Bruce Malloch, from Little Lepreau, New Brunswick, graduated from the University of Toronto in 2018 with a BSc (Honours) in biology. In his final year, he assessed how microarthropod communities in leaf litter are affected by urbanization, a major threat to ecosystem health. A keen naturalist since childhood, Bruce has developed expertise in the diversity and ecology of micro-fungi and their interactions with other organisms, especially mites. As the Annapolis Valley Regional Co-Director of the Nova Scotia Mycological Society, Bruce has helped organize several regional mushroom forays and introduced hundreds of members of the public to the wonders of the fungal kingdom.

Bruce, who is pursuing a master’s degree in biology at Acadia, has already discovered several new species of marine fungi. He presented his discoveries at the Atlantic Canada Coastal and Estuarine Science annual meeting in May 2019 at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax.