2010 Student Bursary

2010 Student Bursary Winners

Marianne Ariganello

Marianne Ariganello holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Chemical Engineering from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She is a recent Ph.D. graduate from Dalhousie University in the School of Biomedical Engineering. While at Dalhousie, Marianne received a certificate in university teaching and learning in 2009. Her training has focused on how the body interacts with implanted biomaterials. Specifically her thesis centered on understanding the biocompatibility of collagen matrices and she probed whether macrophages were a key player in the inflammatory response to these biomaterials. Her future ambitions include utilizing her training in biomedical engineering to develop and improve biomaterials for wound healing, specifically taking a biomaterial from conception to commercialization. Throughout her graduate program, Marianne presented this research at a variety of national and international conferences, including two World Biomaterials Congresses: Sydney, Australia (2004) and Amsterdam, Netherlands (2008). Her research has been published in the Journal of Heart Valve Disease and the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. In 2005, Marianne was awarded a 3-month fellowship to train at the Taichman Laboratory at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Marianne has been funded by NSERC and IMHA during her graduate program as well as being selected to participate in a CIHR Training Program in Cell Signalling in Mucosal Inflammation and Pain. Outside of research, Marianne has been an active volunteer both for university student societies as well as charitable organizations such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

Meena Assad

Meena Assad is currently pursuing her Master of Biomedical Technology degree at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary. Meena‘s research interests include the development of follicular lymphomas in human, utilizing cellular, molecular and micro-biology. She has been involved in four different research positions over the years, and her long-term goal is to develop innovative products and start-up her own small biotechnology business.

In the near future, Meena would like to work as a Research Project Manager for the development of new medical drugs and therapies. In order to achieve that objective, she will be pursuing her Master of Business Administration (MBA), followed by Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Meena enjoys volunteering, and has been an active community volunteer since 2001. She has spent over 1500 voluntary hours helping patients at the Nursing home, as well as in Surgical, Emergency and Intensive Care Units of the hospital. She spends most of her weekends helping the elderly in Nursing home with feeding, walking and many other daily tasks. She is also active as a mentor and trainer for young volunteers. Meena also serves as a Director of Events executive on WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Club at the University of Calgary, and works on projects to increase awareness, encouragement and advancement of women in science and engineering. ”

Darryl Baptiste

Darryl Baptiste currently holds a Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology from Dalhousie University, where his dissertation was focused on defining the neuroprotetive mechanisms attributed to off-patent drugs in cell culture and animal models of glaucoma. Upon graduation, Darryl continued to develop his scientific expertise by obtaining a post-doctoral research position at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre at Toronto Western Hospital. As a post-doctoral fellow, Darryl investigated promising neuroprotective compounds in clinically relevant models of spinal cord injury. Presently, Darryl is splitting his time working as a Research Associate at Toronto Western Hospital and as an Acute Care & Treatment Practice Network Manager for the Spinal Cord Injury Solutions Network. These positions have required Darryl to prepare business proposals and grants for translational research projects, while managing the completion of funded projects. Notably, Darryl is the project manager for an upcoming international stem cell meeting, which promises to provide multi-stakeholder discussions to address translational barriers to the advancement and commercialization of stem cell therapies for spinal cord injury. Darryl is also volunteering in the University Health Network’s Technology Development & Commercialization Office, where he is gaining practical experience in identifying novel scientific discoveries, applying intellectual property and seeking industrial partnerships. These practical experiences are balanced by Darryl’s part-time MBA studies at the Schulich School of Business, where he is specializing in Finance and Economics in hopes to gain core business skills to assist his ability to recognize and act upon commercial opportunities for life science innovations.

Darrell Bessette

Darrell Bessette holds a Bachelor of Science (Hon.) in Biochemistry from Simon Fraser University. He also completed a Master’s of Science in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at SFU, researching the genetic and phenotypic effects of a novel MAPK, Nemo, in Drosophila melanogaster. Darrell is currently completing his final year of a PhD in Experimental Pathology at the University of British Columbia. His research is focused on resolving the signaling mechanism of a metastasis-associated protein tyrosine phosphatase, PRL-3 and investigating its role in prostate cancer.

Darrell has been award several prestigious scholarships. He held a PhD Research Fellowship from the BC Foundation for Prostate Disease in 2008 and a Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award from the Canadian Institute of Health Research in 2005-2008.

Darrell’s professional goal is to connect his extensive scientific and technical experience with his business experience to further research in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Darrell has been a partner in the start-up and operation of two non-science businesses, one of which is an on-going, part-time concern. He has worked for several biotech or high tech companies over his training and is skilled at networking to develop new acquaintances and partnerships. Darrell is most interested in using his skills to facilitate creation of business partnerships, and guide research and product development in the biotech industry. He is eager to develop the skills and expertise required for these processes.

Gina Demczuk

Gina Demczuk is currently enrolled in the Masters of Biomedical Technology(MBT) program at the University of Calgary. As part of the MBT program, she is learning about both science and business and how both are related to biotechnology. Prior to this she graduated from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a specialization in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. Gina was on the Dean’s Honour List throughout her undergraduate career and graduated with distinction.

Gina completed an undergraduate thesis project investigating thiaminepyrophosphate riboswitches in E. coli and B. subtilis and the extent to which native riboswitches could be transferred between the two organisms. Gina was the recipient of an entrance scholarship at McMaster University (2005-2006), an Ontario Principal’s Council Scholarship (2005) and the Metropolitan's Scholarship (2009). She also received the Marauder Scholar Award (2005-2008) and was a Canadian Interuniversity Sport Academic All Canadian (2006-2007) for maintaining honours while competing on a varsity sports team.

In her free time, Gina is a youth triathlon coach for the Fighting Koalas Triathlon Team. She also enjoys training and competing in both triathlons and rowing races. Gina was on the University of Calgary Rowing Team and is a two-time Canadian National Age Group Triathlon Team member and has competed at the World Triathlon Championships in 2007 in Hamburg, Germany and 2008 in Vancouver, Canada.

Blake Dornstauder

Blake holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Honours Physiology from the University of Alberta. He is currently in the first year of a research-based Masters of Ophthalmology program at the University of Alberta. Blake’s thesis involves studying and applying novel analytical ophthalmic equipment to assess outcome measures of a clinical trial for age-related macular degeneration that he is setting up and coordinating.

Krystine Dunsford

Krystine Dunsford-Richards holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and an international trade certification from the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI). She also holds a Media Arts Diploma from the Atlantic Media Institute in Nova Scotia. Krystine is currently enrolled in the second year of the UPEI Masters of Business Administration program, with a specialization in Biotechnology Management. This program is allowing her to combine her science background with business expertise to further her knowledge of biotechnology products and business development while concurrently focusing on a product expansion initiative at BioVectra Inc., where she has been employed for the past six years in a number of sales and marketing positions. She has recently been appointed to the role of Product Manager, with a prime objective of expanding the BioVectra biochemical product line to meet the growing needs of their pharmaceutical and biotech client base.

BioVectra is a raw material supplier and contract API and intermediate manufacturer, located in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The company has been supplying the industry for over 40 years and is the world’s largest manufacturer of Dithiothreitol (DTT), a commonly used reducing agent for protein processing. BioVectra boasts the largest contract manufacturing capacity for both chemical and biologic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Canada.
 

Anthony Fejes

Anthony Fejes is currently in his final year as a Ph.D candidate studying bioinformatics at the BC Genome Science Centre. Working as both a biologist and software developer, his research is focused on both the molecular analysis of breast cancer genomics as well as software design for short read (“next generation”) DNA sequencing analysis. As part of his graduate studies, Anthony is the author and maintainer of the open-source “Vancouver Short Read Analysis Package”, one of the most highly downloaded science packages on the sourceforge software repository, with more than 30 citations in the past two years.

Prior to returning to graduate school, Anthony played an active role as co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Zymeworks Inc, a Vancouver biotechnology company focused on rational design of molecular catalysts and therapeutics. This experience as an entrepreneur compliments his educational background includes two bachelors degrees from the University of Waterloo, and a Masters degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of British Columbia.

Anthony is the author of the well-known fejes.ca science blog for discussion of second generation sequencing technologies and applications, and is currently volunteering at the “Gee in Genome” exhibit at the Telus world of science where he discusses all aspects of genomics and science with visitors to the exhibit. Anthony currently holds a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Research Trainee Award. 

Jeewan Gill

Jeewan Gill is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. He has completed a Bachelor’s of Science with Honours in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Ottawa. He was awarded the Faculty Plaque in this program and the Faculty of Science Silver Medal. Having a strong interest in entrepreneurship and management, he would like to combine his knowledge in both science and business to find novel solutions for the advancement of biotechnology.

David Kideckel

David Kideckel just completed his PhD at the Institute of Medical Science (IMS), University of Toronto, where he specialized in neuroimaging and multivariate statistics. Throughout his studies, David engaged in many extracurricular activities, including cofounding and serving as Vice President of the Graduate Management Consulting Association as well as being elected President of the IMS Students’ Association.

During David’s Presidency, he established and chaired a committee to form Canada’s first joint PhD/MBA program with the Rotman School of Management. He also incorporated the MaRS-based course CIBC presents Entrepreneurship 101 into the existing IMS curriculum where students can now earn official IMS course credit for enrolling.

David is also very interested in business development and technology commercialization and recently completed two internships, the first with a MaRS-based biotechnology start-up company, Interface Biologics, and the second with SHI Link, a strategic transactional and licensing firm. Working with business development executives in both firms gave David a thorough understanding of what business development encompasses, as well as the strategic relationships that a company must build in order to advance its objectives.

Recently, David was selected to participate in the Novartis International Biotechnology Leadership Camp in Cambridge, MA, where his team, for which he was CEO, captured first prize for a business plan competition. David’s team, MyCells Therapeutics, requested venture capital financing to complete phase III clinical trials of iGEN, their stem cell therapeutic platform, to treat sickle cell disease under the orphan drug status, with future applications in all blood-borne genetic diseases.

Meaghan Labine

Meaghan obtained her BSc in Microbiology and MSc in Medical Microbiology at the University of Manitoba. Currently, Meaghan is in her 3rd year of the PhD program in Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Manitoba, and she is also a recipient of the Manitoba Health Research Council (MHRC) studentship award. Meaghan’s PhD project focuses on investigating the health risks associated with environmental contaminants within Canadian drinking water. She is exploring whether there is an association between consumption of blue-green algal toxins (e.g., microcystins) present in drinking water, and the increase incidence of liver cancer and neurological diseases within the Canadian population. In addition to her academic pursuits, Meaghan has an interest in nutraceutical product development and research, which is the primary focus of her career in business.

Aside from her research, Meaghan actively participates in administrative politics at the university, directing her efforts towards enhancing the learning environment for all graduate students at the University of Manitoba. She is the President of the Health Sciences Graduate Student’s Association (HSGSA), acting as the representative for graduate students within health research at the university, particularly within the Faculty of Medicine. Meaghan is currently working with the Life Sciences Association of Manitoba and other students to establish a Business and Science Workshop for students within the health sciences at The University of Manitoba. The purpose of this workshop is to expose students to the opportunities that are available within industry, and provide students with a basic framework of how to get involved in business development.

After completing her PhD, Meaghan plans to pursue a career in the biotech industry combining her expertise in pharmacology with her innovative style and love of business.

Chendong Lin

Chendong Lin holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. He is currently enrolled in the second year of the Master of Science in Management program at the University of Ottawa and is a recipient of the SSHRC Scholarship. Chendong is interested in researching the impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on firms' performance, particularly those occurring in high-tech and science industries, such as bio-pharmaceuticals.

He is also dedicated to developing and fostering knowledge in finance and is currently pursuing the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. His dream is to become a security analyst covering the bio-pharmaceutical industry, for which he may combine his knowledge on the industry and in finance. In his free time, he organizes workshops and seminars for a local investment club that he helped found.

Furthermore, Chendong is a culturally diverse person. Since early on, he has been exposed to various cultures and has lived in three different countries (Canada, China and the Netherlands). He is capable of conversing fluently in a number of languages, such as Dutch and English.

Matthew Mount

Matthew Mount is a PhD candidate in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa. His recent publications bring further insight into the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. Matthew is presently completing his thesis and is focused on applying his knowledge of health science research to the areas of marketing, production, and financing of biotechnology.

Misha Nossov

Misha holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours degree in biochemistry that he obtained at McGill University. His Honours project was completed in the field of molecular oncology, investigating interactions in a protein signaling pathway involved in tumorigenesis. He also completed research work-terms at the National Research Council and a biotechnology start-up in the fields of glycobiology and protein chemistry, respectively. While at McGill, Misha also pursued his interest in business, by completing the Minor in Management program. The Masters of Biotechnology (MBiotech) program at the University of Toronto was a logical continuation of his quest to be at the crossroads of life sciences and business. The MBiotech curriculum provides students with in-depth understanding of commercialization of innovation and an opportunity to apply this knowledge in an industry setting. Currently in the second year, Misha has completed his work-term at Variation Biotechnologies Inc. in Ottawa as a Corporate Development Analyst. During his work there, he has spearheaded efforts in securing substantial non-dilutive financing for the company. In addition, he managed the commercial due diligence of potential in-licensing targets for Variation. As Misha completes the MBiotech program, he will be looking to continue his career in business development role in the Canadian life sciences space.

Nadya Oglaff

Nadya holds a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology, Honours, from BCIT/UBC’s joint Biotechnology Degree Program and is currently working on her Masters in Experimental Medicine at UBC, studying the involvement of the GCN2 stress response pathway in regulating inflammatory disease. Nadya is a MSFHR Trainee Award Recipient, jointly funded with VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, and also holds funding from the CIHR Transplant Research Training Program.

Nadya has also been involved with the Student Biotechnology Network since 2004 first serving as an event volunteer and then furthering her role as Administrative Officer 2006-2007, Event Liaison 2007-2008, and Mentorship Program Coordinator 2008-2009. This year, as President, she hopes to look for new ways to expand SBN’s mentoring and networking programs and develop new partnerships within BC’s biotech community.

In addition to her interests in biotechnology, Nadya loves to travel and enjoys live theatre.

Michaela Pittman

Michaela Pittman is a graduate student attending the University of Calgary in the Masters of Biomedical Technology Program. She is a recent graduate from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia where she completed her Bachelor of Science with an Advanced Major in Biology. After many years in academia, Michaela has developed a drive to become an entrepreneur in the Biotechnology field.

Michaela has worked for many scientific organizations as a technician including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in New Brunswick. As a Marine Ecology Technician, she took part in an essential benthic observation survey of the Bay of Fundy. She has also been part of studies carried out at St. Francis Xavier University in Zoology and Advanced Cell Biology courses. Although with an education in the sciences, Michaela has spent the last two years working as a receiving/purchasing agent for Clearwater Fine Foods in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Michaela was able to expand her responsibilities in this position, and spearheaded projects for the company to better improve inventory control and expedite purchasing times and procedures. She now has a strong passion for industry and a bold talent in the boardroom.

Michaela is also involved in many sports organizations in her home province of Nova Scotia. A registered Community Coach with Special Olympics, and she has represented Nova Scotia coaches at the Special Olympics National Winter Games 2008 in Quebec City. She is also an NCCP Level Once certified coach for Figure Skating. In her spare time, Michaela is also an avid traveler and has a strong love for the ocean.

James Rowland

James Rowland is currently completing his Master’s of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Toronto as well as being a Level 1 CFA candidate. His graduate work involves the development of a novel method to produce neural cells from embryonic stem cells and the application of these cells in preclinical models of spinal cord injury and demyelinating diseases. James received his honours bachelor of science degree in life science from Queen’s University where his undergraduate research also involved a cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury. James has multiple peer-reviewed publications including both primary research and review articles and has co-authored textbook chapters on spinal cord injury pathophysiology and treatment strategies. Outside of his academic pursuits James is an avid hockey player, golfer, snowboarder, and sailor.

Aruna Somasiri

Aruna Somasiri is Management of Biotechnology MBA student at the Simon Fraser University. In recognition of his achievements, his MBA is supported by a Business to Science Scholarship from the Canadian Institute for Health Research. In 2004, he received his PhD in Cancer Biology from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and continued with a two year postdoctoral fellowship at UBC. He had authored 9 peer-reviewed publications and his research lead to the identification of a biomarker that can be potentially used as a breast cancer diagnostic tool for which a provisional patent was issued. Aruna is a recipient of multiple research awards including National Cancer Institute of Canada Terry Fox Fellowship and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Fellowship. While in graduate school, his keen interests in biotechnology and business lead him to co-finding Wax-it Histology Service Inc., a Vancouver based company that provides histopathology services to the life sciences research community. As the founding president of the company he has been involved in every aspect of building and growing the company. With strong management skills, Aruna guides the company in strategic planning, business development, operations management, Marketing and financial planning. He had also successfully negotiated partnership agreements with both private and public sector organizations. Furthermore, his scientific expertise and experience played a major role in implementing and overseeing a research program at Wax-it. Aruna is also an honorary instructor at the UBC Medical Faculty, where he has been teaching histology to medical students.

Andrew Tait

Andrew Tait is an alumnus of Concordia University in Montreal where he obtained a B.Sc. Biochemistry Specialization and an M.Sc. in Chemistry, with a focus on environmental enzymology. He is now completing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he has been studying viral membrane proteins that are related to disease. Andrew is also an active member of the Student Biotechnology Network, and is currently planning site visits for university students to local biotech companies.

Sidd Talukar

Kumar Siddhartho Talukdar is currently a full time student at University of Calgary, Canada. He is pursuing his Masters in Biomedical Technology. He completed his engineering in the field of Biotechnology from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology University, Noida, India in June 2009. 

As part of this one year Master’s program, his project deals with fostering International relations of the Master of Biomedical Technology program with organizations/institutions worldwide. During his undergraduate, Siddhartho has also made an oral presentation on his undergraduate research project titled “Study Exploring Bioremediating abilities of Plant Growth Promoting Micro-organisms” at both national and international conferences. The other projects on which he worked are : “Comparative analysis of α Amylase enzyme production from Bacillus Subtilis” and “Determination of metal toxicity in plants”.

Siddhartho has aspirations to achieve success and make a name for himself in the Biotechnology industry. He constantly seeks to have a challenging career with a growing organization in a progressive and challenging environment, where he can enhance his skills and potential to create new avenues and achieve perfection in his profession through hard work and dedication.

Apart from his professional life, Siddhartho enjoys volunteering in various kinds of social activities. He has been part of education program like “Amitasha- each one, teach one” and also NGO like “Anugrahadrishtidaan” that organizes eye camps in remotest areas.
During his leisure time, he loves to play with his four year old pet as he loves dogs and surfing on the internet is also one his favourite pass time.

Edward Wilson

Edward Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree with honours in neuroscience and biology from Dalhousie University. His thesis was an examination of how our brains respond to changes in neural activity levels following vision loss. Specifically, he focused on changes within neurovascular architecture. This project garnered important discoveries about vascular dynamics in health and disease.

Since completing his B.Sc. in 2007, Edward has begun post-graduate studies in the field of molecular neuroscience at McGill University. Working in the Chaudhuri Vision Lab, his doctoral research project aims to understand the biological processes that confer neuroplasticity during development and in adulthood. This research is designed to advance therapies for individuals suffering with neurological disease and brain injury through neuroplastic repair. 

While these research projects have been mainly biological in nature, Edward has broader interests into commercial applications of science and technology research. Consequently, he is interested in the partnership between academic scientists and commercial enterprise, and feels that co-operation of this sort is fundamental for full realization of the therapeutic potential of any scientific discovery.

Edward is a native of Nova Scotia. He is a volunteer with the Alzheimer Society of Canada and is the recipient of the Rotary Club of Canada Scholarship. His research is carried out with the support from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

2009 Bursary Recipients