I was born and raised in a small town located in the outskirts of Zhuhai (meaning the Pearl Sea) in Guangdong, China (Yes! I speak both Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese). Maybe it was for cultural reasons, or maybe it was for geographical reasons (being in the remote countryside), my family relied on traditional Chinese medicine, so I grew up drinking meticulously brewed herbal tonics. As a child, I had always wondered what were in those bitter-tasting herbal drinks with a pungent smell. That curiosity drove me to study biology and research on plant metabolites at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. I then went to Washington State University to obtain a Ph.D. degree in Botany. I decided to shift focus and studied neurobiology of disease during my postdoctoral research. I researched on a neurodegenerative disease called spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) and a newly discovered neurodevelopmental disorder called CIC haploinsufficiency syndrome.

My family and I love Edmonton, even its winter! The winter in Edmonton is long and cold but the summer is extremely nice! (Although it only lasts about three months and requires a few bottles of mosquito spray!)

I moved from the United Kingdom in 2012 with my family and have lived in Edmonton since. I completed a BSc Honors in Pharmacology here at the University of Alberta. Throughout my time in the Pharmacology undergraduate program, I developed a strong interest in the nervous system and cell signaling, and in my pursuit for graduate studies, I learned about Dr. Tan’s lab and was eager to take on a project studying cell death in the hippocampus!

Outside of research and academics, I have several hobbies including playing video games, spending time with friends and family, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and most importantly, chilling with my cat. I also have been engaged with several initiatives on campus including the Week of Welcome program. I have also worked as a workshop presenter for NeurAlbertaTech Neurotechnologies, teaching people about neuroscience! In the coming months, I will be serving as the Deputy Returning Officer for the University of Alberta Graduate Students’ Association.

With all that said, I’m very excited to see how my project, as well as my academic and professional skill set, will develop and evolve throughout my time in the Cell Biology graduate program! 

My name is Mia. Before immigrating to Canada, I received a master degree in Medicine in Dalian, a seaside city, and worked as an Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Qingdao, another seaside city, for three years. I am studying at the University of Alberta as a Cell Biology after-degree student currently. I was honored with the opportunity to work in Dr. Tan's lab to complete the CELL 398. I was greatly impressed by Dr. Tan’s research and interested further in the research. So I continued working in Tan's lab for my CELL 498.  I am looking forward to studying more about Capicua as a transcriptional repressor in brain development and function.

I like to travel and camp with my family in my spare time, and I wish to drive across Canada in an RV one day, crossing the mountains during the day and watching the stars at night.

During my undergraduate program at the University of Manitoba I fell in love with research and have been in a research lab ever since. Following graduation, I worked for a year studying genetic mutations that increase the risk of developing prion disease, this spiked my interest in neurodegenerative disease and the genetics behind similar diseases. I completed my master’s degree in Human Genetics at McGill University, before moving to Toronto to work in a lab which studied the impact of mutations in specific proteins leading to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. After 5 amazing years, I decided to move back West to be closer to my family. I joined Dr. Tan’s lab in Spring 2022 looking to apply and expand my skills in studying neurodevelopment and neurological disease. 

When I’m not in the lab, I can be found binge reading books from the library, binge watching BBC shows or exploring as many parks/green spaces as I can find.

Hi, my name is Keno! I was born in Nigeria and I immigrated to Canada in the summer 2018. I am currently an undergraduate student studying Cell Biology at the University of Alberta. I joined Dr. Tan’s lab to gain more experience in research and learn more about the different physiological processes of cells in the body (specifically cells of the brain for this lab). 

During my spare time, I like to sing, travel, binge watch movies and TV shows, and I am also a participating member of rotaract, CORDSA, and the Philosophy club at the U of A.

Hi, I'm Sangeetha, a Neuroscience student at the University of Alberta. My fascination with the brain's complexities and its role in shaping our daily experiences has been a driving force in my academic journey. Exploring how cellular mechanisms influence our behaviors has always intrigued me as well. Joining Dr. Tan’s Lab provided me with an invaluable opportunity to delve into the study of Cajal Retzius cells, which greatly expanded my perspective on the intricacies and precision of neural processes. In my spare time, you'll often find me cherishing moments with my family and bonding with my siblings.