Abigail (Abby) Gerhold, PhD
Assistant Professor
abigail.gerhold [at] mcgill.ca
Abby received a BA in English from Cornell University in 2002. She discovered her love of development and genetics as a research assistant studying maize leaf patterning in the lab of Dr. Sarah Hake (UC Berkeley). Genetics lead her to Drosophila and she carried out her PhD in the lab of Dr. Iswar Hariharan (UC Berkeley) investigating the genetic control of cell proliferation during imaginal disc regeneration. She then switched coasts, switched model organisms (again) and became a life-long devotee of microscopy, while carrying out her postdoctoral studies in the labs of Drs. Jean-Claude Labbé (Université de Montréal, IRIC) and Paul Maddox (UNC Chapel Hill). When not at the microscope, she enjoys lattes, spending time with her two occasionally delightful children, growing vegetables, climbing or reading a good book.
Mohamed Réda Zellag
PhD Student
Réda received a BSc in biological sciences from the Université de Montréal (UdeM) in 2018, while also completing research internships in the lab of Dr. Marc Drolet (UdeM) and of Dr. Jean-Claude Labbé (UdeM, IRIC), where he began to work on C. elegans. Between programming and microscopy, he is currently continuing his studies at the PhD level under the direction of Dr. Jean-Claude Labbé (UdeM, IRIC) and Dr. Abigail Gerhold (McGill). Reda is trying to identify the different technical factors that can affect the division of germline stem cells (GSCs) in C. elegans during live cell imaging. During his MSc, he wants to demystify the relationship between GSC mitotic spindle orientation and the maintenance of germline tissue organization. Fun fact - Réda has been passionate about fishing since he was 8 and has been manipulating worms for years, but never imagined that worms would follow him during his studies.
Priscila Anhel Medrano Gonzalez
PhD Student
priscila.medranogonzalez [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Priscila is from Mexico and studied Biology at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She has a Masters in Biological Sciences. Her thesis focused on the expression of early developmental claudins in cancer stem cells under the guidance of Dr. Erika Rendón. She rapidly became fascinated in developmental biology and how stem cells give rise to different cells through asymmetric division. As a Ph.D. student, she will study the contribution of PAR-1, Mad1 and Mad2 proteins to SAC strength during the early stages of development in C. elegans embryos. In her leisure time, she loves swimming, playing animal crossing and spending time with her pets.
Alison Kem-Seng
PhD Student
alison.kem-seng [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Alison comes from New Caledonia and received a MSc in the Biology of Reproduction from Paris Diderot University in France. She did her internship in Katja Wassmann's Lab (UPMC) and worked on SAC control and the CPC during mouse oocyte meiosis II. As she likes to travel and discover new things, she has decided to change cities and change models. As a PhD student, she will study how SAC strength differs between cells in the somatic and germline lineage in C. elegans embryos and how these differences are linked to PAR-mediated cytoplasmic asymmetries.
Eric Cheng
PhD Student
eric.cheng [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Eric received his BSc in Biology from Queen’s University in 2019. He was first introduced to C. elegans while doing his Honours research project under the supervision of Dr. Ian Chin-Sang (Queen’s University). His project involved studying a role for a kinesin-like protein, KLP-20, in microRNA regulation. His MSc research is focused on the insulin signaling pathway and whether it regulates mitosis in the germline stem cells of C. elegans. Eric will never say no to coffee, food, or a chat. He is a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan, enjoys being active and loves to nerd out about space.
Ran Lu
MSc Student
ran.lu2 [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Ran comes from China and received his bachelor’s degree in Biology from University of Utah. He worked in research labs after graduation doing cancer related research. He did his project studying the role of a ribosomal S6 protein kinase (RSK) in cancer cell migration under the supervision of Dr. Michelle Mendoza. This is the project that developed his interest in imaging. As a MSc student, his research will focus on food availability and the regulation of mitotic entry in C. elegans. After work and study, Ran loves music, food, and video games. He also likes table tennis, ski, and traveling.
Imge Ozugergin, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
imge.ozugergin [at] mcgill.ca
Imge received a BSc in Pharmacology at McGill (2013). She returned to the lab life in 2017 and joined the lab of Dr. Alisa Piekny (Concordia). There she received her MSc (2019) and PhD (2022) in Biology. Imge loves anything related to cell division, so during her graduate studies she characterized cytokinesis in the two-cell C. elegans embryo and explored how a chromatin-sensing pathway functions during cytokinesis in vivo. As a postdoc, she will research how the SAC is regulated by cell size and fate in the early C. elegans embryo. In her free time, she loves to rewatch TV shows, eat, cook, travel and socialize. She does not think a dessert can be too sweet and will wait extra to sit at the front of the rollercoaster.
Undergraduate Researchers

Alexandra Poulin
BSc in Microbiology & Immunology
Lab Alumni
Joleen Santos

MSc
Fall 2019 - Summer 2021
Where to next? Research Associate HyperMabs, Montreal, QC
Julia Osborne

UG Intern
Summer 2021
Where to next? TBD
Leah Mappalakayil

UG intern
Fall 2018 - Winter 2021
Where to next? MSc Pharmacy, UBC
Yifan Zhao

SURA recipient, COMP/BIOL Honors Student
Summer 2019 - Summer 2020
Where to next? PhD student, Harvard-MIT Health Science and Technology Program
Lina Mougharbel

Postdoctoral Fellow
Fall 2018 - Winter 2020
Where to next? RA Srour and Kitzler Labs, RI-MUHC
Ramya Singh

Postdoctoral Fellow
Fall 2019 - Winter 2022
Where to next? TBD
Sydnee Hall

SURA recipient, BIOL 377 Student, Intern and RA
Fall 2019 - Summer 2021
Where to next? Med School, Université de Montréal
Robert Kidd

SURA recipient, MIMM Honors Student
Fall 2018 - Winter 2021
Where to next? Research Scientist, Solugen, Houston, TX
Elizabeth Cowper

COMP401, UG intern and RA
Fall 2019 - Winter 2021
Where to next? TBD
Yasmine Azzi

UG intern
Fall 2018 - Spring 2020
Where to next? Honors research student Fixman Lab, MUHC
Update: Fall 2021, Med school, Drexel University
Margaret Hiscock

BIOL 396
Fall 2021
Where to next? MSc student, Western University
Selen Calgin

BIOL 396
Winter 2022
Where to next? TBD
Yahan Zhang
