CRBS Student Consortium
The CRBS is home to hundreds of talented graduate students, undergraduate students, and postdoctoral trainees.
The executive represents the trainees on the CRBS board, and organizes many events and activities.
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CRBS is a member of the TREMPLIN McGill affiliated Consortium of Career and Professional Development
Shafqat Rasool: president
Shafqat Rasool is a PhD student in the department of biochemistry and is working on determining the molecular mechanism of action of proteins involved in Parkinson’s disease. He takes keen interest in science and scientific communication. In addition to his work in CRBS student council, he also serves as the VP News for Science & Policy Exchange.
irem ulku: vp-non academic
jia yin (sally) xiao: vp- academic
dushyant jahagirdar: vp communication
tian xiao (peter) yang: vp communication
Shafqat Rasool: president
irem ulku: vp-non academic
tian xiao (peter) yang: vp communication
Meet The Team
sabrina romanelli
co-president
Sabrina obtained her undergraduate degree from McGill University in Honours Pharmacology in spring 2022. During her undergraduate training, she participated in research projects in the domains of reproductive immunology and toxicology. In Fall 2022, she joined Dr. Trempe’s lab, excited to join the world of structural biology research. Her research will focus on better understanding proteins implicated in Early Onset Parkinson’s disease. When not in the lab, you can find her binge-watching Disney+ shows or spending time with her dog (Stella) and her friends!
natalia oliveira
vp academic
Natalia is from Brazil and did her BSc. and master’s in biotechnology at Federal University of Ceara. There she studied antibody:antigen interactions using molecular dynamics, molecular modeling and docking. Currently, she is a PhD student in Schmeing’s lab. Her research mainly focuses on bioengineering nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) using yeast display to propose new natural product analogues. Outside the lab, she loves reading, watching movies, camping and traveling.
julian wagner
co-president
Julian was born in Germany and after completion of a German-French undergraduate degree in molecular biology, he decided to move across the ocean and come to Montréal for his master's. In the Gehring lab, he studies the E3 ubiquitin ligase parkin mutated in familial forms of Parkinson's disease. Otherwise, he is passionate about teaching and learning languages. Outside the lab, you can find him at concerts, museums or theatres and he also enjoys swimming, reading and playing board and card games. He is excited to be the CRBS co-president and wants to do more outreach activities and organize events to connect the CRBS community!
adwaith b udai
vp academic
Adwaith was born and raised in India. He completed both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biology at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. Currently, Adwaith is a third-year Ph.D. student in Dr. Zeytuni’s lab, focusing on the study of bacterial and human protease systems using cryo-electron microscopy. Outside the lab, he enjoys a variety of interests including listening to music, watching movies and TV shows, traveling, and exploring new places. Adwaith is also professionally trained in Indian classical music, specializing in vocals and the Mridangam, a traditional percussion instrument
sabrina capitani
vp communication
Sabrina was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. She completed her undergraduate degree in Honours Biochemistry, Option in Chemical Biology at the University of Ottawa. During her BSc, Sabrina completed an honours project studying the structure of the PHD domain of a histone H3K4 tri-methylase. Currently, Sabrina is a second-year MSc student in the Department of Biochemistry working in Dr. Alba Guarné’s lab. She is studying the mechanism of target site selection in the Tn6022 transposon using structural biology techniques. Outside of the lab, Sabrina enjoys reading, travelling and playing soccer.
luba mahbub
vp communication
Luba is from Bangladesh, where she completed her bachelor’s in Pharmacy and master’s in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Dhaka. In 2021, she moved to Montréal to pursue her graduate studies in Biochemistry. She is currently a third-year Ph.D. student in Dr. Kalle Gehring’s lab. Her research focuses on the structural and functional characterization of two enzymes — a phosphatase and a small GTPase — that are involved in regulating magnesium homeostasis. Outside the lab, she loves travelling, enjoys the summer, and appreciates a good cup of coffee.
emma lee
vp finance
Emma was born in Ottawa, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the University of Guelph in 2022. During her undergrad she worked in the lab of Wei Zhang on engineering ubiquitin variants to act as degradation inhibitors. She is currently in the second year of her PhD in the lab of Kalle Gehring, studying the role of small cytosolic pseudophosphatases in regulating magnesium homeostasis. In her free time Emma enjoys reading fiction and hunting for the best coffee in Montreal.
teo lemay
vp finance
Teo is from Ottawa, Ontario, and completed an undergraduate degree in physics at the University of Toronto. He is currently a third year PhD student in the Wiseman Lab. Teo's research is focused developing and testing mathematical models to measure cell membrane protein interactions using fluorescence microscopy. Outside the lab, he enjoys cooking, fencing, and running
lamha kumar
vp external
Lamha is a PhD student in Dr. Geitmann’s lab in the Department of Plant Sciences. Originally from India, she did her master’s in Biological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Thiruvananthapuram, where she investigated the molecular mechanisms behind the superwoman phenotype in plants. Her current research focuses on the evolutionary trade-offs between photosynthesis and leaf stability. As VP External, she is dedicated to advancing CRBS research through outreach events for undergraduate students. Outside the lab, she enjoys binge-watching shows, spending time with friends, and dancing.
srobona ghosh
vp external
Srobona was born in Ottawa and raised in India. She returned to Canada to pursue a BSc. in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. During her undergraduate studies she participated in targeted-radiation-therapy and CAR-T cell bioengineering cancer research projects at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and the National Research Council Canada. In Fall 2023 she started her MSc. in Biochemistry at McGill University in Prof. Martin Schmeing’s lab. Her project is focused on biochemically and structurally characterizing NRPS related enzymes to bioengineer them, enabling environmentally friendly synthesis of industrially important polymers. Outside lab she loves biking, travelling and exploring different cuisines.
danilo ide
vp equity diversity inclusion
Danilo was born and raised in Ottawa and later moved to Montreal to complete his B.Sc. in Biochemistry at McGill. During his Bachelor’s, Danilo completed a research project in the lab of Bhushan Nagar where he chose to complete his graduate studies. Danilo’s research focuses on how poxviruses evade the innate immune response. Outside of the lab, Danilo enjoys being active by running, cycling, and playing soccer.
alexandra hughes-goyette
vp social
Allie was born and raised in Squamish, BC and later moved to Fredericton, NB to pursue an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Option at the University of New Brunswick. After completing her BSE, Allie moved to Montreal to begin a Master's in Biochemistry in Martin Schmeing's lab, where she is studying the structure and function of two different NRPSs, one involved in the fabrication of a blue dye called indigoidine, and the other the only NRPS found in humans. Outside of the lab, Allie plays soccer for the McGill women's varsity team as well as semi-professionally in Ligue 1 Quebec. She also enjoys baking, reading, and hanging out with friends and family.
preet manchanda
department representative
Preet is from India and completed his B.Sc. (Hons.) and M.Sc. from University of Delhi (UoD). During his undergraduate training he worked in the lab of Yusuke Saijo at NAIST, Japan. Then during his postgraduate training, he got the chance to work in Renu Deswal’s lab on cold stress multi-omics in mustard plant. In Winter 2024, he started his Ph.D. under the supervision of Anja Geitmann, at the Macdonald campus, to decipher at the single cell resolution the developmental trajectory of mesophyll tissue in leaves of the plant. Outside the lab, he loves to go on perilous hikes, camping or gym.
garvit bhatt
advisor emeritus
Garvit was born in Montreal but moved to Vancouver for his undergraduate degree in chemical biology at UBC. He later decided to move back to his hometown to continue his studies at McGill university in the pharmacology department. Co-supervised by Dr. Bhushan Nagar and Dr. Jean-Francois Trempe, he fast tracked into the PhD program to unravel the structural mechanisms involved in bacterial infections. Outside of lab, Garvit loves hiking, travelling, soccer and dancing!
The CRBS has several ongoing initiatives to help members, trainees and the broader scientific community potentiate their research with the power of structural biology and biophysics.
CRBS Studentship Awards
CRBS Studentship Awards provide stipend support for M.Sc. and Ph.D. students who are currently conducting research in the lab of a regular CRBS member. There is a separate category for students who are co-supervised between two CRBS members.
Awards are for 1 academic year (September 1 – August 31) in the amount of $12,000 and are non-renewable. The next competition will have a deadline in May 2025.
Congratulation to the 2024-2025 awardees, and to Emma Lee, the winner of the fourth annual Maximilian Eivaskhani In Memoriam Graduate Scholarship.
CRBS Travel Awards
CRBS trainees will be supported for excellent international training & dissemination opportunities. CRBS Travel Awards will help defray the costs of attending specialized external training courses, conferences and workshops. Applications for awards will be evaluated by the Awards and Training Committee for the trainees’ potential to obtain maximal benefit from the course or conference, and to transfer benefit back to the local community. For conferences, trainees must present original research in the form of a talk or poster. CRBS will provide 10 travel awards of $1,500 each, annually. At an end-of-summer “conference / course debriefing” session, trainees will report on the most exciting aspects of research presented at the conference or some of the latest methodological developments discussed at the course. Thus the CRBS training community can all benefit from the trainee’s experience.
The next competition will have a deadline in May 2025.
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Congratulation to the 2024-2025 awardees.
CRBS – GPS Graduate Mobility Awards
The CRBS – GPS Graduate Mobility Award encourages graduate students to study and conduct research abroad as part of their McGill degree program by defraying part of the cost of the international experience. The award, funded by the Government of Quebec, is available to all full-time thesis students enrolled in a graduate degree program at McGill, and several awards have been designated to allow CRBS students to take part in a mobility opportunity. The mobility award is meant to contribute towards the completion of the student’s thesis.
CRBS students can apply to the Graduate Mobility Awards following the procedure found on the GPS website.
Students should write CRBS in the Program section of the application. When seeking signatures for their Application Form, the Director or Associate Director from the CRBS will sign in lieu of a GPD and Associate Dean (and the Associate Dean signature space left blank).
It may take up to 4 weeks for awards to be processed and payments can be disbursed one month before the travel start date.
