Results of 2025 Doctoral Awards Competition
The Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC) is an integrated network for researchers, trainees and partners working to confront infectious disease challenges. We unite members across the University of Toronto and its hospital partners to accelerate cross-disciplinary work in the understanding and development of new countermeasures against pathogens. A key pillar of EPIC’s work is training the next generation of infectious disease research leaders that will help stop future pandemics and reduce the societal burdens of infectious disease.
EPIC Doctoral Awards are designed to support a cohort of multi/interdisciplinary trainees engaged in collaborative research in infectious diseases. These competitive awards support excellent students supervised by faculty from the University of Toronto and EPIC’s partner research institutes.
We are pleased to share the results of our third Doctoral Awards competition that we launched in October 2024 for students who achieved PhD candidacy in the last two calendar years, between January 2023 and December 2024.
Funding statistics
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Demographic data (gender and race)
Meet our 2025 Doctoral Awards recipients
Shana Alexander
Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Thesis title: Fc gamma receptor-targeting DNA nanostructures as vaccines
Supervisor: Leo Chou (University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering)
Omri Arbiv
Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation
Thesis title: Prophylactic strategies to reduce incidence of Pneumocystis pneumonia in individuals with cancer and autoimmune rheumatic inflammatory disease in Ontario, Canada
Supervisors: Andrea Gershon (Sunnybrook Research Institute) and Kuan Liu (University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health)
Yami Ommar Arizmendi Cardenas
Department of Molecular Genetics
Thesis title: Unveiling protist-bacteria interactions through computational metabolic modelling
Supervisor: John Parkinson (The Hospital for Sick Children, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Ali Barzegar Khanghah
Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Thesis title: Novel approaches for smart infection prevention in healthcare settings
Supervisor: Atena Roshan Fekr (University Health Network, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering)
Taylor Battellino
Department of Biochemistry
Thesis title: Structure-based investigation of matrix protein oligomerization and nucleoprotein interaction during paramyxovirus assembly
Supervisor: Michael Norris (University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Justin Callahan
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
Thesis title: Mechanisms of immune resilience in viral myocarditis
Supervisor: Slava Epelman (University Health Network, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Deepa Chaphekar
Department of Biological Sciences
Thesis title: Characterizing the impact of virion-incorporated CD38 on HIV infection
Supervisor: Christina Guzzo (University of Toronto Scarborough, Faculty of Arts and Science)
Yu Ying Fan
Department of Molecular Genetics
Thesis title: Characterization of Srb-RNA interactions in mycobacteria
Supervisor: Jun Liu (University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Mohammadamir Ghasemian Moghaddam
Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Thesis title: Bifunctional DNA origami antiviral platform for enhanced SARS-CoV-2 neutralization and clearance
Supervisor: Leo Chou (University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering)
Sumiha Karunagaran
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology
Thesis title: Role of the pleural immune compartment in bacterial lung infection
Supervisor: Stephen Juvet (University Health Network, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Pranamika Khayargoli
Public Health Sciences
Thesis title: Evaluating the real-world effectiveness of the human papillomavirus vaccine among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in three large Canadian cities
Supervisors: Ann Burchell (University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health)
Dongyeob Lee
Department of Molecular Genetics
Thesis title: Decrypting secondary metabolism with two regulators of gene expression in streptomyces
Supervisor: Jun Liu (University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Ahmed Mohamed
Department of Molecular Genetics
Thesis title: Identifying EBV-conditional host fitness genes using CRISPR screens
Supervisors: Jack Greenblatt (Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research), Lori Frappier (University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Michelle Marie Ranjbar
Institute of Medical Science
Thesis title: A new mouse model of HIV in pregnancy; the EcoHIV+ pregnancy model
Supervisor: Lena Serghides (University Health Network, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Koorosh Roohi
Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Thesis title: Improving patient exposure risk estimation through location and activity analysis of caregivers
Supervisor: Atena Roshan Fekr (University Health Network, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering)
Meghan Rothenbroker
Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Thesis title: Optimizing antigen delivery to the lymph node using DNA nanotechnology for improved vaccine response
Supervisor: Leo Chou (University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering)
Mehdi Sadeghi
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Thesis title: Nano-PDMS coatings for enhanced protection against pathogen transmission and healthcare-associated infections
Supervisor: Kevin Golovin (University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering)
Jasmine Sheppard
Department of Molecular Genetics
Thesis title: Characterization of Epstein-Barr virus protein LF1 and its role in manipulating mRNA export
Supervisor: Lori Frappier (University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Nancy Tahmo
Department of Medicine
Thesis title: Community-based participatory modeling of HIV transmission: Assessing the influence of sexual networks on HIV epidemics among men who have sex with men in Kenya
Supervisor: Sharmistha Mishra (Unity Health Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Greaton Tan
Department of Physiology
Thesis title: Determining the therapeutic role of myeloid cell caspase 8 in viral Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Supervisors: Claudia dos Santos (Unity Health Toronto) and John Marshall (Unity Health Toronto), Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Jonathan Tersigni
Department of Molecular Genetics
Thesis title: Investigating mechanisms of microsporidia host cell invasion and specificity in nematodes
Supervisor: Aaron Reinke (University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Celene Titus
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Thesis title: Investigating the therapeutic potential of PPAR𝛾 agonist, INT131, in HIV-associated neurocognitive impairments
Supervisor: Reina Bendayan (University of Toronto, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy)
Jinny Tsang
Department of Immunology
Thesis title: Assessing the impact of sex on heterosexual genital bacteria transmission and inflammation in the female and male genital tracts in South-central Uganda
Supervisor: Rupert Kaul (University Health Network, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
David Van Ommen
Department of Biochemistry
Thesis title: Targeting the paramyxovirus matrix protein to develop broadly active antiviral therapies
Supervisor: Michael Norris (University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Joshua Yang
Department of Molecular Genetics
Thesis title: From splicing to suppression: Exploiting SR kinases and RNA processing in viral replication
Supervisor: Alan Cochrane (University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine)
Previous competition results
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