Congratulations to CPIN student member Dr. Lilian Lin, supervised by Dr. Janice Robertson (Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology) on recently completing the CPIN requirements and graduating from the PhD program. Lilian's PhD thesis, titled "Investigating the effects of C9orf72 haploinsufficiency on TDP-43 pathology in ALS." She has been studying ALS since 2015 and her work aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying ALS and explore potential therapeutic strategies. Prior to her PhD, Lilian completed a Master of Science degree in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from the University of Western Ontario, a Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at National Taiwan University in Taiwan. With 8 publications to her name, Lilian has actively participated in research, teaching, and volunteering roles. She has served as a volunteer peer reviewer for STAR Protocols and been a volunteer at various community events such as ALS Canada’s “Walk to End ALS,” Toronto Brain Bee, etc. Lilian has been recognized with several prestigious accolades, including the ALS Canada-Brain Canada Trainee Award and the Government Scholarship to Study Abroad from the Taiwanese Ministry of Education, along with other scholarships amounting to over 130,000 CAD. She has also received awards for her oral presentations and trainee achievements, such as the Society of Neuroscience’s Trainee Professional Development Award and the CPIN Trainee Oral Presentation Award, among others. Lilian plans to start a postdoctoral research fellow position at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida with Dr. Leonard Petrucelli following her PhD program, where she will continue ALS research.
Congratulations to Nicole Richard Williams for completing her PhD in Music and Health Sciences with a Collaborative Specialization in Neuroscience in spring of 2024.
Congratulations to CPIN student member Frank Mazza (Physiology, supervised by Dr. Etay Hay) on completing the CPIN requirements and graduating from his PhD program.
Congratulations to CPIN student member Samira Choudhury (Institute of Medical Science, Dr. Amer M. Burhan and Dr. Sanjeev Kumar) on recently completing the CPIN requirements and graduating from her MSc program.