People

Jae grew up in Incheon, South Korea.

After moving to Canada, where some of his friends affectionately call him J-OK, he did his undergraduate studies in the Arts & Science Programme and his doctoral studies in Biochemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Jae had a long postdoctoral tenure at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. His favourite French phrase from this time was "apportez votre vin".

Jae started his independent research as an assistant professor in 2019 at Memorial University. Moving to Newfoundland has revived in him a long lost passion--fishing.

Jae's other hobbies include movies (watching) and sports (playing).

Sean's friends describe him as a "jack of all trades, master of none." He has worked a broad assortment of jobs such as dishwasher, waiter, mover, bartender, sales, bouncer, manager, business owner, project manager, software trainer, and so on. He has also obtained two technology-based college diplomas. In his grumpy old age, Sean grew annoyed with his status as "master of none" and decided to become a Master of Science.

Sean is a self-proclaimed "old school nerd" who enjoys fantasy, sci-fi, comics, and video games. He also enjoys hiking, fishing, and watching MMA.

Vishal grew up in the West part of India, where he obtained an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and a postgraduate degree in Life Sciences.

In pursuit of his master's degree in Engineering, Vishal moved to sunny Australia and studied at Deakin University. He acquired not only his masters but also some mates who nicknamed him "Vish." After soaking up a decent amount of sunlight (and therefore, vitamin D), he decided to move to Newfoundland, Canada, to get his PhD. Now the question is if he has what it takes to survive the famous Canadian winters.

Vishal's hobbies include hiking, volleyball, travelling, photography and watching movies. Please visit Vishal's personal website for more information.

Saman grew up in one of the hottest and driest cities in the east of Iran. After completing her undergraduate studies in Cell and Molecular Biology, she decided to move to a chilly and rainy city in Canada.

Saman is a photographer outside the academic environment and has always tried to combine science and art. In one of her projects as a portrait photographer, she tries to break some taboos for patients with unique facial features and surgical scars.

Saman loves to challenge herself mentally and physically and also explore new places. She enjoys doing yoga, dancing, backpacking, and hitchhiking.

Naomi grew up in sunny Accra, Ghana. She later moved to Canada for high school in Ontario and undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences in Albert. After bouncing provinces, she decided to pursue her masters in Biochemistry in St. John's, Newfoundland to experience the true East Coast.

In her free time, Naomi enjoys engaging in the arts through poetry, reading, movies, and music. In addition, she enjoys staying active, watching and playing soccer.