Member, College of the Royal Society of Canada
Senior Scientist, Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute
Associate Professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Immunology, University of Toronto
Lab Interests : No moment more precious than solving a structure and seeing its three-dimensional architecture for the first time; then leveraging these molecular blueprints using protein engineering to translate into solutions for global health.
Hometown: Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada.
Other interests/hobbies: Playing hockey and basketball, spending time outdoors, being inspired through cinema and reading.
Scientific Interests: I am interested in the molecular mechanisms by which glycoproteins contribute to immune system function and regulation. Specifically, I am interested in how glycan modifications of immune cell surface receptors and ligands affect signaling pathways and cellular responses, and how these changes can contribute to auto-immune disorders.
Hometown: Gujarat, India.
Other interests/hobbies: I love playing tennis, practicing yoga (I am a certified international yoga instructor), painting, traveling & photography. I look forward to spending quality time and making beautiful memories with family & friends!
Lab Interests: I’m interested in effector functions of antibody responses to infectious diseases, especially with regard to how structure influences function, and how these functions can be engineered to improve antibody responses and develop better vaccines and therapeutics.
Hometown: Dunedin, New Zealand.
Other interests/hobbies: I love cooking, baking (and sharing!), travelling, hiking – especially places my dog is allowed, and spending time with friends and family.
Lab Interests: Structure-guided vaccine/antibody design, protein/antibody engineering, protein structure-function relationship, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, biophysics.
Hometown: Wuxi, China.
Other interests/hobbies: Enjoy being outdoors like traveling, hiking and gardening; play badminton and ping-pong, swim.
Lab Interests: I am interested in applying cell culture and protein purification techniques to help ongoing efforts towards the structural and biophysical characterization of B cell surface receptors with the ultimate goal to develop novel vaccine adjuvants, as well as improve blood cancer treatments.
Hometown: Beijing, China.
Other interests/hobbies: Aside from work, my hobbies are swimming, hiking and picnicking with family and friends.
Lab Interests: I am interested the structural foundation of antibody effector function and aim to investigate how effector function can be leveraged in the development of vaccines and therapeutics targeting HIV.
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Other interests/hobbies: Making music, basketball (ie. cheering for the Raptors) and biking really, really long distances!
Lab Interests: I am interested in characterizing antibody-antigen interactions using X-ray crystallography and other structural biology techniques to inform the design of more effective Malaria transmission blocking vaccines.
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Other interests/hobbies: Outside of the lab, I enjoy reading, traveling, watching/ playing sports, being outside, and spending time with my friends and family.
Lab Interests: I am interested in combining classical structure based drug design methods with machine learning to improve antigens for antibody discovery. I am always curious of how different methods can be used to solve a biochemical problem.
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Other interests/hobbies: I enjoy the outdoors like hiking and camping, playing soccer, coding, and trying different coffees while traveling.
Lab Interests: Proteins and protein-related accessories.
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Other interests/hobbies: Activities on frozen or liquid lakes, avoiding serious injuries playing rugby, speculative fiction, and steaks.
Lab Interests: Structural characterization of antibody-antigen interactions using cryo-electron microscopy and x-ray crystallography.
Hometown: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Other interests/hobbies: Reading, watching way too much Youtube, playing video games (including speedrunning), and music (anything from punk pop to technical death metal).
Lab Interests: Antibody discovery, engineering, and pre-clinical / clinical development. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a molecule you’ve worked on benefit the lives of patients.
Hometown: Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
Other interests/hobbies: Running, hiking, traveling and a nice patio (preferably with a view)!
Lab Interests: My research aims to uncover the potential of molecular approaches targeting B cells and other APCs in the design of vaccines against old and emerging pathogens (malaria and COVID-19).
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Other interests/hobbies: Outside of the lab, I love spending time with my friends and family, watching Jeopardy and doing crossword puzzles. I am also always looking forward to the next scuba diving adventure!
Lab Interests: Understanding of structure-function relationship of antigen-antibody interactions, protein engineering in vaccine therapeutics.
Hometown: Seoul, Korea.
Other interests/hobbies: Watching movies, swimming, and fencing. Yes, sword fights!
Lab Interests: I am interested in studying (1) the immunological, functional and structural basis of antigen-antibody interaction with respect to viral pathogens; (2) Using nanoparticle technology to develop efficacious vaccines and therapeutics against viral pathogens.
Hometown: India.
Other interests/hobbies: Reading, Cooking, Sketching, Painting.
Lab Interests: Understanding the pathogenesis of viral infections and supporting the development of multi-specific antibodies as therapeutics against infectious diseases.
Hometown: Vung Tau, Vietnam.
Other interests/hobbies: Hiking, camping, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Lab Interests: I am interested in developing an oncology therapeutic using protein-based nanoparticles to better target cancerous cells at different maturation stages.
Hometown: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
Other interests/hobbies: I love travelling and exploring the world, especially to see the wondrous sights that nature has to offer. I also enjoy reading, running, hiking, playing the piano and spending time with family and friends.
Lab Interests: I want to support ongoing efforts towards the design and characterization of novel protein antigens with the ultimate goal to develop vaccine technologies against malaria using Molecular Biology, Protein Biochemistry and Biophysical techniques.
Hometown: Manizales, Colombia.
Other interests/hobbies: Hiking, ice skating, traveling and spending time with my family.
Lab Interests: I am interested in characterizing the binding of antibodies to malarial antigens, and use this information for structure-guided immunogen design and antibody engineering.
Hometown: Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Other Interests/Hobbies: I love swimming, watching movies, reading, writing, and spending time with family and friends. I am also a lifeguard and swim instructor.
Lab Interests: I am interested in applying biochemical and immunological techniques to characterize novel protein regulators of neuroinflammation, such as in the context of depression.
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Other Interests/Hobbies: Travel, nature, reading/watching science-fiction and fantasy, watching basketball, general fitness and recreational activities, video games, hanging out with friends and family, trying new cuisines.
Lab Interests: I am interested in using structural biology techniques to help better understand how our immune system responds to malaria-causing parasites.
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Other Interests/Hobbies: Running, hiking, drinking too much coffee, and spending time with friends and family.
Past Trainees