I got my B.Sc. with honors in Biology, and another in Microbiology/Immunology at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada in 1999. While this was going on, I spent two summers in the Crop Molecular Genetics laboratory at the College of Agriculture at the U of S working on identification of Quantitative Trait Loci in barley, under the watchful eye of Dr. Graham Scoles. In my last year, I worked on an undergraduate research project, determining the response of the immune system to low dose Leishmania infection, under the tutelage of Dr. Peter Bretscher. Now I'm at the U of A, working for Dr. Hurley, trying to determine the mechanism of effect of the cationic porphyrin TMPyP4 on c-myc expression, and how G-quadruplex structures play a role, both in the effect of TMPyP4, and in normal regulation of the c-myc proto-oncogene. In terms of hobbies, I play walleyball, enjoy wall climbing and collect cans of different brands of Dr. Pepper-flavored soda. As far as family, I have a mother and father, of course, still up in Saskatchewan, and no siblings. I do, however, have a medium-haired alley cat named Umlaut in my care. No wife, no kids (except the cat) and that's about it.