Research Team

PhD Candidate

• MSc Molecular Science, Toronto Metropolitan University (2021)
• BSc Chemistry Co-op, Toronto Metropolitan University (2019)

Rachele previously did her master's under the supervision of Dr. Foucher and Dr. McWilliams, with a thesis focused on preparing new polystyrenic onium and substituted thionylphosphazene antimicrobials for hospital settings. For her doctoral studies, she will now be exploring the functionalization of lignin products to make sustainable resins in collaboration with Dr. Sacripante. When not in the lab, Rachele can often be found attending a concert or musical theatre production, solving puzzles in an escape room with her friends and labmates, or playing Animal Crossing or Pokémon on the Nintendo Switch.

rachele.carafa@torontomu.ca

MSc Candidate

• BSc Chemistry, Toronto Metropolitan University (2022)
  

Liam previously did his undergraduate thesis with Dr. Foucher on the synthesis, application, and evaluation of quaternary ammonium compounds for their potential use as antimicrobial coatings in clinical settings. He will be continuing that work as a master's student, working towards the electrophoretic deposition of quaternary onium antimicrobials on various metal surfaces. Liam is a proud blood donor and enjoys bringing friends to participate with him.

liam.brennan@torontomu.ca

MSc Candidate

• BSc Chemistry, Toronto Metropolitan University (2022)

Pierre will be studying best practices for computational modeling of tin pincer complexes with solvation calculations and using these methods to predict their behaviour in solution in collaboration with Dr. Wylie. The best methods will be determined by comparing computational and characterization data of organostannane pincer compounds synthesized in the laboratory. Pierre likes to visit his grandparents over the summers and play pick-up hockey in the winters.

prouanet@torontomu.ca

MSc Candidate

• BSc Biomedical Sciences, Toronto Metropolitan University (2023)

Christele previously did her undergraduate thesis on reproducing sulfonamide-based quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) on cotton, which complemented Liam's project. Under the co-supervision of Dr. Hausner, she will be expanding her horizons by grafting Foucher lab-based antimicrobials on nanoparticles (e.g. silica, metals, or polymers) that are expected to act like "barnacles" on the microbial membrane. Her master's project aims to investigate for effective biofilm reduction, wastewater treatment applications, and the potential for it to be a universal antimicrobial - wouldn't that be the dream? In her free time, Christele enjoys watching action movies and listening to podcasts.

christele.ladores@torontomu.ca

MSc Candidate

• BSc Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Trent University (2021)

Anthony finished his BScH in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with a publication titled “Eco-design and tunable structure-properties of chitosan-epoxy-glycerol-silicate biohybrids using integrated crosslinking” under the supervision of Dr. Merchant at Trent University. Under the co-supervision of Dr. Sacripante, he is currently working on extracting polymers from seaweed, where he will functionalize it to create different polyesters and polyurethanes with a cross-linked silane precursor. In his free time, you can find him watching SSC Napoli, working out or enjoying playing video games.

anthony.fasulo@torontomu.ca

• BSc Chemistry, Toronto Metropolitan University (2024)
  

Brigida is a 4^th year chemistry student at TMU minoring in biology. Under the supervision of Dr. Sacripante and Dr. Foucher, her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of polyurethanes from lignin derived bisphenols and phenolic aldehydes. In her free time, Brigida enjoys listening to music and playing the ukulele.

brigida.fernandes@torontomu.ca

• BSc Chemistry, Toronto Metropolitan University (2024)

Thomas is a 4^th year chemistry student supervised by Dr. Foucher along with MSc candidate Liam Brennan. His research focus is on the synthesis and characterization of click quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) that will be coated on plastic and metal surfaces and bio tested for their antimicrobial functionality. In his free time, Thomas enjoys playing and watching soccer every minute he can and also loves watching movies (the older the better).

thomas.fernandes@torontomu.ca

• BSc Biology Co-op, Toronto Metropolitan University (2024)

Corri is a 5^th year biology co-op student in the final year of her undergraduate bachelor’s degree at TMU. She previously finished a 12-month internship at Sanofi Pasteur in the Quality Operations Validation Systems Department, working with the Process Validation team and helping run the Cleaning Monitoring Program. Corri is now conducting research as an undergraduate thesis student under Dr. Sacripante's and Dr. Foucher's supervision at TMU, focusing on sulfated polysaccharides found in seaweed and their antimicrobial properties. Corri likes completing puzzles, baking, and playing video games in her free time.

corradina.towie@torontomu.ca