People
"Great things in business are never done by one person; they're done by a team of people." – Steve Jobs
Dr. Julien Gibon
Assistant Professor
Dr. Gibon obtained his Ph.D from the University of Grenoble (France) under the supervision of A. Bouron at the CNRS-CEA of Grenoble . He moved in Montreal (Canada) to lead a postdoctoral project in collaboration between the Seguela and the Barker lab at the Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute) at McGill University. He moved at UBC Okanagan in January 2016 to manage the laboratory of Dr. Barker in the Biology Department.
In July 2019, he has been appointed as Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at UBCO.
Coordinator of the Biology Graduate Symposium 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Passionate about research and Neurobiology
Noah Zurfluh
Master Student January 2022
Honour Student 2021
Noah Zurfluh is a driven 4th year Bachelor of Science student majoring in biochemistry (medical and molecular branch). She is conducting research at UBCO were she is studying neurotrophin signaling pathway in neurons. When she’s not studying or working at the lab, she can be found enjoying the outdoors.
Olivia Ireland
Directed studies
Volunteer student
"Olivia Ireland is a third-year student at UBC Okanagan majoring in Biochemistry. She is working on a directed studies research project investigating a cell signalling pathway of the persistent firing activity of cortical neurons - an important biological process involved in working memory. Outside of academics, Olivia enjoys painting, reading, and teaching herself the guitar.”
January 2022
Josh Anderson
Undergraduate Student - Directed studies
Recipient of the Rogers Family Charity Trust Award in Biology. Josh is a fourth-year student at UBCO majoring in general Biology with a minor in Psychology. His work in the lab focuses on the Val66Met mutation in BDNF's prodomain sequence, and how this mutation may exert its effects physiologically in neurons to cause observable memory and behavioural defects in humans. Outside of research and schooling, Josh enjoys the outdoors, playing sports, and creating music.
Mahdi Abbasian
Co-supervised Ph.D candidate
I am working on molecular mechanisms controlling neural pruning in the peripheral and central nervous systems. Axonal and synaptic pruning (neuronal pruning) are required to establish and refine neural circuits during development and permit plasticity in the adult nervous system. Abnormal neuronal pruning is observed in several neurodegenerative diseases and can long precede cell body death in neurons.
September 2019-
Shirley Sijie Yang
Co-supervised Master Student
Shirley Sijie Yang is a M.Sc. student studying the physiological roles of intercellular signalling molecules on astrocytes in neurodegenerative diseases. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at UBC in Vancouver. Outside of her academics, Shirley is the secretary and VP Academics of the Biology Graduate Student Society, and the graduate coordinator of 2022 UBC’s Diversity in Biology Seminar Series.
2020
Michelle Lu
Co-supervised Master Student
Jan 2022