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Post Doctoral Fellows and Research Scientists
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Dr. Hindra (Research Scientist)
Hindra completed his B.Sc. in Food Technology at the University of Pelita Harapan (Indonesia), before coming to Canada, where he completed his MSc in Applied Microbiology and Food Science at the University of Saskatchewan, and his PhD in Molecular Microbiology at McMaster University. Hindra than undertook post-doctoral studies at The Scripps Research Institute (Florida), in the lab of Prof. Ben Shen, where he added a strong foundation in 'chemical biology' to his extensive skill repertoire! Hindra returned to McMaster in 2017, and he is working to combine his chemical biology expertise with his microbial genetic skills, to identify new natural products. Hindra epitomizes 'cool, calm and collected' in the lab, and is proving to be a strong mentor. Outside of the lab, Hindra is known for his love of soup, his impressive volleyball capabilities, his amazing daughters, and his unusual birthday traditions (where HE makes his family an exotic dinner!).
Dr. Matt Zambri (Post-doctoral fellow)
Matt completed his BSc at the University of Ottawa, before moving to McMaster for his PhD in our lab, where his studies were supported by multiple Ontario Graduate Scholarships. Matt's work is focussed on understanding the rapid growth that drives Streptomyces exploration, and the unique cell wall biosynthetic strategies used to achieve this. Matt carries on a long-standing lab tradition of being an opponent of cherry tomatoes (not sure what the problem is - these are tasty little things!), as well as a staunch supporter of both the Blue Jays (Matt also plays high-level baseball), and the Maple Leafs (who periodically flirt with being a team worth supporting!?). In addition to his athletic and academic skills, Matt has proven on multiple lab outings to be an impressive bowler (to the point that kids in the next lane cheer every time he comes up!) and mini-golfer, and is not one to shy away from culinary innovation, creating saga-worthy dishes for multiple lab potluck dinners (he may well never buy an eggplant again...).Graduate Students
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Christine Baglio (MSc candidate)
Christine joined us in January 2021 for her first co-op term within the Molecular Biology and Genetics co-op program. After 8 months, she transitioned into doing her 4th year thesis with us, and was having such an amazing time (and doing such terrific work), that she then opted to do her final co-op term with us as well! After taking 6 months off to explore Europe, she has returned to us! - starting her MSc in September 2023, supported by an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Christine's work is aimed at better understanding the factors that influence exploratory growth by Streptomyces bacteria. As this would all suggest, Christine settled into the lab quickly, and has proven to be more than capable of handling Matt's sarcasm with witty retorts, and has been a natural when it comes to playing 'spikeball'. She too carries on the lab tradition of having strange food quirks - apparently 'salads' are not her thing?! To be fair, 'salads' can mean different things to different people (iceberg lettuce and tomatoes aren't very exciting), but we're hoping to bring her around by exposing her to the more exotic side of the salad realm...
Fernando Bouthillier (MSc candidate)
Fernando is our latest graduate recruit, starting in the lab in September 2024. He joins Marie in his BC origins, coming to us from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops (central BC). It was during his undergraduate days that he discovered the wonders of Streptomyces, and with us, is now diving deeper into understanding the fascinating biology associated with Streptomyces growth and development. Despite not being a huge dessert fan (which is nearly impossible for Marie to understand), Fernando will be long remembered for his cookie contribution to a December lab pot-luck (these culinary delights were both tasty, and served as excellent tooth-strength tests). This same event involved a classic game of Codenames, where we discovered Fernando to have very definite (and often correct) opinions about answers, and where he gained an accompanying appreciation for how hard it can be to serve as 'spymaster'...(after having dished out some good natured ribbing of Matt for the time he needed to come up with his 'codeword').
Meghan Pepler (PhD candidate)
Meghan started her graduate studies in the lab in September 2020, after having completed her Molecular Biology and Genetics co-op program at McMaster. But her association with the lab started several years earlier, having also completed her 4th year thesis and final co-op term with us! Her graduate work has been supported by an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and both NSERC Masters (CGS-M) and Doctoral (CGS-D) scholarships! Meghan's work in the lab has spanned many areas, including examining the microbiome of fish eggs and probing the anti-microbial properties of 'gland extracts' from the father fish (not as disgusting as it sounds...depending on who you talk to...), in collaboration with Sigal Balshine's group in PNB. Her graduate work has focussed more on RNA-based regulation in Streptomyces bacteria, looking at the role of ribonucleases and their effect on both specialised metabolism and development. Meghan is a hot yoga aficionado (which Marie appreciates but doesn't understand), and a gifted slackliner, squash player (having been on McMaster's squash team for years!), and climber. She is also an enthusiastic chef, and a keeper of bees. To top it all off, Meghan has recently unleashed her creative talents on the lab, to GREAT effect - she has been the driver (and designer!) of our first ever 'lab swag' - spectacular hoodies with an 'Elliot lab' logo on them!
Lauren Tiller (PhD candidate)
Lauren joined the Elliot lab in September 2022, having been smitten by the amazingness of Streptomyces bacteria after having spent her 4th year thesis and MSc degree probing the biology of another very cool soil microbe, Sinorhizobium meliloti in the Finan lab at McMaster. Lauren finished her MSc just before the pandemic, and in what turned out to be impeccable timing, opted to expand her communication and teaching skill repertoire as an Instructional Assistant within the Biology department, before starting her PhD work with us once the world had opened up again. Lauren's work focuses on understanding the control of specialized metabolite production in Streptomyces, where she is employing global strategies to investigate the regulation of antibiotic biosynthetic gene clusters. Beyond the lab, Lauren is an accomplished figure skater who has recently opted to dip her toe back into the competitive world of skating. The food-quirk situation that seems pervasive in the lab has not bypassed Lauren, although we're discovering that some dislikes are conditional - despite not normally enjoying Nanaimo bars (a quintessentially Canadian dessert!), she was willing to brave a birthday celebration-iteration, and found that they were reasonably enjoyable!Undergraduate Students
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Nour Elshobary (MBG co-op)
Nour joined us for a four month co-op term in the summer of 2024 (during which she was funded through a prestigious NSERC USRA), before then beginning her 4th year thesis with us in September. Nour has proven to be an excellent experimentalist with terrific scientific curiousity, and is effectively balancing multiple projects, including characterizing poorly-understood antibiotic regulators, developing unique genetic tools to stimulate antibiotic production, probing protein-protein interactions important for Streptomyces development, and characterizing new antibiotics. We have discovered that Nour has a unique approach to mini-golf (hit it as hard as you can THROUGH the bushes - nothing can go wrong with this approach, right??!!), and can 'commune' with the cards in Codenames in ways that no one else quite understands... These unusual traits are balanced out with impressive musical abilities (having played flute with the McMaster orchestra) and swimming skills that led to previous work as a lifeguard.
Emma Parrott (MBG)
Emma also began her work in the lab in the summer of 2024, and we are also fortunate to have her continue on with us for her 4th year thesis work! Emma's work has primarily focussed on understanding the metabolic potential of a unique wild Streptomyces isolate, and she has had the opportunity to employ a range of genetic approaches to stimulate the production of new compounds! Given her strengths in both genetics and chemistry, Emma's work is now branching out to include small molecule identification and characterization. Early on, we discovered that Emma was a great addition to lab ping pong teams, and to the 'inexperienced' minigolf group (where nothing counts beyond 7 strokes for a hole...), and that she had the best (worst?) rental stories of anyone in the lab...Lab Alumni - where are they now?
Postdoctoral Fellows
- Dr. Evan Shepherdson (2023-2024) - Research Scientist (SickKids, Toronto)
- Dr. Michelle Williams (2020-2021) - Brewery Scientist - Kansas City (USA)
- Dr. Tina Netzker (2019-2021 - DFG recipient) - Research Coordinator, Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (Germany)
- Dr. Danielle Sexton (2018-2019) - NSERC-funded Post-doctoral fellow (UBC)
- Dr. Matt Moody (2017) - Scientific Analyst, Business Development, Appili Therapeutics
- Dr. Renée St-Onge (2016-2017) - Research Professional, Université de Moncton
- Dr. Emma Sherwood (now Gehrke) (2013-2016) - Consultant for Cello Health Consulting
- Dr. Julia Swiercz (2013-2013) - Director, Medical Strategy, MEDUCOM Health Inc.
- Dr. David Capstick (2011-2013) - Director of Scientific Operations, Kapoose Creek Bio
- Dr. Mary Yousef (2007-2010) - Clinical position at Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton, ON
- Dr. Jan Bobek (2008) - Assistant Professor at Charles University, Czech Republic
Graduate Students
- Brandon McMurray, MSc (2024) - Bioinformatics consultant
- Matt Zambri, PhD (2024 - OGS-supported) - Post-doctoral fellow, Elliot lab (McMaster)
- Evan Shepherdson, PhD (2023 - OGS and NSERC-supported) - Research Scientist (SickKids, Toronto)
- Xiafei Zhang, PhD (2022 - OGS-supported) - Organism Engineer, Ginkgo Biologics Inc.
- Emma Mulholland, MSc (2020 - OGS and NSERC-supported) - PhD student at the Université de Montréal
- Stephanie Jones, PhD (2018 - NSERC and Vanier-supported) - HHMI-funded Post-doctoral fellow (MIT); now a Consultant with Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
- Danielle Sexton, PhD (2018 - OGS and NSERC supported) - NSERC-funded Post-doctoral fellow (UBC)
- Savannah Colameco, MSc (2018 - OGS and NSERC-supported) - R&D Technologist, DNA Genotek
- David Crisante, MSc (2018) - Junior Research Scientist with Genecis
- Matt Moody, PhD (2017 - OGS and NSERC-supported) - Scientific Analyst, Business Development, Appili Therapeutics
- Chris Firby, MSc (2017 - OGS and NSERC-supported) - Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Health Canada
- Renée St-Onge, PhD (2016 - Vanier-supported) - Research Professional, Université de Moncton
- Rachel Young (now Barkley), MSc (2015) - Senior Research Scientist with Genecis
- Andrew Duong, MSc (2014 - OGS-supported) - Research program coordinator with Hamilton Health Sciences, and the Director of Operations for InfectionControl.tips
- Julia Swiercz (now Beardall), PhD (2013 - NSERC-supported) - Director, Medical Strategy, MEDUCOM Health Inc.
- Hindra, PhD (2012 - OGS-supported) - Post-doctoral fellow (Scripps Research Institute); now Research Scientist, McMaster
- Chan (Daphne) Gao, PhD (2012) - Associate Director, Clinical Regulatory Writing, AstraZeneca
- David Capstick, PhD (2011 - OGS-supported) - Director of Scientific Operations, Kapoose Creek Bio
- Henry Haiser, PhD (2011 - OGS-supported)- CIHR-funded post-doctoral fellow (Harvard University); now Associate Scientific Director, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
- Patricia Pak, MSc (2010 - NSERC-supported) - Physiotherapist
Undergraduate Thesis Students
- Myia Blanchet (2023-2024 Molecular Biology and Genetics) - MSc candidate (Western University)
- Rebecca Sakaki (2023-2024 Molecular Biology and Genetics Co-op) - final term of BSc (McMaster University)
- Kendra Cleaver (2022-2023 Molecular Biology and Genetics) - Program Analyst, Ontario Ministry of Health
- Freddie Montague (2022-2023 Molecular Biology and Genetics) - MSc candidate (U of T)
- Christine Baglio (2021-2023 Molecular Biology and Genetics Co-op) - MSc candidate (McMaster University)
- Ian Douglas (2021-2022 Molecular Biology and Genetics Co-op) - PhD candidate (U of T)
- Logan Downer (2020-2021 Molecular Biology and Genetics) - Teacher's college
- Andrea Verdes (2020-2021 Molecular Biology and Genetics Co-op) - Genetic Counselling Masters program (Sarah Lawrence College)
- Sara Mar (2019-2020 iSci) - MSc in Medical Biophysics (U of T); now a Research Technician at Sunnybrook Hospital (Toronto)
- Alexandria Amadasun (2018-2019 Molecular Biology and Genetics Co-op) - Medical student (U of T)
- Yordan Stoyanov (2018-2019 Molecular Biology and Genetics Co-op) - MSc Global Health (McMaster); now works for GlaxoSmithKline
- Christine Pham (2017-2018 Molecular Biology and Genetics Co-op) - MSc in Molecular Genetics (U of T)
- Emma Mulholland (2017-2018 Biology/Arts & Science) - MSc (McMaster); now PhD candidate at the Université de Montréal
- Sonya Turvey (2017-2018 Biochemistry Co-op) - Research and Development, PepsiCo
- Loryn Byres (2016-2017 iSci) - MSc in Medical Genetics (U of T), MSc in Genetic Counselling (UBC)
- David Crisante (2015-2016 Biology/Molecular Biology and Genetics) - MSc (McMaster), now a Junior Research Scientist with Genecis
- Nicole Revie (2015-2016 Biology) - PhD in Molecular Genetics (U of T), now a Senior Consultant with Shift Health
- Savannah Colameco (2015 Biology/Molecular Biology and Genetics Co-op) - MSc (McMaster); now a Scientist with DNA Genotek, Ottawa
- Dan Seale (2014 Biology) - PhD candidate (UBC)
- Chris Firby (2013-2014 Biochemistry) - MSc (McMaster); Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Health Canada
- Rachel Young (2012-2013 iSci) - MSc (McMaster); now a Senior Research Scientist with Genecis
- Alison Berzins (2012-2013 Biology/Arts & Science) - MA (U of T); now a Physician
- Jackie Leonard (2011-2012 Biology/Molecular Biology and Genetics) - MSc (Queens); MSc in Genetic Counselling (Brandeis University); now a Genetic counsellor
- Talha Qureshi (2011-2012 Biochemistry Co-op) - Pharmacist
- Michael Hewak (2010-2011 Biology/Molecular Biology and Genetics) - Physician
- Kristy Shulist (2010 Biology/Genetics Co-op) - PhD (McGill), now Account Associate, AXON Communications
- Lauren Brady (2009-2010 Biology/Genetics) - Genetic counsellor
- Andrew Duong (2008-2009 Biology/Genetics) - MSc (McMaster); currently a Research program coordinator (Hamilton Health Sciences)
- Chris Hanke (2008-2009 Biology/Microbiology) - Air Canada flight attendant
- Nolan D'Souza (2008 Biology/Genetics Co-op) - Genetic counsellor
- Marin Franchetto (2007-2008 Biology/Genetics) - Physician
- Patricia Pak (2007-2008 Biology) - Physiotherapist
- Chris Dowding (2006-2007 Biology/Arts & Science) - Physician
- Sandy Shamon (2006-2007 Health Science) - Physician
- Julia Swiercz (2006-2007 Biology/Genetics) - PhD (McMaster); Director, Medical Strategy, MEDUCOM Health Inc.
- Amanda Cocca (2005-2006 Biology/Genetics) - Genetics Technologist (Hamilton Health Sciences)