Baenziger Lab

Current Research Group (updates in progress)

Postdoctoral Fellow

Camille Hénault, PhD

MSc Biochemistry, University of Ottawa (2013-2015)

B.Sc. Biochemistry/Min. Biol., University of Ottawa (2013)

Home town: Aylmer, Quebec

Research Project: The lipid-dependent uncoupled nAChR

Awards:

• • • • • • • • • Governor General’s gold medal, PhD thesis
                • Valedictorian, class of 2021
                • NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship CGS-D (2015-2018)
                • 2^nd place talk, BMI Seminar Day (2016)
                • 3^rd place poster, BMI Poster Day (2015)
                • Award of Excellence in Graduate Studies (2014)

Graduate Students

Mackenzie Thompson, PhD student (2019-2023)

MSc Biochemistry, University of Ottawa (2017-2019 transfer to PhD)

BSc Biochemistry & Biotechnology, Wilfrid Laurier University (2012-2017)

Hometown: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Research Project: Lipid modulation and agonist activation of nAChRs

Awards:

• • • • • • • • • Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies 2023
                • NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship CGS-D (2021-2024)
                • Poster prize – Biophysical society of Canada annual meeting 2021
                • Best PhD seminar (Biochemistry) 2021
                • Masters/PhD admission scholarship – University of Ottawa (2017-2024)

Anna Ananchenko, PhD student (2021-present)

MSc Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa (2019-2021, transfer to PhD)

BSc Biomedical Sciences/Biostatistics, University of Ottawa (2019)

Research project: MD simulations of anionic neutral lipid binding to nAChR

Awards:

• • • • • • • • • Poster prize – Biophysical society of Canada annual meeting 2022
                • Poster prize – Biophysical society of Canada annual meeting 2021
                • Admission scholarship (University of Ottawa) (2020)

 

 

Deepansh Mody, PhD student (2021 – Present)

M. Tech Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, India (2021)

B. Tech Biotechnology, NIIT University, India (2017)

Hometown: New Delhi, India

Research project: Lipidic modulation of Torpedo nAChR function

Awards:

• • • • • • • • International Doctoral Scholarship (University of Ottawa)
              • Vice Chancellor’s Gold Medal as valedictorian in M. Tech, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (2021 )
              • 1^st place, Biotech Online Poster Presentation Competition organized by Biotecnika and Govt. of Kerala, India (2020).

Toka Hussein, PhD student (2021-present)

MSc Biochemistry, University of Ottawa (2019-2021)

BSc Biomedical Sciences, University of Science and Technology – Zewail City (2018)

Hometown: Giza, Egypt.

Research Project:  Structure-function studies of pLGICs

Awards:

• • • • • • • Biophysical Society of Canada 2023 Trainee Travel Award
            • Admission scholarship (University of Ottawa) (2021)
            • International doctoral scholarship (University of Ottawa) (2021)
            • Roger Guindon scholarship fund (University of Ottawa) (2021)
            • CREATE-APRENTICE Trainee scholarship – NSERC (2020)
            • Admission scholarship (University of Science and Technology) (2013)
            • Best team award at SOLE Biotechnology competition participant, Zewail City’s Presentation Team (2015)

Undergraduate Students

Rui Yan Gao

BSc Translational and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa (2018-2023)

Hometown: Beijing, China

Research Project: MD simulations of lipid-protein interactions

Awards:

• • • • • • • Undergraduate /Research Opportunity Program, University of Ottawa (2021-2022)
            • NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, University of Ottawa (2022, 2023)

 

 

Moustafa Habes

BSc Translational and Molecular Medicine (2021-Present) 

Hometown: Damascus, Syria 

Research Project: Structural Analysis of ACh Bound nAChR 

Awards:

• • • • • • • NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, University of Ottawa (2022, 2023)
            •  undergraduate research opportunity program, University of Ottawa (2022)

 

 

 

 

Former Students

Corrie daCosta

Associate Professor

University of Ottawa

Ottawa, Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Therien

Scientist

NuChem Sciences

Montreal, Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nathalie Méthot

Doyenne-Enseignement et recherche

Collège La Cité

Ottawa, Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaimee Domville
Regulatory Affairs Supervisor

Government of Canada

Ottawa, Canada

 

 

 

 

 

Recent Undergraduate Students

Marshall Macduff

Stephanie Bogdan

Charlotte Wagner Searle

Annie Jiang

 

Recent Alumni

Undergraduate Students (2011-present)

Date                   Alumnus                                      Graduating Position

2015-2019           Shobhitha Balasubramaniam      We aren’t sure!

2013-2016            Jiayin Sun                                   Medical student

2012-2016            Daniel Therien                            Graduate student in Chemistry

2015-2016            Claire Edrington                          Graduate student in Biochemistry

2015-2016            Daniel Giguere                            Graduate student in Biochemistry

2014 – 2015         Jaimee Domville                          Graduate student in Biochemistry, University of Ottawa

2014 – 2015         Matthew Robert Vincent

2012 – 2013         Cameron Smithers                       Graduate student in Biochemistry, University of Alberta

2012 – 2013         Camille Hénault                            Graduate student in Biochemistry, University of Ottawa

2011 – 2012         Julian Surujballi                            Medical student, University of Western Ontario

2011 – 2012         Daniel Therien                              Graduate student in Biochemistry, University of Ottawa

Graduate Students

Date                   Alumnus                                      Position post-graduation

2015 – 2021          Camille Hénault, Ph.D.                Postdoctoral fellow

2008 – 2014         Casey Carswell, Ph.D.                  Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory

2009 – 2013         Jon Labriola, M.Sc.                      Ph.D. candidate in Biochemistry, McGill University

2004 – 2009         Ngoc Vuong, M.Sc.                     Ph.D. candidate in Biochemistry, University of Ottawa

2005 –2008          Michel Sturgeon, M.Sc.               Ph.D. candidate in Physiology & Neuroscience, Queen’s University

2000 – 2006          Corrie daCosta, Ph.D.                  Research Associate, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

2002 – 2005         Danny Hill, M.Sc.                          Hematologist, Sault Area Hospital

1994 – 2000         Stephen Ryan, Ph.D.                    Diagnostic Radiologist, Ottawa Hospital

1993 – 1997         Nathalie Méthot, Ph.D.                Professeure, la cité collégiale

 

Postdoctoral trainees

Date                   Alumnus                                      Current Position (Jan 2015)

2006 – 2009           Dr. Corrie daCosta                     Associate professor, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Science

2000 – 2002           Dr. Andrei Ogrel                        Consultant at International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

Former Research Associate

Peter Juranka
Research Associate (06/2011-07/2015)
Ph.D. Microbiology, University of Toronto (1985)

Home town: Toronto, Ontario

Research Project: Functional characterization of nAChRs using single channel and whole cell electrophysiology techniques
1986-90 Post-doc, Ontario Cancer Institute – Dr. Victor Ling.
1991-92 Research Associate, U of Toronto – Dr. V.L. Chan
1993-2011 Research Associate, Neuroscience, OHRI – Dr. C.E. Morris

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