Dr. Joanne O Meara

Biography

Professor Joanne M. O'Meara has a distinguished academic background with a PhD from McMaster University, obtained in 1999. Following her doctoral studies, she worked as a postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a Visiting Scientist at the Body Composition Laboratory at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. In September 2001, she became an Assistant Professor in the Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences department at McMaster University before joining the Department of Physics at the University of Guelph in July 2002 as a full Professor. Her research focuses on the development of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) systems for measuring elemental body composition in vivo. Her work emphasizes the need for direct monitoring of biological elements in workers over indirect methods that rely on blood or urine samples. O'Meara's key research areas include the design of optimal in vivo x-ray fluorescence systems and the innovative application of Monte Carlo photon transport code. She has made significant contributions to the understanding of water content in Martian soils through her research with the Spirit rover, and her efforts in developing new methodologies for measuring strontium levels in bones have implications for osteoporosis treatments. As a co-founder of Royal City Science, she is committed to enhancing science education and outreach in her community. O'Meara has been recognized with several awards, including the 3M National Teaching Fellowship and a Medal of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the Canadian Association of Physicists.

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Awards