Training Committee
The Training Committee evaluates and recommends initiatives, including but not limited to travel and fellowship awards, to support GlycoNet’s training mission. The GlycoNet Trainee Association Executive Committee (GTA-EC) consists of highly qualified personnel (HQP) selected by the Training Committee and serves as the liaison between the Network and its HQP community.
Members of the Committee
Warren is a Professor from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta. The Wakarchuk lab investigates the structure and function of the enzymes which make and degrade various glycoconjugates. This work has been enabling the chemo-enzymatic synthesis of bioactive glycoconjugates both in the laboratory and for industrial projects. The Wakarchuk lab has expertise with both mammalian and bacterial carbohydrate active enzymes for glycan remodelling applications.
Chris originally hails from the great state of New York, where he pursued his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the State University of New York-Albany. In 1996, he moved on to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the supervision of Prof. Laura L. Kiessling. After completing his graduate studies in 2002, he became an NIH Postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology with Prof. David E. Golan. Chris began his appointment as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Alberta in July of 2006, and is a Principal Investigator in the Alberta Glycomics Centre (formerly known as the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science (AICCS)), and is also a member of the Consortium for Functional Glycomics. His research interests include bioorganic and peptide chemistry, carbohydrate chemistry, chemical biology, biophysics, and cell biology.
Professor Gualdrón-López is a molecular immunoparasitologist specialized in Trypanosomes and malaria parasites. She earned her BSc in Biology (2003) and Master’s degree in Cell Biology (2005) from the Universidad de los Andes (Venezuela), focusing on the study of glycolytic enzymes of Leishmania mexicana. She later obtained a PhD in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2012) from the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium), studying glycosome biogenesis in Trypanosoma brucei. Her postdoctoral work includes research on T. cruzi glycosomal membrane proteins in Venezuela (2013) and investigating cellular immune mechanisms that regulate inflammation in Chagas disease at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil (2014). In 2016, she joined the Plasmodium Vivax and Exosome research group in Spain (ISGlobal), specializing in the study of extracellular vesicles (EVs) using in vivo models of Plasmodium vivax infection and patients’ samples to identify EV-associated antigens for vaccine development and disease biomarkers. Her research continued at the University of Alberta in Canada (2022) as a Research Associate, where she studied EVs in the context of P. falciparum placental malaria. In 2024, she became an Assistant Professor at McGill University’s Institute of Parasitology, investigating the role of EVs in the context of malaria and Chagas disease in pregnancy.
Dr. Liu is currently a Principal Scientist with responsibilities in process chemistry development at Gilead Sciences.
Dr. Jolie is a highly accomplished veterinarian with a diverse academic and professional background. She obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Ghent, Belgium, and pursued further studies, including internships and research assistantships. Dr. Jolie’s extensive academic journey includes a residency in Swine Medicine and a PhD focusing on airborne contaminants’ impact on swine respiratory health. Over the past 12+ years, she has held significant roles at Pfizer Animal Health and Merck Animal Health, showcasing her expertise in the field and culminating in the completion of an Executive MBA. At Merck Animal Health, she has led pivotal roles, including heading the Global Swine division, shaping strategic direction and ensuring product alignment to meet global market needs.
Dr. Thavy Long obtained her MSc thesis in Genetic and Microbiology and PhD in Cell Biology from University of Lille (France). It was during her PhD with Dr Colette Dissous that she really developed an interest in the molecular and cellular biology of helminths and particularly of Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic flatworm of humans. Her past project involved studies on protein kinases that regulate the development of reproductive organs and egg production in S. mansoni. She has also led numerous drug discovery and development projects against schistosomes during her postdoc-trainings with Dr. Conor Caffrey and Dr. James McKerrow at UC San Francisco and UC San Diego. Recently, she gained expertise on the biology of filarial parasites including the heartworm Dirofilaria immitis that infects companion animals by investigating the signaling pathways that govern the development of the infective stage. As an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Parasitology, Dr Long is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in immune evasion, developmental processes and metabolism of helminths including trematodes and filarial nematodes, to identify novel targets that could be the basis for new anthelminthics. In addition, her research focuses on developing tools to monitor the spread of drug resistance and elucidating the mechanisms of drug resistance in helminth parasites.
Dr. Simon Wisnovsky completed his PhD in Prof. Shana Kelley’s lab at the University of Toronto in 2017. He subsequently joined Prof. Carolyn Bertozzi’s group at Stanford University as a postdoctoral fellow and started as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC in July 2021.
Simon’s lab studies the cell surface glycome, a dense network of sugar molecules that coats the surface of every living cell. The glycome plays a fundamental role in regulating the activity of our immune system, helping immune cells to distinguish normal, healthy cells from abnormal cells and invading pathogens. In diseases like cancer, the structure of the cell-surface glycome becomes profoundly altered, allowing tumour cells to escape immune detection. Simon’s group applies cutting-edge CRISPR genomic screening technologies to better understand the complex genetic mechanisms that regulate these changes in cellular glycosylation. The overarching goal of his research is to identify druggable pathways that can be targeted to modulate the cell-surface glycome, generating new therapeutic options for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease.
Ellen is a PhD student in Dr. Lisa Willis’ lab at the University of Alberta, where her research focuses on the structure, function, and biological roles of short-chain sialic acids (oligoSia).
Current project centers on the development of new methodologies to study oligoSia with the aim of understanding how these unique glycan structures contribute to red blood cell biology. By combining biochemical, molecular, and analytical approaches, she aims to uncover new insights into the red blood cell glycocalyx and the broader implications of oligoSia in health and disease. When she is not at the lab, she enjoys running, baking, and reading.
Observer
Elizabeth is the CEO of GlycoNet. She was involved in the GlycoNet initiative since the Letter of Intent stage and served as the Associate Director, Business for the Alberta Glycomics Centre from 2007–2015. Prior to her position with the Centre, she worked as a manager of large-scale and multi-institutional projects with Genome Prairie. In addition to her PhD in biochemistry, Elizabeth has an MBA in biotechnology management.