Our Team
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Dr. Hassan Waseem, PhD
May 2023 – Present
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Hassan Waseem earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology in 2019. As a research scholar/ assistant at Michigan State University, he conducted research on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Water-Borne Pathogens, and the design of cost-effective amplification assays. Currently, he serves as a Senior Research Fellow, delving into the dynamics of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and other Respiratory Viruses.
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Karl Cruz, MSc
July 2023 – Present
Lab Manager & Research Associate
Karl obtained his MSc in Molecular Science in 2023 at Toronto Metropolitan University. Prior to joining the team, he was involved in cell biology research delving into the biology of centrioles and primary cilium in mammalian cells. Currently, Karl oversees the day-to-day operation of the lab both technical and administrative to ensure timely processing of wastewater samples. He also plays a vital role in optimizing qPCR and ddPCR assays for better detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses. Karl hopes to continue his career in the research and development industry.
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Moiz Syed, MSc
March 2023 – Present
Research Associate
Moiz earned his MSc in Molecular Sciences in 2023, with a focus on the impacts of logging on mercury methylation in boreal forests using advanced molecular techniques. Currently, he plays a crucial role in the detection of COVID-19, Influenza A and B, and Pepper virus from various wastewater sources in the Gilbride Lab. Eager to broaden his skill set, he is now delving into the field of bioinformatics to complement his extensive experience in molecular laboratory practices.
Racha Asaad, MSc
September 2023 – Present
Research Assistant
Racha earned her MSc in Genomic Medicine in 2020 at Imperial College London. Presently, she plays a vital role in the Gilbride lab where she processes wastewater samples for RNA extraction. Racha aims to pursue a career in genetics research and analysis.
Arnold Au
September 2023 – Present
Research Assistant
Arnold is currently an MSc student at Toronto Metropolitan University focusing on research on the protein interactions of actin. Alongside the completion of his MSc, he also plays a vital role in the Gilbride lab with processing of wastewater samples and RNA extraction. In the future, Arnold aspires to continue his work in the biotechnology industry.
Past Members
Samantha Hernandez
May 2021-Present
BSc. Biology
Samantha is a Biology undergraduate student at Ryerson University. Samantha specializes in the COVID-19 Project where she processes passive samples for RNA extraction and detection for Pepper Virus and COVID-19 from various water treatment facilities. Samantha is passionate about her work under the Dr. Gilbride research lab and aspires to continue her research and professional work in the sector of microbiology.
Isabella Taskiran
September 2021 - Current
Junior Lab Coordinator
Biology HBSc. Ryerson University Conferred 2021 Currently Pursuing Public Health BASc. Ryerson University
Isabella became the Junior Lab Coordinator in September 2021. Isabella oversees the day-to-day technical and administrative operations of a laboratory including inventory maintenance, ordering of supplies, and assisting with the administration of laboratory personnel. She hopes to continue her career in health care after completing her studies at Ryerson.
isabella.taskiran@torontomu.ca
Nora Dannah
September 2021 - Current
Nora Dannah completed a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics in 2021. She now manages the day-to-day running of the Gilbride Lab. As well, she oversees the lab's research operations to ensure they are running smoothly.
Babneet Channa
September 2022 - Present
Farnaz Farahbakhsh
September 2021 - Current
Farnaz Farahbakhsh received her Master’s of Clinical Sciences at the University of Western Ontario. For several years she has been involved as a leader in stem cell donor recruitment in Canada, advocating for patients from diverse ethnic groups who need a blood stem cell transplantation. She is currently leading the Stem Cell Club’s Iranian Donors Save Lives Campaign alongside an engaging team of volunteers to recruit Iranians as potential stem cell donors.
Adam Varghese
May 2020 - May 2021
Junior Lab Coordinator
Biomedical Science BSc. 2nd year. Ryerson University
Adam became the Junior Lab Coordinator in May 2020. Adam oversees the day-to-day technical and administrative operations of a laboratory including inventory maintenance, ordering of supplies, and assisting with administration of laboratory personnel. He hopes to continue his career in health care after completing his studies at Ryerson.
Daniel Gómez Avín
May 2019 - August 2019
Biotechnology Engineering IBT. 4th year, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education
Daniel joined the lab as Mitacs intern from Mexico in May 2019. He worked with a PCR-based detection method to identify different incompatibility groups in bacterial communities and isolates from wastewater treatment plants and the natural aquatic environment. He also sequenced some of the PCR products to determine possible plasmids carried by these microorganisms. His research provided results on the prevalence of incompatibility groups and their host-range.
daniel.gomezavin@torontomu.ca
Katrina Mekhail
September 2018 - April 2019
Biomedical Science BSc. 3rd year, Ryerson University
Katrina started working in the lab as a Research Assistant with Farhan in September 2018. She is contributing to the ciprofloxacin project in exploring ciprofloxacin resistance in bacteria isolated from urban and rural water sources. Specifically, she is researching quinolone-resistance (Qnr) gene differences in resistant and sensitive isolates that confer possible increased ciprofloxacin resistance and dessimination processes.
kmekhail@torontomu.ca
Maverick Aradanas
September 2017 - April 2019
SCI 999- Research Practicum Student
Biology BSc. 4th year Ryerson University
Involved in making media, microbial culture work and helping with making antibiotic profiles and PCR. Maverick has great interest towards microbiology, in particular interactions between microorganisms within extreme environments such as waste water treatment plants. Maverick aspires work within sectors involving microbiology, either as a researcher or professional work.
Hina Anwar
September 2018 - December 2018
UK Intern - Masters in Pharmacy, UCL
Hina is doing her Masters in pharmacy and joined the lab for the Fall 2018 semester to work on a research project as part of her degree. Her project for the fall term was on characterizing Archaea clones with the amoA gene isolated from wastewater treatment plants. She focused on the ammonia oxidation step of nitrification carried out by archaea and looked at phylogenetic differences within archael WWTP isolates. She is currently finishing up her degree and looking to start her career as a pharmacist.
Danica Dy
May 2017 - August 2017, May 2018 - August 2018
US Intern – Biological Sciences BS. 3rd year, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Danica joined the Gilbride Lab as a research intern in the Summer of 2017, working on a project identifying ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates in urban and rural water sources in the GTA alongside Farhan and the Summer 2017 Berkeley Intern, Katherine Baney. She returned the following summer as a research assistant to continue the project on identifying quinolone resistance genes and their frequency as a mehcanism for ciprofloxacin resistance. Danica hopes to integrate her passion for science and public health as a researcher and in a future profession.
Kate Davies
September 2017 - April 2018
Biology BSc. 4th year, Ryerson University
Kate was junior lab manager during her time in the Gilbride lab and will be graduating Ryerson in the Spring of 2019 from the Biology program. She will be starting a Master’s at the University of Toronto in Scarborough in fall 2019 in the Environmental Science program.
Past Research Assistants: Perter Vi, Hooman Sarvi, Katherine Baney, Jaerok Kim, Sharmay Cu, Tung Nguyen, Zohreh Kianfard, Nadine Paul, Chak Chan, Alexandra Cordner, Pranavan Selvananthan, Fatima Sotoudehfar, Sameer Khan
Past Students
Oluwatosin Aladekoyi
Graduate student, Environmental Applied Science and Management.
Oluwatosin’s research employs an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the impact of contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs) in wastewater, with a focus on the risk that the presence of pharmaceuticals in wastewater poses on human and ecosystem health. His research aligns perfectly with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which ensures the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. He hopes that his research will educate the general public on the true risk associated with CECs and also contribute to knowledge within the academic and industrial sectors. He is working under the supervision of Dr. Kimberley Gilbride. He is also exploring the application of modern genomic techniques and practices (metagenomic data analysis) to investigate the structure and function of the microbial community in the wastewater. Oluwatosin’s background and experience extend across a diverse range of disciplines: microbiology, industrial microbiology, waste management, ecotoxicology, and environmental management.
Amir Tehrani
September 2010 - Winter 2020
BSc. Biology, Ryerson University; PhD. Molecular Science, Ryerson University
Amir graduated with his BSc in Biology from Ryerson in 2013. Later that year he joined the lab as a Master's student. Amir then converted directly from his Master’s to his PhD and has graduated in the winter of 2020. Amir’s project focused on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment plants and the identification of the species that carry those genes. He has sequenced the plasmids from several of the isolates in the hope of determining the common sequences shared by wastewater microorganisms to better understand the mechanisms behind gene dissemination in mixed communities.
amir.tehrani@torontomu.ca
Saher Ahmed
September 2017 - May 2021
Master's candidate in Environmental Science
Saher started in the lab as a Research Assistant in September 2017 working under Farhan Yusuf on the ciprofloxacin project. She took on the position of junior lab manager in the summer of 2018. Afterwards she worked on her thesis project looking at the metabolic capabilities of Variovorax that have been isolated from WWTP's. She graduated in the spring of 2019 and is now pursuing a Master's degree in molecular biology and microbiology in the Gilbride Lab.
Farhan Yusuf
September 2013 - Winter 2020
BSc. Biology; MSc. Molecular Science
Farhan graduated from the Biology program at Ryerson in 2017 and started his Master’s in the fall of that year; he has completed his masters in 2020. Starting in the Gilbride Lab in 2013, he worked and led several projects under the umbrella of antibiotic resistance primarily focusing on tetracycline, tigecycline and ciprofloxacin. This involved collecting antibiotic resistant isolates from several urban sites including the WWTP and screening them for genes thought to be involved in their mode of action. In coordination with other lab members and interns past project included: Detection of Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Urban Watersheds, The Characterization of Tigecycline Resistant Bacteria in Wastewater Treatment Plants and The Determination of Ciprofloxacin Resistant Bacteria in Urban and Rural Water Sources. Farhan is currently interested in knowing the frequency and composition of plasmid genetic information that is passed between bacterial members in the wastewater and the conditions of the treatment process that favour HGT.
farhan.yusuf@torontomu.ca
Golam Islam
June 2010 - January 2018
Senior PhD student
Biology BSc. Molecular Science MSc.
Golam was investigating ammonia oxidizer and nitrification in wastewater treatment systems using molecular techniques such as qPCR, cloning and DGGE during his time in the Gilbride lab. In the past he has investigated the impact of pharmaceutical compounds on waste water microbial communities. Golam hopes to apply molecular techniques to study environmental microorganisms that have important clinical, industrial and biogeochemical functions. Presently, Golam is doing a post-doc at University of Ontario Institute of Technology with Dr. Jena-Paul Desaulniers looking at ‘Photoresponsive siRNAs as a biotechnological tool to examine gene function’.
gislam@torontomu.ca or Islam.tousif@yahoo.com
Hossam Abdelrahman
March 2014 - December 2016
Graduate Student, Volunteer Research Assistant
Environmental Applied Science and Management MASc
Hossam did his undergraduate degree at Athabasca University and came to Ryerson for some hands on experience in his graduate studies. Hossam examined the effects of Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) on the microbial population in activated sludge obtained from Humber wastewater treatment plant. He performed DNA extraction, purification, sequencing analysis, PCR, qPCR and learned many applicable skills. Hossam is interested in pursuing research into multiresistant bacterial pathogens.
Past graduate students: Roshanak Pashang, Reza Syed Muhammed Bokhari, Brian Hanna, Shawn Clark, Mariam Haffar, Amy Pogue
Michael Umana
September 2023 – Present
Undergraduate Thesis Student
Michael is pursuing his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is currently completing his undergraduate thesis under the supervision of Dr. Gilbride where he is focusing on the analysis of E. coli samples to assess the influence of copper on antibiotic resistance. Michael's dedication to advocating for equitable healthcare access is evident in his academic pursuits and extracurricular participation in charitable organizations. He aspires to specialize in research aimed at enhancing healthcare accessibility, particularly for underserved populations.
Past Students
Nicholas De Mola
September 2022 - Present
Undergraduate Thesis Student
Fatima Shahid
October 2019 - Present
Undergraduate Thesis Student
Biomedical Science BSc. 4th year. Ryerson University
Fatima started at the lab as a research assistant in October 2019 working on projects with Saher Ahmed and Farhan Yusuf. In the summer of 2020, she obtained the URO summer research award and continued her work at the lab. In 2021, she began her undergraduate thesis project which was the continuation of Saher’s Masters' project. Her project looks at the effect of zinc and copper on antibiotic resistance dissemination in bacteria isolated from wastewater treatment. This project investigates plasmid conjugation rates in E. Coli bacteria under heavy metal selective pressures to determine if there is a co-selection of heavy metal resistance genes and antibiotic resistance genes.
Maria Catracchia
September 2019 - Present
Undergraduate Thesis Student
Biomedical Science BSc. 4th year. Ryerson University
Royce Ing
June 2018 - Winter 2020
Undergraduate Thesis Student
Biomedical Science BSc. Ryerson University
After joining the lab in summer 2018 as a research practicum student, Royce has assisted in studies of urban wastewater microorganisms, particularly regarding the transfer of plasmid genes that confer ciprofloxacin resistance. In summer of 2019, Royce aquired a URO scholarship and started to work in the lab as a research assistant. Royce started his thesis at the Gilbride Lab in the fall of 2019 and completed it in the winter of 2020. His thesis revolved around the use of CRISPR/Cas to combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. With an aptitude for science and a penchant for hands-on involvement, Royce aspires to become a dentist and manage his own clinic in Toronto.
Amanda Marple
November 2015 - April 2018
Volunteer Research Assistant, Former: Undergraduate Thesis, Junior Lab Manager
Biology BSc. (Hons) Ryerson University
Amanda completed her undergraduate thesis project with Dr. Gilbride in 2017. The objective for this project was to determine whether antibiotic resistance plasmids residing in bacterial isolates from wastewater treatment plants are able to be transferred amongst the diverse bacterial community from the same environment via the horizontal gene transfer mechanism known as conjugation. Amanda has recently started her MSc at Western University in Immunology and Microbiology, continuing with her passion of microbiology and molecular biology.
Simon Zhao
May 2014 - April 2018
Volunteer Research Assistant; Formerly Lab Manager and Undergraduate Thesis student
Master of Environmental Science Candidate 2018
Environmental Biology B.Sc (Hons) Ryerson Minor in Business Essentials
Simon volunteered in the Gilbride lab studying the Effects of Antibiotics on Extrapolymeric Substances in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant. Following work done by former master and undergraduate thesis students. Past projects included: Determining Microbial Population Diversity and Investigating Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms in Secondary Municipal Wastewater Treatment, The Effect of Tetracycline on The Nitrification Rate and Bacterial Composition in An Activated Sludge Community, The Detection of Tetracycline Resistant Genes in Urban Watersheds, and The Detection and Identification of Anammox Bacteria. Continuing graduate studies at the University of Toronto pursuing a Master of Environmental Science. Looking to work in the environmental consulting field
simon.zhao@torontomu.ca
Michel Kiflen
May 2016 – April 2018
NSERC USRA research student, Undergraduate thesis student
Biomedical Science BSc. Ryerson University
Michel Kiflen worked in the Gilbride lab under the capacity of an undergraduate thesis student (co-supervised by Dr. Warren Lee, St. Michael’s Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science) studying the effects and causative nature of low-density lipoprotein-derived cholesterol under the arterial endothelium on atherosclerosis. He joined the Gilbride lab in May 2016 as a NSERC USRA scholar, where he worked with Golam Islam on the functional redundancy between ammonia oxidizing bacteria and ammonia oxidizing archaea populations in secondary treatment systems of municipal wastewater treatment plants. Michel is currently at McMaster University doing his Masters in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI).
Tehreem Khan
September 2017 - April 2018
Undergraduate thesis student
Biology BSc. 4th year, Ryerson University
Tehreem’s undergraduate research focused on ammonia oxidizing microbes present in waste water treatment system designed by engineers. The previous studies show that archaea along with bacteria contribute to ammonia elimination in waste water treatment system. Tehreem is working to identify those archaeal species. Any new discovered archaea will be submitted to the NCBI database for future research. Tehreem has a deep interest in environmental microbiology and endeavours to get PhD in this field.
Peter Vi
September 2017 - April 2018
Undergraduate thesis student
Biomedical Science 4th year, Ryerson University
Peter's research looked at the contribution of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) to the removal of ammonia from wastewater and the effect of specific ammonia oxidation inhibitors on the functions of AOB and AOA. Peter is interested in being part of the healthcare field in the future.
Ramsey G Smith
September 2017 - May 2018
Undergraduate thesis student, Volunteer research assistant
Biomedical BSc. 4th year, Ryerson University
Ramsey first worked with Dr. Gilbride and Roshanak Pashang during the summer of 2016 addressing antibiotic resistant bacteria in different water systems. DNA tests such as multiplex PCR and gel electrophoresis were completed to assess their samples. Ramsey’s efforts continued with Dr. Gilbride and Amir Tehrani on the wastewater bacteria conjugation study. Beyond achieving an undergraduate degree, Ramsey wishes to focus more on medicine, in both a research and professional capacity.
Noah Poulin
September 2017 - April 2018
Undergraduate Thesis Student
Biomedical Science BSc. 4th year. Ryerson University
Noah worked with Farhan Yusuf on the ciprofloxacin project, looking at which isolates from urban and rural water sources are resistant to ciprofloxacin, as well as studying the underlying mechanisms of this resistance.
Past undergraduate thesis students: Igor Khvylia, Melissa Iazzi, Aditi Patel, Youdon Tsamotshang, Shadi Deljoomanesh, Matthew Santill