Biology

The Biology department is pleased to introduce two new faculty members, Michael Bording-Jorgensen and Travis Craddock. With their expertise in health and diagnostics, both Bording-Jorgensen and Craddock are helping to build on our leadership and expertise as we work toward the future of healthcare. Take a moment to say hello if you see them on campus this fall.

Dr. Dale Martin is a recipient of Brain Canada’s 2023 Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research program, which supports emerging brain researchers working to develop cures for anything from depression to Alzheimer’s disease to brain injury.

Haavia Rajakumar and Jessica Lin are gaining essential lab skills while researching RNA-binding proteins. 

Congratulations to Natoya Peart on her first anniversary as a Biology Faculty member in the Faculty of Science! Peart is an RNA and molecular biologist conducting research in the Department of Biology. Join us as she reflects on her first year at university and looks ahead to what’s to come.

It’s 3,300 kilometres from the University of Waterloo to the Caribbean’s Saba University School of Medicine but this year’s Faculty of Science Valedictorian, Justen Wilmot, BSc, Biomedical Science (medical physiology minor) is looking forward to the long trek to fulfil his dream of pursuing a career in medicine.

The Faculty of Science is saddened to share that Anne Innis Dagg, a groundbreaking Canadian zoologist, feminist and environmentalist, passed away on April 1, 2024. She studied and worked at the University of Waterloo from the 1960s through 2013, pursuing a wide range of research interests.

Milena Gojsevic (she/her) is the Co-op Student of the Year for the Faculty of Science. During her work term at Sunnybrook Hospital, she displayed commitment and curiosity towards scientific research. Milena delves into the details of her impressive journey as a clinical research assistant.

The whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America and is named for its distinctive “whooping” calls that can carry for several kilometres. Yet, you have likely never seen or heard one before as fewer than 600 of these birds remain in the wild.

Professor Dale Martin's research lab is a recipient of a $125,000 ALS Canada-Brain Canada 2023 Discovery Grant. This grant program, dedicated to advancing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, encourages out-of-the-box ideas in the field.  

Fatima Abrar’s research focuses on how protein mislocalization affects autophagy in Huntington disease (HD). Autophagy is the process of removing and recycling old and damaged cell parts—you can think of it as quality control for cells. It is an essential process that helps maintain cellular health and optimizes cell performance by removing toxic and non-functional parts in the cell.