Graduate Defences

 

Final oral examinations may be conducted online (via MS Teams) or in-person. Please review the appropriate defence notice (below).

Tips for Remote Thesis Defences and Oral Qualifying Exams   While observers are very welcome, they must follow all instructions given by the exam chair, including the tips listed here.  Please join the meeting via the link, found in the email announcement to the department.  Keep your microphone muted unless invited to speak by exam chair.  Join with your name or a static profile picture to cut down on visual distractions.  Do not send the student any messages in the chat during the defence.  If appropriate, the exam chair will invite questions from the audience after the oral presentation is done.  Leave the meeting, as appropriate, when instructed by the exam chair.  Thank you for your cooperation.  

2024

  • Schroeter, Kurt - PHD.MCB - January 5, 2024 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor: Dr. Stephen Seah)
    Characterization of bacterial catabolic enzymes involved in sterol and bile acid side chain degradation 

2023

  • Novodvorski, Alexander - MSC.MCB - December 15, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Co-Advisors: Dr. Stephen Seah and Dr. Joshua Gong)
    Characterization of putative Bacillus spp. isolates that target Clostridium perfringens for controlling chicken necrotic enteritis

  • Higgins, Gregory - PHD.MCB - December 12, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.
    (Advisor: Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe)
    Investigating the predatory capability of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus towards colorectal cancer oncomicrobes in vitro

  • Aminu, Bayonle - PHD.MCB - December 11, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor: Dr. Wei Zhang)
    Targeted degradation of intracellular proteins using ubiquitin variant induced proximity

  • Zhu, Hui - PHD.MCB - December 6, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor: Dr. Andrew Bendall)
    Transgenic models to characterize the role of Dlx5 in endochondral ossification

  • Kirst, Sarah - MSC.MCB - September 8, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Co-Advisors: Dr. Cezar Khursigara and Dr. Hany Anany)
    The application of silver nanoparticles and bacteriophage to combat Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

  • Rizakos, Tia - MSC.MCB - September 6, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Geddes-McAlister)
    Proteomic analysis of the interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and neutrophils in cystic fibrosis

  • Prudhomme, Nicholas - PHD.MCB - August 29, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Jennifer Geddes-McAlister)
    Multi-omics identification of yield limiting factors in molecular pharming

  • Currie, Laura - MSC.MCB - August 28, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Co-Advisors: Dr. Jaideep Mathur and Dr. Praveen Saxena)
    Investigating chloroplast galactolipid membranes and lipid droplets in Arabidopsis thaliana and their role in tolerance to cold stress

  • Lanteigne-Wilkins, Kyle - MSC.MCB - August 25, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Baozhong Meng)
    Construction of a full-length infectious cDNA clone for Grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus strain Pinot Noir

  • Campbell, Alyssa - MSC.MCB - August 24, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Nina Jones)
    Investigating nectin-2 in kidney podocytes

  • Zhu, Shawna - MSC.MCB - August 24, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Georgina Cox)
    Exploring the roles of drug efflux pumps during the transport of compounds across the Escherichia coli cell envelope

  • Kogut, Jordan - MSC.MCB+NEUR - August 16, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Sanders)
    The molecular mechanisms of glycolytic enzyme palmitoylation

  • Goetz, James - MSC.MCB - August 15, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Georgina Cox)
    Investigating functional interplay among Escherichia coli efflux pumps and their contributions to fitness

  • Goodbrand, Jenna - MSC.MCB - August 15, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Jim Uniacke)
    Investigating how the tumour microenvironment influences the alternative splicing of ribosomal protein S24 and the splicing machinery involved

  • Jones, Michael - PHD.MCB - August 14, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. John Dawson)
    Divergence of disease: a characterization of actin residue R312 and its relation to hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy onset

  • Steffensen, Karl - PHD.MCB - August 9, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. John Dawson)
    Actin and reactin: actin allosteric responses are mediated by actin's C-terminus 

  • Forrester, Taylor - PHD.MCB - August 4, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Matthew Kimber)
    Investigating diversity in O antigen polysaccharide glycosyltransferases: structures, mechanisms, and regulation

  • Manek, Jinal - MSC.MCB - June 19, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Cezar Khursigara)
    Characterizing the role of PA3923 and its homolog PA3422 in P. aeruginosa adhesion, biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance

  • Stekel, Zane - MSC.MCB - June 8, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Wei Zhang)
    The development of potent and specific inhibitors for Smurf1 and Smurf2

  • Wright, Madison - PHD.MCB - May 31, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Cezar Khursigara)
    Impacts of changes in cell surface components and intraspecific competition on the interactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells

  • Horn, Matthew - MSC.MCB - May 3, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Terry Van Raay)
    Elucidating the role of Vangl2 and its interactions with Wnt/ß-catenin signaling

  • Sukumaran, Arjun - PHD.MCB - April 25, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Jennifer Geddes-McAlister)
    Uncovering novel mechanisms of Klebsiella pneumoniae pathogenesis through mass spectrometry-based proteomics

  • Verhoef, Mackenzie - MSC.MCB - April 24, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Georgina Cox)
    Teichoic acid-associated surface charge impacts Staphylococcus aureus host adhesion

  • Wilde, Jacob - PHD.MCB - April 20, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe)
    Experimental frontiers in the study of human-associated bacteriophages

  • Robinson, Avery - PHD.MCB - April 19, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe)
    The impact of diet on the human gut microbiota in the context of colorectal cancer

  • Brott, Ashley - PHD.MCB - April 11, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
    (Co-Advisors:  Dr. Anthony Clarke and Dr. Stephen Seah)
    Inhibition and structural insights into the mechanism of peptidoglycan O-acetylation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

  • Agyare-Tabbi, Michelle - MSC.MCB - March 31, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Rebecca Shapiro)
    Characterization of the error-prone polymerase REV1 in DNA damage and antifungal drug resistance in Candida albicans

  • Buchanan, Reid - MSC.MCB - March 6, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Jennifer Geddes-McAlister)
    Proteomic insights into the mechanisms of deoxynivalenol resistance in Triticum aestivum

  • Sande, Caitlin - PHD.MCB - February 14, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Chris Whitfield)
    Investigating the genetic determinants for Escherichia coli capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis 

  • Morgenroth-Rebin, Jarod - MSC.MCB - January 9, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Jennifer Geddes-McAlister)
    Towards the characterization of putative degradation targets of Klebsiella pneumoniae Lon protease by quantitative proteomics and in vitro degradation assays

  • Lobbezoo, Mariann - MSC.MCB - January 4, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Joseph Colasanti)
    Investigating the role of INDETERMINATE1 in controlling the floral transition in Teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis)

  • Liang, Chen - MSC.MCB - January 3, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
    (Advisor:  Dr. Wei Zhang)
    Development of synthetic modulators for the BRCA1-BARD1 heterodimer

Graduate Studies