Meet Our Toronto Chapter Team!
The Toronto 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 Toronto Chapter events please visit the Upcoming Events page.
Sign up to be on our mailing list using this link.
Contact the Toronto S2BN Chapter at:
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Jady Liang
Chapter President
PhD Candidate,
University of Toronto
Jady Liang received her HBSc from the University of Toronto in 2020 and transitioned into the direct-entry PhD program under the Department of Physiology in the same year. Her research focuses on investigating SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and exploring novel therapeutic approaches, including biologics, antivirals, nanoparticles, and vaccine design. At the Zhang Laboratory, she takes on major projects involving RG3 pathogens in the Toronto High Containment Facility at the University of Toronto. Currently a fourth-year PhD Candidate, Jady also serves as the Vice President External at the University of Toronto Graduate Student Union and as the President of the St. Michael’s Research Student Association. This year, Jady spearheaded the relaunch of the Science to Business Network (S2BN) Toronto Chapter, where she now serves as the Toronto Chapter President.
Vida Maksimoska, M.HSc
Vice President
PhD Student,
Univerisity of Toronto
Vida Maksimoska, holds an HBSc from the University of Toronto, and a M.HSc. through the Translational Research Program at UofT, focused on advancing research from bench to bedside. Currently pursuing a PhD at the Institute of Medical Sciences her research focuses on drug discovery and molecular pathways in skin. Beyond academics, she contributes to the UofT Graduate Student Union as a Board Member and serves as the co-director of communications for the St. Michael’s Research Student Association. Vida's passion for innovation and research translation led her to join this team, she brings industry experience from working at Exciton Technologies and Noa Therapeutics and a genuine enthusiasm to network and bridge the gap between science and business.
Meg Sharma, MSc
Webpage Director
Principal Research Engineer, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute
Meg is a software engineer specializing in healthcare informatics, signal processing and machine learning. She has a background in neuroscience and electrical engineering, has a Master’s in Translational Research from the University of Toronto, and recently completed her Master’s in Computer Science at Toronto Metropolitan University, where her thesis focused on supervised learning methods to detect patient pain. She is currently on sabbatical from Health Canada, where she was the Lead Data Scientist for the Medical Device and Clinical Compliance Inspectorate, and currently works at the Cleveland Clinic analyzing genomics data to improve the delivery of cancer immunotherapies.
Sarah McColman
Communications Director
PhD Candidate,
Toronto Metropolitan
University
Sarah is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Molecular Science studying at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her doctoral research focuses on developing virus-like particles modeling SARS-CoV-2 that can help elucidate relationships between viral antigen density and immune response in lung epithelial cells. Prior to her graduate studies she completed a HBSc in biochemistry at the University of Calgary and subsequently spent two years establishing and managing the administration of a new research laboratory in Toronto. During this time she conducted research focused on the biophysical chemistry of interactions between nanoparticles and blood serum proteins, establishing quantitative and mechanistic insights into nanoparticle-protein binding dynamics.
Johnny Lu
Event Director
Asa Lau
Marketing Director
Sharon Binstock
Sponsorship Director
MSc Student,
University of Toronto
PhD Student,
University of Toronto
MSc Student,
University of Toronto
Johnny earned his HBSc in 2021, majoring in Immunology, Molecular Genetics, and Mental Health. During his undergraduate years, he participated in MRI studies focusing on memory, perception, and areas related to decision-making and motivation. After obtaining his HBSc, Johnny transitioned to the industry, where he worked on Environmental Assessments at Comco Canada Inc. However, drawn to the realm of research, he's now in his second year as an MSc student in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology. Under the guidance of Dr. Katalin Szaszi, he's delving into research on kidney fibrosis and its underlying molecular mechanisms.
Asa is a third-year PhD candidate in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. She currently works under the supervision of Dr. Kelsie Thu with her research focusing on delineating the mechanisms of innate immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Before this graduate degree, she completed her HBSc in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. During that time, she also spent a total of 20 months working at Stemcell Technologies and Zymeworks Inc through the Cooperative Education Program where she developed her interest in industry research.
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