Three outstanding post-doctoral fellows have been recruited to Queen’s as a result of the inaugural Queen’s Research Opportunities Funds competition.

The Post-Doctoral Fund, intended to attract competitive post-doctoral candidates to the university and support their research contributions, is part of the suite of internal research awards launched by the Office of the Vice-Principal (Research) in fall 2015.

“My sincere congratulations to the successful recipients of the Post-Doctoral Fund,” says Dr. Steven Liss, Vice-Principal (Research). “As was our intention in developing this opportunity, these funds have drawn leading young scholars to the university and will help to propel their research careers in new and exciting directions. I look forward to seeing the contributions made by these individuals.”

The successful recipients are Reza Nosrati (Chemical Engineering), Jaqueline Raymondi Silva (Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine) and Gregory Whitfield (Political Studies).

“Post-doctoral fellows play an important role in advancing research at Queen’s,” says Dr. Brenda Brouwer, Vice Provost and Dean, School of Graduate Studies. “We are thrilled that three new post-doctoral fellows will take up these awards‎ in the next academic year − they will bring energy and fresh perspective to the research community.”

More information on the post-doctoral fellows:

Reza Nosrati – Dr. Nosrati is ready to apply his vast academic background in fluid mechanics to Prof. Carlos Escobedo’s research on the applications of micro-technology into cell biology and sensing.

Dr. Nosrati defended his PhD thesis in March 2016 at the University of Toronto, which focused on microfluidics for male infertility treatment. He has published more than 40 papers with 14 of them residing in high-profile scientific journals like Nature Communications. His works, including his groundbreaking discovery of the 2D slither swimming mode of sperm, have been highlighted several times in renowned journals such as Nature Reviews Urology and featured in news sources worldwide including LA Times and Daily Mail.

Dr. Nosrati’s unique skill set will assist Prof. Escobedo in his two research streams: developing and applying microstructures to interact with living cells, and developing sensing technologies for detection of ovarian cancer in early stages. Dr. Nosrati’s experience in creating and developing microstructures will be of particular value to Prof. Escobedo’s current project of designing and testing microtech-based platforms for studying biofilm formation and degradation.

Jaqueline Raymondi Silva – Dr. Silva is excited to be joining the Queen’s Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine as a post-doctoral fellow this year. Under the supervision of Nader Ghasemlou, Dr. Silva will be able to pursue her passion for research into the impacts of pain in post-herpectic neuralgia, or shingles.

While completing her doctorate at the Universidade de São Paulo, Dr. Silva developed a new model of this disease in the mouse. She will now bring this expertise, along with her background in somatosensory and immunology research, to Dr. Ghasemlou’s team. As part of the Ghasemlou lab, Dr. Silva will study the neuroimmune basis underlying post-herpetic neuralgia using animal models, with a focus on changes to circadian rhythms. Dr. Silva’s experience in this field will be key to carrying out the Ghasemlou lab’s bedside-to-bench-and-back study, allowing her to use her doctoral research in a new academic community.

Dr. Silva will be able to build collaborations with other Queen’s researchers and to mentor new undergraduate and graduate students entering the fields of neuroscience and immunology. The experiences and training she receives at Queen’s will support her in her goal of eventually establishing her own laboratory and research team in Brazil.

Gregory Whitfield – Beginning in August, Margaret Moore in the Department of Political Studies will see one of her past graduate students return to her as a post-doctoral fellow. Gregory Whitfield completed his master’s degree at Queen’s and successfully defended his PhD at Washington University in St. Louis. His dissertation is about the connection between the theories and methods used in social science research and normative political theories and ethics, but he also has strong academic interests in the study of legal systems and Aboriginal property rights.

He is thrilled to be able to apply his knowledge to Dr. Moore’s SSHRC-funded project on methods of corrective justice, where his fellowship will allow him to research normative theories that contribute to Aboriginal land claims. Considering North America’s origin as a settler nation that has struggled with Aboriginal territory ownership, Dr. Whitfield’s contribution will be very relevant to the current political landscape. Dr. Moore has identified Dr. Whitfield’s analysis as essential to covering all aspects of land rights and necessary self-government after land dispossession in her SSHRC project. Dr. Whitfield will also be able to forge new research relationships with other faculty members throughout his time at Queen’s.

More information on all of the QROF recipients please visit the Office of the Vice-Principal (Research)’s website. The 2016-2017 QROF competition will launch in the fall.