2021 Graduate Studies Entrance Award
Project title: IgA-mediated immunity in type I diabetes
How would you describe your research project to someone without a scientific background?
My research seeks to understand the events and factors that lead to type I diabetes onset, with a specific focus on the role of gut health and immunity.
What impact do you hope this project makes once completed?
Once an individual has been diagnosed with type I diabetes, their insulin-producing beta cells are gone and the damage is irreparable. If we can better understand the factors that cause the disease, we have a greater chance of stopping the disease before it progresses.
How has the support from Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology helped you?
The presence of the LKSIoV, and the support it offers, has led to the development of a first-rate immunology and virology institute here at the U of A. Being a graduate student in this institute has been a fantastic experience. It has allowed me to learn and dig deeper into an area of research that is both fascinating and evolving quickly. Because of the LKSIoV, I am able to contribute to that fast-growing body of knowledge and learn from some of the most respected professionals in the field.
What first attracted you to science?
I have known I was interested in science since high school. I started my BSc in Biochemistry right after graduation. Then in my 4th year, I took my first immunology course and knew instantly that I was hooked. I worked for several years in research labs around campus, but my favorite projects remained immunology-related ones. Now, nine years later, I am once again pursuing an understanding of immunology.
What has been the greatest lesson you have learned while doing your research?
I have learned that my four kids are much less dependent on me than I initially thought; a lesson that is both encouraging and saddening.
What is your favorite distraction or hobby?
If I'm feeling energetic, I love to hike and jog. To relax, I love reading fiction.
If you could invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner, who would it be? Why?
C.S. Lewis would be my choice. He seems to me to be an extremely wise man in a very humble way and has enough of an imagination to keep dinner time entertaining.