We’re happy to welcome three new graduate students to the Santerre Lab this coming Fall:

Brian Webb

“I am a recent graduate of the Biomedical Science Program at Trent University, where I completed my fourth-year thesis entitled “Eggshell-membrane biopolymers incorporated with chitosan and plant extracts for wound healing: Preparation and characterization” in the lab of Dr. Andrew Vreugdenhil. The project focused on engineering and characterizing eggshell membrane biopolymer wound dressings with incorporated antibacterial plant extracts for their application as wound care products. I am excited to be joining Dr. Santerre’s lab and the IBBME as a MASc student, where I will be using human stem cells, biomaterials and a bioreactor which will allow for the generation of a gingival tissue construct with its cells sourced from the host.”

Zach Gouveia

"Zach is an incoming PhD student in the Faculty of Dentistry. He previously attended Western University completing his BESc in Biochemical Engineering and MESc in Biomedical Engineering. His project in the Santerre lab involves the development of biostable monomers and polymer composites to improve the robustness of dental resin materials. He is co-supervised by Dr. Santerre and Dr. Yoav Finer.”

Shirley Chung

“Shirley is a MASc candidate in Biomedical Engineering at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. In 2020, she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a specialization in Biotechnology at the University of Waterloo. Currently, her research project aims to develop a delivery system for neonatal stem cell secretomes as a potential treatment for heart failure. In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, travelling, and trying out new baking recipes.”