The Organizers

The Toronto RNA Club is primarily organized by a group of trainees (graduate students and post-docs) and guided by faculty advisors who are interested in establishing a tight-knit RNA community.

Trainees

Jordan Francis

Jordan is a Master’s student in Dr. Natoya Peart’s Lab at the University of Waterloo. He studies the role of ESRP1, an RNA-binding protein expressed in epithelial cells, in intestinal homeostasis. As a member, he wishes to foster connections between the Toronto RNA Club and other university RNA clubs beyond the GTA.

Anna Girtle

Anna is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Philipp Maass’s lab at SickKids. Her research involves decoding the role of a novel long non-coding RNA locus in blood pressure control and hypertension. As an organizer of Toronto RNA Club, she hopes to spread awareness of the brilliant RNA research taking place in the area and foster connections between researchers.

Connor Loupelle

Connor is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Mark Bayfield’s lab at York University, where he studies the roles of the human La protein in promoting tRNA maturation and its links to oncogenesis. He received his B.Sc. in Biomedical Science from York University. As a member of the Toronto RNA Club organizing committee, Connor aims to foster connections among members of the RNA community within the GTA and abroad, and to contribute meaningfully to the Canadian research ecosystem by enhancing exposure to RNA research.

Volker Nitschko

Volker is a postdoc in Dr. Julie Claycomb’s lab at the University of Toronto, and is studying the role of miRNA-binding Argonautes during spermatogenesis. He joined the Toronto RNA club organizing committee to help connect RNA researchers and foster new collaborations.

Brittney Remnant

Brittney is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Mark Bayfield’s lab at York University. She is investigating the La protein Mlp1 in Tetrahymena thermophila and its involvement in the biogenesis of non-coding RNAs. As an organizing member of the Toronto RNA Club, she hopes to foster connections between individuals in the RNA community across training levels and encourage the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

Rasangi Tennakoon

Rasangi is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Haissi Cui’s lab in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Her research involves the investigation of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in white matter brain disorders. As a Toronto RNA organizer, Rasangi hopes to grow the connections between RNA researchers in the Greater Toronto Area, and help foster an inclusive learning environment.

Emma Walter

Emma is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Amanda Hargrove’s lab at the University of Toronto Mississauga in the Centre for Medicinal Chemistry. Her research focuses on developing small molecules to target a long noncoding RNA implicated in prostate cancer. As an organizer of Toronto RNA Club, she hopes to further unite the GTA RNA labs and foster curiosity driven discussions between researchers.

Zhuyi Wang

Zhuyi is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Craig Smibert’s lab at the University of Toronto. As an RNA enthusiast, she is interested in how miRNAs facilitate a smooth maternal-to-zygotic transition, the first major event during animal embryogenesis. As an organizing member, Zhuyi looks forward to developing a platform where ideas move freely between subfields and inspire more “Aha moments”!

Michael Zoberman

Michael Zoberman is a Ph.D. student in the Calarco Lab at the Department of Cell and Systems Biology in the University of Toronto. He is researching the role of intracellular signalling pathways in the regulation of RNA-binding proteins to control neuronal alternative splicing networks in C. elegans. As an organizing member, Michael hopes to help RNA researchers meet and learn from each other to promote and strengthen the local RNA community.