Jessica Josephson (PhD Candidate)
Jessica is an incoming PhD student starting in September 2021. She earned her MSc in Pediatrics from the University of Alberta working on novel parenteral lipid formulations for premature babies. She also earned her undergraduate in Animal Science from the U of A. Jessica is going to be working on probiotics and the interaction between the gut and the brain.
Madeline Frazer (MSc Student)
Madeline joined the Gibson lab as a MSc student in 2025 after graduating with Honors in Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation from Brigham Young University in Utah, USA. She is eager to bring together her background in ecology and conservation with the world of molecular biology to answer applied questions. Her Master’s thesis work focuses on investigating the potential impacts of glyphosate- based herbicides on the gut microbiomes of forest mammals. In addition to her love for biology, she can be found baking brownies and doing at-home yoga.
Wangyang Dai (MSc Student)
Wangyang Dai will be an incoming MSc student in September 2026. She is currently completing her undergraduate studies in Biological Sciences at Shandong University in China. During her undergraduate research, she worked on projects related to molecular and synthetic biology. She is broadly interested in microbiology and biomedical research. In her free time, Wangyang enjoys reading mystery novels, listening to music, and making handmade crafts.
Valencia Smith (MSc Student)
Valencia is a September 2026 incoming masters student who recently finished a U.S. Peace Corps service in Panama. She graduated from Eastern Washington University with bachelors degrees in Biology and Spanish. She is interested in the effects of highly processed foods to the gut microbiome, specifically in indigenous populations. Her interests outside of biology include reading, running, and entertaining her cat, Púa.
Dorsa Daeizadeh (PhD Student)
Dorsa Daeizadeh is an incoming PhD student in September 2026. Her PhD research will investigate the effects of ultra-processed foods on the gut microbiome and incretin signaling in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, with the goal of advancing our understanding of diet–microbiome–host interactions and their implications for human health. Dorsa earned her MSc in Biological Design from Arizona State University , where her research focused on microbial chain elongation, a unique anaerobic metabolic pathway through which the human gut microbiome produces beneficial short- and medium-chain fatty acids. Outside of research, Dorsa enjoys playing the piano, oil painting, writing poetry in Persian, listening to French music, and exploring nature through hiking.