Principle Investigator
Dr. Dustin Little
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Dustin received his BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Waterloo. He then worked for one year in the food science industry before completing his PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. Dustin then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University before joining Toronto Metropolitan University in 2020 establishing his lab in the Department of Chemistry and Biology.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Ananya Nanda
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Ananya completed her PhD in Biotechnology from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology. Her project focuses on the engineering and production of COVID-19 reagents for the development of a rapid immunoassay for neutralizing antibodies. Outside the lab, Ananya enjoys traveling and exploring untouched places, trying out different cuisines, music, dancing, and walking. She is also a pet fanatic!
Dr. Walaa Bedewy
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Walaa completed her PhD in Pharmacy from Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt. Walaa is Co-supervised with Dr. Marc Adler and her project focuses on the development of a rapid immunoassay for detecting COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies and integration into a portable point-of-care device.
Graduate Students
Sarah Birstonas
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Sarah is a PhD student in the Molecular Sciences program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her project focuses on the post-translational regulation of the type III secretion system and how it affects bacterial virulence and infection. Sarah's interests include reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels, cooking, and cycling around The 6.
Thomas Esmond
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Thomas is a PhD student in the Molecular Sciences program at Toronto Metropolitan University. His project focuses on the post-translational regulation of O-antigen biosynthesis and how these modifications affect bacterial virulence and physiology. Outside the lab, Thomas is involved with Toronto Metropolitan University Tabletop Gamers in Science, enjoys video games, and plays the guitar.
Noelle Sawyer
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Noelle is a MSc student in the Molecular Sciences program at Toronto Metropolitan University and is Co-supervised with Dr. Gagan Gupta. Her work focuses on using unatural amino acids for conjugating drugs to recombinant proteins for host-cell delivery.
Esther Tang
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Esther is a MSc student in the Molecular Sciences program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her project focuses on the post-translational regulation of bacterial virulence systems through phosphorylation. Outside the lab, Esther enjoys arts-and-crafts, calligraphy, and playing badminton.
Senthuran Mahendradeva
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Senthuran is a MSc student in the Molecular Sciences program at Toronto Metropolitan University. His work focuses on characterizing post-translational modifications that affect the Type III Secretion System.
Mark Zary​
Mark is a MSc student in the Molecular Sciences program at Toronto Metropolitan University. His work focuses on characterizing post-translational modifications that affect the biosynthesis of bacterial surface glycans.
Undergraduate Students
Angeline Beltran
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Angeline is currently a fourth-year Biomedical Sciences student at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her project focuses on the post-translational regulation of bacterial virulence systems through phosphorylation. She is also involved on campus as ArtSci's Co-President and a Supported Learning Group Leader for first and second year courses. Outside the lab Angeline enjoys crafting, growing succulents, and hanging out with friends.
Ildem Gur
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Rachel Bliss​
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