The Journal of Undergraduate
McGill Physiology Students

Simone is a U3 student completing a Bachelor of Science with a major in Physiology and a minor in English Literature. She is driven by a commitment to make scientific research approachable, engaging, and meaningful for anyone eager to learn. She is especially interested in bridging the gap between complex physiological research and public understanding by fostering curiosity and scientific literacy among students and people from all backgrounds. Her research focuses on brain injury in critical care populations under the supervision of Dr. Mypinder Sekhon at the University of British Columbia, with particular attention to how immunomodulatory interventions may influence outcomes in post-cardiac arrest patients following hypoxic injury. She also examines inflammatory biomarkers and their relevance to predicting outcomes and translational research. As an editor, Simone views JUMPS as an invaluable platform for undergraduates to engage directly with scientific work, both as readers and as contributors. She hopes the journal not only highlights the quality of undergraduate research, but opens more students to the process of academic reviewing and publishing. Now serving her second and final term as Editor-in-Chief, Simone is committed to ensuring the success of JUMPS for future years by expanding its reach, maintaining high editorial standards, and creating pathways for more undergraduates to engage and learn. Outside of academics, Simone serves as President of the Physiology Undergraduate League of Students and enjoys reading, trying new restaurants, and volleyball in her free time.

Jathin Rao is a U3 student pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Honours Physiology at McGill University. His academic interests include rare cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular genetics, coronary artery disease, thoracic aortic aneurysms, trauma surgery, and colorectal cancer. Specifically, he investigates Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (CCM) under Dr. Rajat Gupta in the Mass General Brigham Department of Human Genetics at Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where he contributed to the discovery of novel causal genetic mechanisms in CCM pathogenesis. His more recent projects focus on functional proteomics & genomics, characterization of the CCM pathway, and CAD/TAAD genetics. Jathin also investigates surgical outcomes for a myriad of trauma surgery cases, as well as improvement of hospital policy and resource allocation at the UMass Chan Medical School Department of Trauma Surgery. He is currently conducting his honours thesis research on inflammatory and cellular stress response programs in colorectal cancer cells under Dr. Volker Blank in the McGill Division of Clinical and Translational research at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research. Jathin served as an Editor for JUMPS’ revival last year, and now serves as Editor-in-Chief, where he hopes to expand the journal’s reach, uphold its academic excellence, and cultivate a space that reflects the ambition, creativity, and collaborative spirit of the McGill physiology community. Outside of his academic pursuits, Jathin serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs for the Physiology Undergraduate League of Students and the Physiology Student Liaison to the McGill Faculty of Science Academic Committee. Jathin is also a freelance photographer, tutor, teaching assistant, volleyball player, martial artist, powerlifter, and lifelong musician with over 17 years of Tabla training.

David is a U3 Honours Physiology student at McGill University with a strong interest in the clinical management and outcomes of chronic disease. His honours research project in Dr. Benjamin Smith’s lab examines the relationship between early-life deprivation and chronic inflammation later in life from a Canadian population cohort. Additionally, David is involved in clinical research in Toronto, where he studies the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on kidney function, and in Boston, where he contributes to projects aimed at optimizing hospital resource allocation to improve patient access to care. Beyond research, David is actively engaged in student leadership and education. He serves as Chair for McGill’s student newspapers The Daily and Le Délit where he works to strengthen student participation and campus engagement. In parallel, he works as a tutor for first- and second-year biomedical science courses, supporting students’ academic development and fostering sustained engagement with core scientific concepts.

Ella is a U1 Physiology student at McGill University with a strong interest in experimental medicine, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular clinical research. She plans to pursue an Honours degree in Physiology and aspires to become a physician. At the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, she has conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis examining sex differences in plaque characteristics and vulnerabilities in coronary atherosclerosis. Ella is deeply passionate about undergraduate scientific research, and as a JUMPS editor, she aims to  support authors while encouraging fellow Physiology students to pursue research-related endeavors. Ella also serves as the U1 Representative for the Physiology Undergraduate League of Students (PULS), acting as a liaison between the organization and her peers. Outside of academics, she enjoys travelling, attending concerts, skiing, and baking.

Nelia is a U1 Physiology student minoring in Neuroscience with a strong interest in neurodegenerative disease, the clinical applications of physiology, and improving the accessibility of scientific research for undergraduates. She works as a lab assistant at the Montreal Neurological Institute, contributing to the C-BIG Repository’s large-scale patient data initiatives. As a JUMPS editor, she hopes to bridge the gap between complex scientific literature and undergraduate understanding, encouraging early engagement with academic inquiry. Nelia is actively involved in her community through the Physiology Undergraduate League of Students and as Co-Vice President of Marketing for The Women’s Network McGill. Looking ahead, she plans to pursue the Honours Physiology program and a career in medicine. Outside of academics, she enjoys hot yoga and Pilates, and loves baking, cooking, and getting lost in a good book or playlist.

Grace Du is a U2 Honour Physiology student at McGill University who loves exploring different avenues of biomedical research. While working at Dr. Shuaiqi Guo’s lab, she studied microbial adhesion in diverse biomedical and environmental contexts. Grace also investigated the binding interaction between a Vibrio cholerae adhesin and a library of small molecule inhibitors, with the goal of identifying antagonists that can block the binding of the bacterium to host tissues and circumvent infection. She is currently completing a research project in Dr. Gergely Lukacs’ lab, using electrophysiology to understand how a triple-drug combination can affect the activity of CFTR, the ion channel implicated in cystic fibrosis. As a JUMPS editor, Grace hopes to provide undergraduate researchers with a platform to showcase their work while making scientific literature more accessible to the student body. Outside of academics, Grace enjoys reading, playing video games, and discovering new food in Montreal.

Jiaqi is a U3 student majoring in Physiology with a minor in Pharmacology. Her diverse research background spans oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, she is doing research at the Morag Park Lab in the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Centre;here, she utilizes proteomics to identify biomarkers for METΔex14 lung cancers. She has also contributed to Alzheimer’s disease research in the Gerhard Multhau Lab, where she investigated antibody specificity and treatment for Alzheimer’s by targeting toxic amyloid oligomers. As a JUMPS editor, Jiaqi believes that critical appraisal skills are fundamental to rigorously assessing a paper’s validity and objectivity, ensuring that only high-quality, well-reasoned work is published. Beyond academics, she works as a Lab Assistant at McGill’s ABIF and is a Grand Prize Winner with the McGill iGEM team.

Evonne is a U3 Physiology student with over three years of research experience in oncology, orthopaedics, and biomechanics. Her work focuses on improving outcomes for patients with rare sarcomas, including chondrosarcoma and epithelioid hemangioendo- thelioma. She serves as a National Student Lead with the Canadian Sarcoma Research and Clinical Collaboration, coordinating multi-centre projects across Canadian cancer centres. Her work is supervised by Drs. Abha Gupta, Hagit Peretz, and Xiaolan Feng, and focuses on data quality and manuscript development. In addition, Evonne conducts biomechanical research at the McCaig Institute with Drs. Kelly Johnston, Gregor Kuntze, and Janet Ronsky, evaluating gait and kinematic outcomes following unicondylar versus total knee arthroplasty. She is a contributing author in the European Journal of Cancer, URNCST Journal, and Journal of Orthopaedic Research. Outside academics, Evonne is a co-founder of Athletes in Action Montréal, a varsity badminton and ultramarathon athlete, and enjoys any mountain adventure.

Reuben is a U2 Biochemistry student who is passionate about biomedical research, and particularly interested in the communication of science across all academic backgrounds. Reuben brings a molecular biology perspective to JUMPS, focusing on how physiological processes become dysregulated at the molecular level in disease. He has been involved in a diverse portfolio of undergraduate research at McGill, including working on the protein structure of muscles in the Schöck lab and studying dysregulated DNA repair in the context of intellectual disability in the Cuella Martin Lab. Reuben has also been conducting research in the Sonenberg Lab at the Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, where he studies the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and glioblastoma. Outside of academics, Reuben can be found playing volleyball or tennis, cooking, reading, and never missing a Liverpool FC game.

Lareina Shen is a U3 Honours Physiology student at McGill with research experience spanning cardiac electrophysiology, computational modelling, and cortical circuit neuroscience. She is completing an Honours thesis in Dr. Jesper Sjöström’s lab, mapping cortical microcircuits using rodent neurosurgical methods, whole-cell patch clamping, optogenetic stimulation, and confocal imaging. In Dr. Gil Bub’s lab, she engineered light-sensitive cardiac cell models and co-developed iMyocyte, an interactive cardiac dynamics simulator now used by 1,000+ McGill students, while building strong skills in computational modelling. She has also worked in the Shrier Lab optimizing hiPSC-derived cardiac spheroids for arrhythmia-related drug studies. Lareina also supports student learning as a course assistant and teaching mentor, and contributes to community-building through physiology student leadership. Beyond academics, she is a varsity badminton athlete, tutor, pianist, and enthusiastic foodie/content creator.