About me

Farnesylation during Seedling Development

History

    Neil began his Undergraduate program at the University of Calgary in 2013 where he met his wife, Claire. His research experience began in the summer of 2016 when he held an NSERC USRA position in the Dr. Marcus Samuel lab. Following the completion of his Honour's project, he finished his Undergraduate degree in Plant Biology in the Summer of 2017 and began his Graduate Studies the following Fall. Neil successfully passed his PhD Candidacy exam in March of 2020, immediately followed by a guest lecture series on Plant Biotechnology. Neil and his wife Claire were married in their own home in October of 2020.

    During his Graduate research focused on the hormonal and post-translational regulation of seedling development, Neil has become involved in the design and implementation of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in the Samuel lab for Arabidopsis thaliana, Cicer arietinum (chickpea), and Brassica napus (canola) for the targeted mutation of various genes. This involves careful analysis of genomic DNA and precise selection of potential target positions within the gene of interest in order to reduce the risk of off-target effects and to enable proper Cas9 function. This work has expanded to be involved in several research projects within the Samuel lab as we continue to uncover mechanisms for agricultural trait improvement.

    Outside of the lab, Neil has been involved with two undergraduate courses as a Teaching Assistant: one being a third/fourth-year course on the Biology of Fungi, the other a second/third-year course on Plant Systematics and Taxonomy. Beyond the application of course material, this position also allowed him to provide guest lectures introducing students to graduate research, engage students in critical thinking and biological application of research, and to encourage students to pursue further research activities. Furthermore, Neil has recently held Sessional Instructor positions at the University of Calgary. He taught 2 successive semesters of a second-year comparative biology course on plants and animals and has as well attained a teaching position for the same Plant Systematics and Taxonomy course.

About my projects