Collaborative Specialization in Neuroscience

During my undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph, I was able to join the MCB department in my third year as a work study student. It was my first exposure to an academic research lab and since then, I never wanted to leave! The department is filled with amazing faculty and other students who create an amazing workspace for conducting research. My advisor, Dr. Jasmin Lalonde, was an excellent mentor. His expertise in neuroscience and molecular biology allowed me to continuously grow as a researcher. He was always available to help me troubleshoot my experiments and gave me advice and support. His excellent teaching skills helped me continue to mature into a successful researcher over the course of my graduate studies.

The University of Guelph is a renowned university and, as a former graduate student at U of G, it helped me build myself for the future. The graduate courses offered in the Molecular and Cellular Biology department are high-calibre and prepare students really well for the outside world. Also, you get to meet and benefit from world-known scientists who have made tremendous contributions to their areas of research.

The inclusive, open environment of the University of Guelph drew me to the university, while the many opportunities for research collaborations, teaching experience, and ability to travel to conferences and meetings kept me here. While generating data and contributing new knowledge to improve our understanding of biology and disease is an essential part of graduate studies, my department understands that there is more to the graduate student experience.

Guelph had the research I was interested in and also a strong sense of familiarity, as I did my undergraduate degree here as well. At Guelph, I learned to be a researcher, a teacher, a mentor ... and perhaps forever a student! I believe all of these are essential skills going into academia.