Training of Highly Qualified Personnel
In October 2024, 1 B.Sc. and 10 Ph.D. students, 1 PDF and 1 visiting industrial scientist are engaged in my lab, and perform solution and solid-phase heterocycle, peptide, and mimic synthesis, spectroscopic and computational techniques, and organic, biological, medicinal, and combinatorial chemistry. Outstanding training has enabled graduates to become leaders in academia and industry. Since my career start in Oct. 1991, I have trained 79 graduate, 62 undergraduate, 20 international exchange and 8 junior college students, 42 postdoctoral fellows (PDFs), and 7 research assistants (RAs).
Present Group Members
Laura Zhang
Cégep Brébeuf Student Intern
(2025/06 – present)
Anti-amyloidogenic azapeptide
Arnaud Michaud
NSERC funded B.Sc. Student Intern
(2025/05 – present)
Pyrrolidinone synthesis
Rita Abi-Ghanem
NSERC funded B.Sc. Student Intern
(2025/05 – present)
Urea synthesis
Michael Quagliata
Post-Doctoral Fellow
(2025/05 – present)
Cyclic azapeptide synthesis
Zahra Bigdeli
Ph.D. Student
(2025/05 – present)
Anti-amyloidogenic azapeptide synthesis
Ida Boccino
Visiting Ph.D. Candidate from Francesco Merlino Lab
(2025/02 – present)
Antibiotic peptide mimics
Kinshuk Ghosh
Ph.D. Student
(2024/09 – present)
Supported Peptide Synthesis
Justin Desjardins-Michaud
Ph.D. Student
(2024/-04 – present, 2024 NSERC fellow)
Cyclic azapeptide
Omer N'Dri Landry
Ph.D. Student
(M.Sc. 2022/09 – 2024/04; Ph.D. 2024/04 – present)
Pyrrolidine synthesis
Darince Truong
Ph.D. Student
(M.Sc. 2023/01 – 2024/04; Ph.D. 2024/04 – present)
N-Aminoimidazolidin-2-ones
Chitra Sadanandhan
Ph.D. Candidate
(Ph.D. 2022/03 – present)
Phosphonopeptides
Kajumee Bora Bhowal
Ph.D. Candidate
(Ph.D. 2022/03 – present)
Anti-parasitic therapy
Zeynab Imani
Post-doctoral fellow
(04/22 – present)
Cyclic interleukin-1 receptor ligands
Nassim Maarouf
Ph.D. Candidate
(Ph.D. 09/20 – present, 2021 NSERC and 2025 FRQNT Fellow)
Cyclic Amino Dicarboxylates
Charity Yongo-Luwawa
Ph.D. Candidate
(M.Sc. 20 – 21, Ph.D. 09/21 – present, FRQNT Fellow)
IL-1R Modulators
Yousra Hamdane
Ph.D. Candidate
(M.Sc. 09/19 – 12/20; Ph.D. 01/21 – present)
CD36 Modulators