Current Lab Members
Current Lab Members
Madhavee Thumiah, MSc Student
Madhavee earned her B.Sc. with Honours in Biotechnology from the University of Mauritius in 2014. She did her undergraduate thesis in Dr. Joyce Soulange's laboratory where she extracted and micropropagated Parsley leaves to analyze their phytoconstituents. After graduation, she worked as a Laboratory Research Engineer at CIDP Mauritius for two scientific laboratories, CIDP Preclinical Laboratory and CIDP Research and Innovation Laboratory. Her research involved selection, extraction, in vitro/in vivo testing and scientific valorization of natural ingredients. In 2019, she joined the Masters program of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa where she is conducting her research in Dr Mireille Khacho's and Dr. Yan Burelle's laboratories. Her graduate work focuses on the role of mitophagy in muscle stem cell fate during muscle regeneration.
Leah Susser, PhD Student
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Tina Podinic, Honours Student
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Jiaxuan Wang, Honours Student
Jessika Royea, Postdoctoral Fellow
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Steven Wade, MSc Student
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Nikita Larionov, Laboratory Technician
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Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr Matthew Triolo, Postdoctoral Fellow
Prior to his time at the University of Ottawa, Matthew completed his BSc in Kinesiology and Health Science with a Minor in Biology at York University. After completing his MSc under the guidance of Dr. Michael Connor, studying whether electrical pulse stimulation can enhance muscle cell activity, he subsequently worked towards his PhD as a member of the Muscle Health Research Centre at York University. While under the supervision of Dr. David Hood his work focused on skeletal muscle autophagy, mitophagy and lysosome biogenesis in models of disuse, aging and exercise. As a Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Triolo is investigating mechanisms by which mitochondrial mediated signaling regulates muscle stem cell homeostasis and function. He enjoys playing a variety of sports including hockey, golf and baseball, and spending time with his family, friends, and cats.
Graduate Students
Steven Wade, PhD Candidate
Steven completed his BSc in Neuroscience and Biology at Carleton University in his hometown of Ottawa. Previously, he worked under the supervision of Dr. Ken Storey where he completed his fourth-year thesis project examining the role of mRNA methylation in wood frog brain during hypoxia and whole-body freezing. Steven is completing his PhD in biochemistry where he is looking to uncover the signals regulated by mitochondrial dynamics that dictate nuclear gene expression to regulate muscle stem cell function. Outside of the lab, Steven enjoys playing the piano and trying new foods across Ottawa.
Kayla-Lynn Ferguson, PhD Candidate
Kayla completed her BSc degree in Biopharmaceutical Science with a concentration in genomics at the University of Ottawa during which she won best 4th year honours project for her work exploring the structure and function of a mutant variant of the Sigma-1 Receptor underlying juvenile ALS. Under the supervision of Dr. Richard Bergeron, Kayla began her MSc Neuroscience thesis work investigating the Sigma-1 Receptor and its role in ER stress and autophagy, as well as characterizing several other mutant variants that underlie hereditary motor neuropathies. After transferring into the doctoral program, Kayla is currently completing her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa under the supervision of Dr. Mireille Khacho where she is studying the role of the Sigma-1 Receptor in lipid metabolism.
Edward Gardner, PhD Candidate
Edward completed his BSc in Biochemistry in Biology at the University of Saskatchewan. There he completed his honours research project in the laboratory of Dr. Adelaine Leung, studying the protein binding network of the scaffold protein DISC1. His MSc in Cellular and Molecular Medicine was completed under the guidance of Dr. Jeffrey Dilworth at uOttawa. In that lab his work was focused on epigenetics in skeletal muscle regeneration, studying the role of the Prc1 complex in regulating muscle regeneration. Currently Edward is completing his PhD in biochemistry, where he is studying the cross talk between mitochondrial signaling and the regulation of the proteome. In his free time he enjoys baking deserts, video games, reading, and hockey.
Olivia Sommers, TMM Accelerated MSc Student
Olivia is currently pursuing a BSc in Translational and Molecular Medicine and an accelerated MSc in Biochemistry. She is excited to work in the Khacho lab to characterize the effects of chronic OPA1 loss in muscle stem cell function and maintenance. Her interests lie primarily in mitochondria and the molecular basis of disease, and she has also had the opportunity to research bacteriophage biology. Outside of the lab, Olivia enjoys spending time with friends and reading.
Rholls Tomsine, MSc Student
Rholls is a 1st year MSc student studying Biochemistry. He completed his UROP project during winter semester 2023, and later received the NSERC-URSA scholarship in the summer of 2023, as well as in the summer of 2024. He is excited to put his skills and knowledge to the test during his masters. His work entails uncovering the effects of mitochondrial dynamics on muscle stem cell- mediated inflammatory response in skeletal muscle. Rholls is fascinated with research involving aging, immunology and mitochondria. He has plans to continue his education past an MSc degree, his dream being to obtain a PhD and eventually run his own lab. Outside the lab he volunteers with Connect Canadians, which aims to bring technology literacy to older adults across Canada. He also enjoys volleyball, frequenting the gym, video games, occasionally reading and various movies and shows.
Undergraduate Students
Staff
