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Category: Lab Updates

Welcome New Students!

Today, 8 new students start in the lab.

Sidd Lakshamman joins the lab as a PhD student with the support of a a Faculty of Arts & Science Top (FAST) Doctoral Award after completing his MSc in Plant Molecular Biology at the University of Ottawa/Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Fayeza Azad transitions from her UTEA fellowship research to her MSc in the McFarLab after completing her BSc at UofT.

Connor Hayakawa and Olive Wachira will conduct CSB498 project courses supported by Eduardo and Fabrizio.

Rachel Tsai, Yasmin Popoola, Nick Amenta, and Stella Chen start work-study roles.

Welcome, everyone!

September 8, 2026
Rowan Completes his PhD Proposal Exam

Rowan marked an important degree milestone today as he defended his PhD proposal. Congratulations, Rowan!

July 31, 2026
McFarLab at Plant Biology 2026

This week, Heather Jordan, Eduardo, Gaeun, Fabrizio, Stella, and Fayeza are attending the Plant Biology 2026 Meeting in Ottawa. Heather will speak in the opening plenary session, the APSB Presidential Plenary on Cell Membranes: Processes at the Perimeter. Jordan will speak in the Monday afternoon concurrent session “Imaging 3D Structure from Plant Macromolecular Assemblies to Cells”, and everyone else will present posters.

Update: Heather won the C.D. Nelson Award from the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists, Fabrizio was appointed to the CSPB Education Committee, and Sidd (who will join the McFarLab for his PhD in September) was a finalist at the 3-Minute Thesis competition and elected CSPB Student Rep.

July 18, 2026
Heather Awarded Tenure

Heather has been granted tenure at UofT promoted to Associate Professor today.

Happy Canada Day, everyone!

July 1, 2026
Welcome Summer Undergrads

5 BSc students start their summer in the lab today:

Nick Amenta, Lou Freidel, and Connor Hakayawa have started work-study positions.

Fayeza Azad won a prestigious University of Toronto Excellence Award (UTEA) to continue her work on protein phosphorylation during cell wall signaling.

Stella Chen won a highly competitive NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC-USRA) to continue her work cell wall secretion.

May 4, 2026
Jordan wins a Marie Curie Postdoc Fellowship

McFarLab postdoc, Jordan Ferria, has secured a prestigious and highly competitive Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship from the European Commission. This will support his work in the McFarLab and in Charlotte Kirchhelle’s lab at ENS Lyon. Congratulations, Jordan!

January 15, 2026
Gaeun transfers to the PhD program

Today, Gaeun Shin successfully completed her PhD transfer exam. Congratulations, Gaeun, and welcome to your PhD!

December 2, 2025
Welcome new BSc Students

5 new BSc students join the lab today:

Olivia Boyle, Stella Chen, and Anastasija Petrovic have take up work-study positions.

Fayeza Azad returns to the lab for a CSB499 project working Fabrizio on cross-talk of cell will signaling with other pathways.

Aliya Zulaikha Mohd Zamri starts a CSB498 project working with Jordan on screening for cell wall signaling mutants.

September 2, 2025
Welcome Callum

Callum Hayes joins the McFarLab this week as a visiting PhD student from Prof. Mike Haydon’s group at the University of Melbourne. Callum won a RN Robertson scholarship from Australian Society of Plant Scientists to support his travel, and the collaboration between the Haydon Lab and the McFarLab is supported by an NSERC Alliance International Catalyst Grant. Welcome, Callum!

July 21, 2025
Welcome back Stella

Undergraduate Stella Chen is back in the McFarLab, this time with the support of a highly-competitive Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship from the American Society of Plant Biologists “Assessing Arabidopsis cell wall mutants for intracellular aggregations via confocal and transmission electron microscopy”. The award provides Sella with a research stipend, plus an ASPB membership and a stipend to present her summer research at Plant Biology 2026.

June 23, 2025

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