Chemistry News & Events
Editorial Roles – Dr. Dhésmon Lima
The Department of Chemistry and Physics is pleased to recognize the growing international scholarly leadership of Dr. Dhésmon Lima. In addition to his research and teaching activities at Mount Saint Vincent University, Dr. Lima currently serves in several editorial roles with international scientific journals, contributing to the advancement and dissemination of research in electrochemistry, analytical chemistry, and sensor development.
Dr. Lima is Guest Editor for the special issue Electrochemistry at Interfaces – Probing Proteins, Cells, and Environmental Targets in Electrochemical Science Advances (Wiley) and for the special issue Advances in Electrochemical Sensors for Biomarker Detection, Biomolecular Interaction Analysis and Nanomaterial-Enhanced Sensing Platforms in Sensors (MDPI). He also serves as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Sensors.
These appointments recognize Dr. Lima’s expertise in electrochemical sensing and provide opportunities to help shape emerging research directions by overseeing the peer-review process, coordinating contributions from leading researchers, and supporting the publication of high-quality scientific work from around the world.
2026 Science Atlantic Chemistry Conference (ChemCon)
The Department of Chemistry and Physics at Mount Saint Vincent University is proud to congratulate undergraduate students Victoria Dauber and Sarah Mulla on their participation in the 2026 Science Atlantic Chemistry Conference (ChemCon 2026), hosted by the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in Fredericton, NB. The annual conference brings together researchers, students, and professionals from Atlantic Canada to share their most recent research achievements in the chemical sciences.
Working under the supervision of Dr. Dhésmon Lima, Sarah Mulla presented her research poster entitled “Bio-inspired Electrochemical Detection of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol”. Victoria Dauber, supervised by Dr. Michael Land, presented the poster “Ligand-Induced Redox Ambiguity at Phosphorus”. Their work showcased their ongoing research in electrochemical sensing and main-group element chemistry, respectively, highlighting the valuable contributions of undergraduate students to research activities at MSVU.
Sarah and Victoria are 3rd-year MSVU students, and have joined Dr. Lima’s and Dr. Land’s research laboratories as summer research students, funded by NSERC’s Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA). Their opportunity to present research at a regional scientific conference so early in their academic careers is a remarkable achievement and reflects their enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to scientific discovery. Drs. Lima and Land also attended the conference, representing Mount Saint Vincent University and contributing to the exchange of research and educational initiatives within the Atlantic Canadian chemistry community.
We extend our sincere congratulations to Victoria and Sarah for representing Mount Saint Vincent University with professionalism and excellence, and we look forward to their continued success in research.
2025 Science Atlantic-CIC Chemistry Conference (ChemCon)
The 2025 Science Atlantic-CIC Chemistry Conference (ChemCon) took place from May 22–24 at the University of
Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown, PE), bringing together students and researchers from across Atlantic Canada to share innovative work in the field of chemistry. The Department of Chemistry and Physics at the Mount is proud to congratulate undergraduate students Marianna Kovtun and Sarah Mulla for representing our department with excellence at the conference.
Marianna Kovtun, working under the supervision of Dr. Dhésmon Lima, presented her research titled: “Tuning Electron Transfer at Hemin-Modified Graphite Electrodes: An Electrochemical Study Using Ferricyanide as a Redox Probe”. Marianna is the 2025 recipient of the Jeanne Sauvé Endowed Award for Women in Science, a distinction that recognizes academic excellence and supports female representation in Science at the Mount. Sarah Mulla, also supervised by Dr. Dhésmon Lima, presented her project titled: “Tailoring Graphite Paste Electrodes with Cobalt Phthalocyanine for Improved Redox Activity,” showcasing the creativity and depth of undergraduate research in our department. Marianna and Sarah have just finished their first year and joined Dr. Lima’s laboratory as summer research students only a few weeks ago, which makes their participation at ChemCon even more impressive.
We extend our warmest congratulations to Marianna and Sarah for their great achievements and thank them for representing our department with such professionalism and enthusiasm.
Marianna Kovtun presenting at ChemCon 2025
Sarah Mulla presenting at ChemCon 2025
Marianna Kovtun, Sarah Mulla & Dr. Dhésmon Lima at ChemCon 2025
Dr. Katherine Darvesh retirement celebration
On June 12, 2024 the Department of Chemistry & Physics held a retirement celebration for our beloved colleague, Dr. Katherine Darvesh. Kathy retired from the Mount on June 30, 2024 after 35 years of outstanding service. Congratulations Kathy! You will be missed.
Dr. Kathy Darvesh at her retirement celebration on June 12, 2024
2024 Science Atlantic-CIC Chemistry Conference (ChemCon)
ChemCon 2024 was held on May 23 – 25 at Cape Breton University. The department would like to congratulate the following students on receiving prestigious national awards from the Canadian Society for Chemistry:
- Chemistry Honours student Erin Wiggins, working with Dr. Ian Pottie, won the Chemical Education Award for her presentation titled: “Adapting Titration Experiments for Students with Colour-Vision Deficiencies.”
- Chemistry Honours student Ailish Sullivan, working with Dr. Chérif Matta and Dr. Tina Harriott, won the Science Atlantic Science Communication Award for her presentation: “Exploring Chemical Sources of Diffuse Interstellar Bands Through Quantum Mechanics.”
Ailish Sullivan and Erin Wiggins receiving their ChemCon 2024 awards
Convocation Awards
Several of our students and faculty were honoured at the 2024 Convocation ceremonies held May 16 and 17.
- Jillian Mozvik, Bachelor of Science (Chemistry minor), was awarded the President’s Prize.
- Ailish Sullivan, Bachelor of Science (Chemistry major), was awarded the President’s Prize.
- Nicole Cox, Bachelor of Science (Chemistry major), was presented membership to Kappa Gamma Pi.
- Dr. Kathy Darvesh was awarded Professor Emeritus status.
- Dr. Reem Abuzaytoun, a long standing and valued Part-Time Faculty member in our department, was awarded the Alumni Part-Time Teaching Award.
Dr. Reem Abuzaytoun receiving her Alumni Part-Time Teaching Award