Abby received a BA in English from Cornell University in 2002. She discovered her love of development and genetics as a research assistant studying maize leaf patterning in the lab of Dr. Sarah Hake (UC Berkeley). Genetics lead her to Drosophila and she carried out her PhD in the lab of Dr. Iswar Hariharan (UC Berkeley) investigating the genetic control of cell proliferation during imaginal disc regeneration. She then switched coasts, switched model organisms (again) and became a life-long devotee of microscopy, while carrying out her postdoctoral studies in the labs of Drs. Jean-Claude Labbé (Université de Montréal, IRIC) and Paul Maddox (UNC Chapel Hill). When not at the microscope, she enjoys lattes, spending time with her two occasionally delightful children, growing vegetables, climbing or reading a good book.

Réda received a BSc in biological sciences from the Université de Montréal (UdeM) in 2018, while also completing research internships in the lab of Dr. Marc Drolet (UdeM) and of Dr. Jean-Claude Labbé (UdeM, IRIC), where he began to work on C. elegans. Between programming and microscopy, he is currently continuing his studies at the PhD level under the direction of Dr. Jean-Claude Labbé (UdeM, IRIC) and Dr. Abigail Gerhold (McGill). Reda is trying to identify the different technical factors that can affect the division of germline stem cells (GSCs) in C. elegans during live cell imaging. During his MSc, he wants to demystify the relationship between GSC mitotic spindle orientation and the maintenance of germline tissue organization. Fun fact - Réda has been passionate about fishing since he was 8 and has been manipulating worms for years, but never imagined that worms would follow him during his studies.

Priscila is from Mexico and studied Biology at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She has a Masters in Biological Sciences. Her thesis focused on the expression of early developmental claudins in cancer stem cells under the guidance of Dr. Erika Rendón. She rapidly became fascinated in developmental biology and how stem cells give rise to different cells through asymmetric division. As a Ph.D. student, she will study the contribution of PAR-1, Mad1 and Mad2 proteins to SAC strength during the early stages of development in C. elegans embryos. In her leisure time, she loves swimming, playing animal crossing and spending time with her pets.

Alison comes from New Caledonia and received a MSc in the Biology of Reproduction from Paris Diderot University in France. She did her internship in Katja Wassmann's Lab (UPMC) and worked on SAC control and the CPC during mouse oocyte meiosis II. As she likes to travel and discover new things, she has decided to change cities and change models. As a PhD student, she will study how SAC strength differs between cells in the somatic and germline lineage in C. elegans embryos and how these differences are linked to PAR-mediated cytoplasmic asymmetries.

Eric received his BSc in Biology from Queen’s University in 2019. He was first introduced to C. elegans while doing his Honours research project under the supervision of Dr. Ian Chin-Sang (Queen’s University). His project involved studying a role for a kinesin-like protein, KLP-20, in microRNA regulation. His MSc research is focused on the insulin signaling pathway and whether it regulates mitosis in the germline stem cells of C. elegans. Eric will never say no to coffee, food, or a chat. He is a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan, enjoys being active and loves to nerd out about space.

John received his BSc in Genetics and Biotechnology from the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM) in Peru where he characterized the Lateral Line System of the African Killifish, Notobranchius furzeri, as part of his thesis work. He then had a flurry of internships working on the epigenetics of neural crest development, the post-translational process of SUMOylation and its relation to cellular senescence, the regeneration of the spinal cord in the frog Xenopus laevis, and the development of a new gene editing system in Zebrafish. As a PhD student he wants to understand the diversification of protein components of the SAC and their effect on SAC fitness. In his free time, he enjoys reading books about literature and history, as well as going to underground concerts and, of course, spending time with his family.

Augusto was raised in the Dominican Republic and recently completed a BSc with Honours in Biology at Carleton University (2023). He did an internship under Dr. Kenneth Storey researching histone acetylation in the wood frog, and an undergraduate thesis with Dr. Roslyn Dakin exploring the flocking behaviour of migrant and resident finches. During his MSc project, he will examine the effect of external stressors resulting from unfavourable environmental conditions on the mitotic progression of germline stem cells in C. elegans. For fun, Augusto loves painting figurines, rewatching The Lord of the Rings, exploring nature, and reading.

Imge received a BSc in Pharmacology at McGill (2013). She returned to the lab life in 2017 and joined the lab of Dr. Alisa Piekny (Concordia). There she received her MSc (2019) and PhD (2022) in Biology. Imge loves anything related to cell division, so during her graduate studies she characterized cytokinesis in the two-cell C. elegans embryo and explored how a chromatin-sensing pathway functions during cytokinesis in vivo. As a postdoc, she will research how the SAC is regulated by cell size and fate in the early C. elegans embryo. In her free time, she loves to rewatch TV shows, eat, cook, travel and socialize. She does not think a dessert can be too sweet and will wait extra to sit at the front of the rollercoaster.