Meet Our Ottawa Chapter Team!
The Ottawa S2BN Chapter partners with regional stakeholders to organize career development and networking events for STEM and Health/Life Sciences graduate trainees. Our aim is to support the growth of Ontario's Health and Life Sciences sector by preparing highly qualified personnel for a career path outside of academia.
For more information about Ottawa Chapter events please visit the Upcoming Events page.
Contact the Ottawa S2BN Chapter at:
Alicia Zhang
Chapter Co-President,
Marketing Director
Emily Freeman, PhD
Chapter Co-President,
Website Director
Fatemeh Rezaei
George Hilan, MSc
Media Director
Director of Academic Partnerships
PhD Candidate, Health Canada
Alicia Zhang received her Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia in 2016, with a Major in Biochemistry and Minor in Microbiology. After graduation she worked in the Research & Development department at STEMCELL Technologies Inc. for 3 years, developing and launching products to support stem cell research. Currently Alicia is pursuing a PhD in Immunology in the vaccine laboratory at Health Canada, focusing on vaccines against highly contagious respiratory viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2.
Coordinator Programs & Reporting, Canadian Blood Services
As part of her role in the Medial Affairs & Innovations division at Canadian Blood Services, Emily contributes to the management of funding and training programs. She also supports researchers in knowledge mobilization, helping deliver life-saving research across Canada. Emily earned her Phd in cellular and molecular medicine from the University of Ottawa. She also held a Post-doctoral fellowship at the Children's hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), where she specialized in stem cell research.
MSc student,
Carleton University
George obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology with a minor in chemistry, from Carleton university in 2022. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in biology at Carleton University with a specialization in Biochemistry, supervised by Dr. Bill Willmore. During his masters, George synthesizes peptide sequences using standard Fmoc- chemistry (solid phase synthesis), where the peptides have a fluorescent tag (FITC) and contain moieties responsible for targeting cell surface receptors and can penetrate into the cytoplasm of the cell. These peptides are characterized then complexed with small interfering RNA (siRNA) to create nanostructures that can downregulate specific protein chaperones within the cells. The peptides can be analyzed within live cell cultures using MCF7, MCF10, and MDA-MB-231, and analyzed through confocal microscopy, flowcytometry, and PCR.
PhD student,
Univerisity of Ottawa
I am Fatemeh Rezaei, a PhD student majoring in Biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. As part of Dr. Jyh-Yeuan (Eric) Lee's lab, I perform structural biology research to determine the structure of cholesterol transporters.
Shyra Khosla
Ivana Herrera
Anna Koudrina, PhD
Mihir Bhatt
Event Coordinator
Sponsorship Director
Event Coordinator
Mentorship Coordinator
Head of Operational Excellence
Siemens Healthiness
Shyra Khosla, is the Head of Operational Excellence at Siemens Healthineers. She holds an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering (University of Toronto), a masters in Industrial Engineering (University of Toronto), and an MBA (Columbia University and London Business School). Shyra has deep experience in engineering, manufacturing, and quality that she has leveraged to help medical device companies scale their operations. She has experience working in companies of a variety of sizes, from startups to global Fortune 500 companies.
PhD Student
University of Ottawa
Ivana is completing her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine program at UOttawa. Her main focus was on dissecting the roles of key protein players in molecular control of genome organization. Besides being skilled in PCR cloning, genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics, Ivana has a rich communication and entrepreneurship focused background. She volunteers with Let’s Talk Science, Health Science Inquiry and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Technology Transfer Office. She aspires to learn more about business development and commercialization of scientific discoveries.
Research Officer
Children's Medical Research Insititue
I graduated with a PhD in Chemistry from Carleton University. Under the supervision of Dr. Maria DeRosa, my research focused on advancing medial diagnostics through the development of oligonucleotide-based targeted contrast agents for MRI and CT imaging, particularly for efficient stroke diagnosis. Since then, I have transitioned into developing oligonucleotide therapeutics for rare diseases, such as Rett Syndrome and rare forms of epilepsy. I have had the privilege to work with Dr. Jonathan Watts at UMass Chan Medical School in Boston, MA and Dr. Leszek Lisowski at Children's Medical Research Institute in Sydney, Australia. Beyond my professional pursuits, I maintain an active lifestyle and a love for the outdoors.
Diabetes Sale Specialist,
Abbot Diabetes Care
Mihir Bhatt is a Medical School graduate from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and has completed a Graduate Diploma in Business program from the Smith School of Business. His true passion lies in the utilization of his business and medical background in order to make an impact in the healthcare sector. He is currently a Diabetes Sales Specialist with Abbott Diabetes Care.
Anjali Patel
Mentorship Coordinator
MSc Neuroscience, University of Ottawa
Anjali Patel has recently completed a MSc. in Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa. Her work in the lab of Dr. Maxime Rousseaux utilized cell and mouse models to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s. In addition to conducting research in the lab, Anjali completed an industry internship with the Ximbio Ximbassador Program where she worked to identify and help commercialize life science tools and reagents invented at the University of Ottawa. Anjali’s interests lie in biotech and drug discovery, and she is passionate about science communication and outreach.
Past Team Members
S2BN