Program: PhD, Cell and Developmental Biology
Year in program: 5th year
Hometown: Edmonton, AB
What inspired you to pursue your program?
I went into science because I love solving problems, especially if they are novel, complex, and interesting problems. I was finishing up my master’s degree at the University of Alberta and I knew that I wanted to continue to expand my scientific knowledge and obtain a PhD in a different field of research. Furthermore, I knew that I wanted to find a new city to live in so I could broaden my experiences and meet new people. I came across the work being done at UBC, where several labs were using genetic tools to answer questions in neuroscience. I decided to come to UBC, to a new and exciting city, and to use these new tools in a rapidly expanding field that still has so many unknowns.
What are you looking forward to most this upcoming year?
I’m looking forward to meeting many new and interesting people. I am involved with several graduate student associations on campus, which has allowed me to not only meet graduate students across a wide variety of fields, but has also given me the opportunity to meet people who work in various areas of the university as well as graduate-trained scientists working interesting fields such as biotechnology, science communication, and not-for-profits. I have learned so much from these people and I look forward to continuing this trend in the upcoming year.
What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
The number of sports and activities that I have tried. I love learning new things so I tend to constantly take up new activities. I have rock climbed, sailed, skydived, kayaked, and gone caving to name a few. I am always looking for opportunities to try something new.
Best piece of advice:
Pursue all the opportunities in front of you. It is easy in graduate school to focus solely on your project and to miss everything going on around you. But there are so many opportunities that are exclusive to being a student. Get involved in clubs that allow you to try activities for a fraction of the cost. Take all the courses you can that are free for graduate students. Get involved in your graduate community, which is made up of very impressive people. This way, you can seize the most from your degree.
What superpower do you wish you had?
Teleportation. I love travelling. It would be amazing if I could flash over to Paris for a quick stroll around the Louvre during a two-hour incubation period of an experiment, or a morning snorkel in Hawaii before heading into the lab.
Where in the world would you like to get lost?
Probably just about anywhere. Getting lost in new places is how you find the most wonderful surprises. But I have gotten lost in Venice and I would love to do that again sometime.