Andrea Verdugo Meza (PhD Candidate)
Andrea joined the Gibson Lab as a PhD student in September 2019. She graduated from Bioengineering at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, and got her MSc degree from CICESE, working on Fournier Lab. Attracted by the wonders of the microbiome shifts in health and disease, she is interested in characterizing the therapeutic effect of novel designer probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease. Andrea is supported by CONACYT – Mexican Government Agency for Science and Technology.
Jessica Josephson (PhD Student)
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.
Helen Chiang (MSc Student)
Helen is a MSc student who graduated from UBCO with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. Helen has been involved in the Gibson Lab since the 3rd year of her undergraduate degree, conducting research regarding the implications of tryptophan metabolism in the gut-brain axis. She has a variety of interests outside of academia, including biking, digital painting, cooking, and reading.
Serena Jilani (MSc Student)
Serena joined the Gibson Lab as a Master’s student in September 2023 after graduating from the University of Victoria in June 2023 with a BSc in Microbiology. Her research focuses on investigating whether the Indian gut microbiome affects susceptibility to ulcerative colitis, utilizing germ-free mice models. Outside of the lab, you can find Serena either cooking, lifting weights, or building LEGO sets.