Born in La Malbaie (Quebec), Daniel Fillion developed a passion for natural sciences while working as a geology tour guide at the Observatoire de l’Astroblème de Charlevoix during his Cegep years. He later moved to Quebec City to complete a B.Sc. in chemistry at Université Laval. His growing interest in aquatic systems led him to pursue a M.Sc. under Dr. Raoul-Marie Couture, focusing on the photodegradation of carbon in thermokarst lakes in northern Quebec. Rigorous fieldwork in subarctic regions exposed him to the challenges (and rewards!) of research in remote environments. This confirmed his desire to push further into polar science, leading to a Ph.D. in oceanography—this time, at the opposite pole, in Antarctica!
His doctoral research, with Dr. André Pellerin at the Institut des Sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER), focuses on Lake Untersee (East Antarctica), a perennially ice-covered lake with a stratified anoxic basin, making it a unique analog for both early Earth and the icy moon Enceladus. His work aims to quantify the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur that shape the lake’s chemistry. Daniel also uses geological methods to date the sediment and reconstruct the basin’s redox history.
Daniel has spent two field seasons (approximately 100 days) at Lake Untersee as part of an international research team led by Dr. Dale T. Andersen of the Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, with generous support from the TAWANI Foundation. He is proud to contribute to one of the most ambitious studies of Antarctica’s freshwater ecosystems.
