay Minerals Society, October 18-23, 2020, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Washington, United States of America, VIRTUAL due to COVID-19. “Impact of interlayer cation composition on smectite δ²H”. Nadine J. Kanik, Fred J. Longstaffe, and Arkadiusz Derkowski. Presentation by:Nadine Kanik

The 2019 Nuclear Waste Management Organization Geoscience Seminar, June 2019, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “TC-EA measurement of clay δ²H and implications for porewater isotopic compositions in shales”. Nadine J. Kanik and Fred J. Longstaffe. Poster Presentation by:Nadine Kanik

The 2018 Nuclear Waste Management Organization Geoscience Seminar, June 2018, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “Investigation of the H- and O-isotope discrimination and exchange among smectite-group clay minerals and associated bound and mobile water in fine-grained mudstones and shales”. Nadine J. Kanik and Fred J. Longstaffe. Poster Presentation by:Nadine Kanik

  8^th World Archaeological Congress, August 2016, Kyoto, Japan. “Advantages of Combining the WARN and the SIAR Bayesian Models to Reconstruct the Weaning Process of Ancient Populations”. Dr. Yadira Chinique de Armas, Nadine J. Kanik, Dr. William M. Buhay. Presented by: Dr. Mirjana Roksandic

Prairie Canadian Association of Geographers, September 2015, Kenora, Ontario, Canada. “Lake Winnipeg (99-900) Core 8: A geochemical investigation of paleo environmental and climatic indices of drought”. Nadine J. Kanik, Dr. Nora J. Casson, Dr. William M. Buhay. Presented by: Nadine Kanik

Professional Development Training:

School of Geological Disposal Level 1, SKB International (online) Sweden (Nov.-Dec. 2022).

International Workshop- Isotope Tracers in Catchment Hydrology. Attended 35 hours of live-streamed workshop, virtually held by the School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada (May 10-14, 2021).

Peer-reviewed publications 

(excluding conference abstracts)

Kanik, N. J., Longstaffe, F. J., Kuligiewicz, A., & Derkowski, A. (2022). Systematics of smectite hydrogen-isotope composition: Structural hydrogen versus adsorbed water. Applied Clay Science, 216, 106338.

de Armas, Y. C., Roksandic, M., Nikitović, D., Suárez, R. R., Smith, D., Kanik, N., ... & Buhay, W. M. (2017). Isotopic reconstruction of the weaning process in the archaeological population of Canímar Abajo, Cuba: A Bayesian probability mixing model approach. PloS one, 12(5), e0176065.          

Selected Academic Community Service Activities 

National Scholarship Application Committee, 02/21/2018- 02/28/2018. The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Selection committee member

Department of Geography Lab Fund Committee, 10/05/2016. University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Student Representative

University of Winnipeg Entrance Awards Selection Committee, 2016. University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Selection committee member

Science Rendezvous, 5/9/2015. University of Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada; Organizer and instructor for geography activities (fossil excavation, dry ice tornado)

The Manitoba Human Rights Museum, 2014. Golden Key International Honours Society Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Opening day volunteer (position by invitation)