I completed my Bachelor of Science at UBC in Cell Biology and Genetics. I am currently a PhD candidate in Dr. Timothy Kieffer’s lab in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, where I completed my Science Co-op placement as an undergraduate. My research involves studying different factors that affect the development of human embryonic …
Category Archives: TA Spotlight
TA Spotlight – Taryn Scarff
I completed my BSc in Applied Biology at UBC in 2020 after working as a research associate and completing an undergraduate thesis with Dr. Andrew Trites in the UBC Marine Mammal Research Unit. In September 2020, I began my MSc at UBC in the Marine Mammal Research Unit studying the presence and prey consumption of …
TA Spotlight – Julian Nguyen
I did my undergrad degree at UBC, and in my third year, I applied to be a volunteer in Dr. Nelly Pante’s lab, who later became my graduate supervisor. In 2018, I successfully defended my Ph.D. thesis proposal and transferred to the Ph.D. in Zoology program. Our lab is located at the Life Science center …
TA Spotlight – Sree Vappala
I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Kizhakkedathu lab at the Centre for Blood Research. My research is on developing new therapeutics for thrombosis without the risk of bleeding. I have completed my integrated 5-year bachelor’s and master’s in biology from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata. At UBC, I have TAed …
TA Spotlight – Mary Fossey
Hello! My name is Mary Fossey and I am currently a TA for BIOL 204. I completed both my BSc (major in Biology and minor in Spanish) and my MSc in Kinesiology at UBC. This September, I started my PhD in Experimental Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Christopher West. Our lab is located at ICORD/VGH and investigates the effects of spinal cord injury on the heart and the lungs. My PhD is …
TA Spotlight – Wayne Zhao
Wayne Zhao is currently a PhD candidate in the Devine lab at the UBC Centre for Blood Research. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, specializing in immunology, then moved to Vancouver and earned a Master of Science degree at UBC in the Department of Experimental Medicine. Wayne’s research area is in …
TA Spotlight – Liam Coleman
I completed my BSc (major in biology, minor in ocean sciences) at the University of Victoria in 2014. One of the final semesters of my undergraduate studies was spent at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre in Bamfield, British Columbia, where I took field-based marine biology and research courses. It was during this term that I …
TA Spotlight – Evgeniya Yangel
I completed my BSc (Biology major) at UBC in 2018. I first got involved with research after taking BIOL 205, as I fell in love with invertebrates. I worked in Dr. Leander’s lab under the supervision of postdoc Dr. Herranz who introduced me to the world of mud dragons and taught me microscopy and molecular …
TA Spotlight – Busra Turgu
I always wanted to be a scientist, to understand the mechanism of diseases and find a new treatment since I was a kid. I completed my bachelor’s degree in Biology at ODTU in Ankara, Turkey where I am from. I also did a minor degree in Department of Chemistry during my bachelors. During this time, …
TA Spotlight – Isaiah Box
I completed my BSc in zoology at the University of Guelph. While I was there, I did an honours project under Nick Bernier on the stress physiology of larval zebrafish exposed to high environmental ammonia. This work inspired me not to work with fish going into grad school. I then started my master’s in zoology …
TA Spotlight – Queenie Hui
I completed my Bachelor of Science in Biology at UBC. During my undergrad, I was also in the UBC Science Co-op Program, which gave me the opportunity to work in diabetes research labs. This inspired me to continue in research and pursue graduate studies. I am currently a PhD candidate in Dr. Timothy Kieffer’s lab …
TA Spotlight – Melissa Armstrong
Melissa Armstrong is a PhD candidate in the Zoology Department, studying the neuroscience underlying how birds use visual information to guide their flight behavior. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design and worked as an artist and designer for nearly a decade before deciding to return to school for …
TA Spotlight – James Marchant
I completed my undergraduate degree in general biology at the University of Western Brittany, Brest, France. I then completed a Master’s in marine biology at the European Institute of marine studies, Plouzané, France, where my research focused on calcium flux in cardiac cells for studying the cellular basis of fish cardiac performance. This first …
TA Spotlight – Donald Wong
Donald received his undergraduate degree from UBC in Cell Biology and Genetics. During that time, he took a course on cell biology that discussed unusual cellular structures found in unicellular eukaryotes, or protists. From this, he gained an appreciation of the evolutionary processes and genetics that underlie this massive diversity found in protists and lesser-studied …
TA Spotlight – Jan Xue
Jan completed her BSc in Biology at UBC. At the beginning of her undergraduate degree, she spent a summer working at the Arnold Arboretum, a breathtaking and beautiful museum of trees collected from around the world. There, a life-long affair with the botanical sciences was well on its way. During her time as an undergraduate, …
TA Spotlight – Wesley Gerelle
Wesley was born in Surrey, BC but grew up in Kelowna, BC. He pursued a BSc in Biology at UBCO and then transferred to UBC Vancouver to complete it. He started out thinking he’d be in a zoology field, but ended up falling for botany after taking an introduction to vascular plants course (BIOL 210). …
TA Spotlight – Thomas Whelan
Thomas Whelan is a PhD candidate in Dr. Naomi Fast’s lab in the Department of Botany. He is from Toronto and completed his undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax. It was during his time there that he became interested in protists (microbial eukaryotes) when he worked on his honours project with Dr. Alastair Simpson. …
TA Spotlight – Haley Branch
Haley Branch completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto (UofT), where she double majored in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Forest Conservation Science. Her passion and interest in plants began in her second year when she first took a plant form and function class. This led her to complete a Master’s degree in …
TA Spotlight – Soren Huber
Soren Huber is a MSc student in the Botany department, supervised by Patrick Martone. Her current research involves phylogenetic and morphometric analysis of coralline algae. Some of her side projects have included assisting with intertidal macroalgal biodiversity surveys, Martone lab collections, and sea urchin feeding trials. As a young adult, Soren was torn between majoring …
TA Spotlight – Evan Hersh
Evan was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, and majored in Biology and Environmental studies at University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). He first fell in love with plants during his last two years at UCSC, where he was inspired by some truly amazing professors in his Plant Ecology and Agroecology courses. Chasing his …