Maria Dittrich is internationally known for her research on mineral-bacteria interactions in a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic environments, including lake sediments. Her research approach combines several techniques in molecular microbiology, aqueous geochemistry and mineralogy. Priory to join the University of Toronto, she completed her Habilitation at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (ETH) and her PhD thesis at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology in Berlin, Germany. She is interested in the nucleation, precipitation and dissolution of biominerals under both laboratory conditions and in natural environments. She has trained 20 graduate students and is the author of 65 peer-reviewed publications and books chapters.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Khoren Avetisyan Postdoctoral MITACS fellow 2021 - Present
My postdoctoral research is focused on understanding the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus (P), methane (CH4) in lakes.
Dr. Atiyeh Ahmadi 2026 - Present
PhD Students
Xiaoqing Shao 2020 - Present
My research focus is phosphorus retention in Lake sediments. I specifically study the role of microbes in vivianite formation.
Nigarsan Kokilathasan 2021 - Present
My research is focused on understanding the impact of neoplastic on cyanobacteria.
Mahmud Hassan 2024 - Present
Benjamin Lei 2025 - Present
Ivan Strakhov 2020 - Present
Casual Workers/Research Assistants
Lara Hopf 2026 - Present
Research Assistant
Casual worker
Dr. Yi Zhang 2026 - Present
My research focuses on phosphorus cycling in aquatic sediments, as well as nitrogen cycling in groundwater.
Undergraduate Students
Maeve McGuinness
Undergraduate
Center for Global Change Science
Summer Intern
Bishop Noseworthy-Ralph
Undergraduate
Volunteer
Abdullah
Undergraduate
Volunteer
Luca Stan
Undergraduate
Volunteer
Our Alumni
Dr. Basirath Raoof
Research associate Research focused on anoxygenic phototrophs from Qatar's sabkhas.
Dr. Sara Zaferani
Postdoc
Research focused on phosphorus geo chemistry in marine systems.
2023 - 2025
David Aceituno-Caicedo
PhD Student, research focused on microbial carbonate precipitation. 2019 -2025