I obtained my BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Western Ontario in 2003 and my graduate studies were conducted in the lab of Dr. David Westaway at the University of Toronto. My graduate work involved the first characterization of the novel prion protein family member Shadoo. After receiving my PhD in 2008 I pursued postdoctoral studies in the lab of Nobel Laureate Dr. Stanley Prusiner at the University of California San Francisco. My postdoctoral work focused on developing new transgenic mouse models of prion disease as well as exploring the prion-like properties of Aβ and α-synuclein, which are implicated in the pathobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, respectively. In 2014 I started my own lab at the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases with a cross-appointment within the Department of Biochemistry.
My research interests include the prion diseases and related human neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. My research focuses on developing improved mouse and cellular models of human neurodegenerative diseases that can be used to study the biology of these illnesses and as tools for developing novel therapeutics.