OUR TEAM
2021-2022

Kathryn McTavish
Co-President
"I am this year's co-president from the ESC building. I am a 4th year PhD student in the Guttman Lab studying the evolution of host specificity for the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Through CSBGU, I aim to foster a sense of community and create a positive environment for our CSB family."

Eduardo Ramirez Rodriguez
cAREER & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
"Hi, I'm Eduardo, a third year as PhD student in the McFarlane Lab at CSB. I use a combination of proteomics, genetics and bioinformatics to investigate the intricate signaling that regulates cell wall integrity in plants. When I'm not in the lab, you can find me catching up with the latest Netflix series or enjoying some vitamin D"

PJ Gamueda
SPORTS COORDINATOR
“Hi! My name is PJ and I am your 2021-2022 Sports Coordinator. I am a second year MSc student in the Provart lab studying guard-cell specific drought tolerance genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. In my free time I love tending to my plant babies, bouldering, working out, playing League of Legends, and watching YouTube.”

Ernest Iu
SEMINAR REP
"Hello, I'm a 4th year PhD student at the Plotnikov lab. As a seminar rep, I will organize the monthly graduate student seminars and invite external guest speakers for our department. If you're interested to give a short talk to our grads, please email me. I'm looking forward to working with you all in this coming year."

Racquel Singh
SEMINAR REP
"Hi! I'm Racquel and I'm a 2nd year PhD student in the Guttman & Desveaux labs. As a seminar representative I am involved with inviting speakers to our departmental seminars and organizing the graduate student seminar series. Outside of the lab I enjoy birdwatching, scuba diving, and binging reality TV shows."

Manisha kabi
UTSC REP
"Hello! My name is Manisha, and I am a first year PhD student in the Filion lab at UTSC. My field of study is HIV Biology. Specifically, my research focuses on studying about the establishment and maintenance of HIV latency. Outside of the lab, I enjoy teaching, reading novels, cooking, and painting."

Mahmoud Bitar
UTM rep
"As a PhD student studying hormones and behavior, I’m very passionate about contributing to a better understanding of the intersection between body and mind, improving our communication about it and supporting that connection for a better collective living. As the UTM representative of the CSBGU this year, I’m aiming to strengthen CSBGU’s communication with and support for its CSB graduates at UTM, and promote mindful approaches to living and connecting with others through all the events I’m involved with at the CSBGU."