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Molecular Life Sciences

Faculty & staff

Office

The Molecular Life Sciences general office is located in the Petch Building, room 207.

For general enquiries phone 250-721-7077 or email the Director's assistant.

Mailing address

School of Molecular Life Sciences
Univeristy of Victoria
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria BC Canada
V8W 2Y2

Courier/in-person address

School of Molecular Life Sciences
University of Victoria
Petch Building Room 207
3800 Finnerty Road 
Victoria BC Canada
V8P 5C2

Faculty

Headshot of Dr. Jennifer Cobb on neutral background.

Dr. Jennifer Cobb

Professor and Director of the School Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Jennifer Cobb is a Professor and Director of the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc and PhD from the University of Tennessee.

Office: Petch 207b 250-721-7077

Area(s) of expertise:
Genome stability, DNA repair, chromatin, nuclear organization, cellular aging, and cancer development.
Smiling headshot of Dr. Catherine Bachewich in front of a white background

Dr. Catherine Bachewich

Associate Teaching Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Catherine Bachewich is a Teaching Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc from the University of British Columbia and a PhD from York University.

Office: Petch 183 250-472-4412

Area(s) of expertise:
Fungal biology, human fungal pathogens, fungal development, cell-cycle regulation, and microbial pathogenesis.
Headshot of Dr. Boraston with wooden shelves in background

Dr. Alisdair Boraston

Professor and Undergraduate Advisor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Alisdair Boraston is a Professor and the Undergraduate Advisor for the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc and PhD from the University of British Columbia.

250-472-4168

Area(s) of expertise:
Protein-carbohydrate recognition, host-pathogen interactions, bacterial toxins, and carbohydrate-active enzymes.
Smiling headshot of Dr. John Burke with a forested background.

Dr. John Burke

Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. John Burke is a Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD from the University of San Diego.

250-721-8732

Area(s) of expertise:
Structural biology, lipid signalling, cancer, infectious disease, immunology, proteomics, metabolomics, and aging.
Headshot of Dr. Caroline Cameron. Blurred lab in background.

Dr. Caroline Cameron

Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Caroline Cameron is a Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc and PhD from the University of Victoria.

250-853-3189

Area(s) of expertise:
Infectious diseases, spirochete bacteria, syphilis, and molecular interactions between pathogens and human cells.
Headshot of Dr. Stephen Evans, wearing a red baseball cap.

Dr. Stephen Evans

Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Stephen Evans is a Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc and PhD from the University of British Columbia.

Office: Petch 242 250-472-4548

Area(s) of expertise:
Protein-carbohydrate recognition, carbohydrate-active enzymes, X-ray crystallography, antibodies, and scientific visualization.
Smiling head shot of Dr. Nicolette Fonseca in front of cherry trees in blossom

Dr. Nicolette Fonseca

Assistant Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Nicolette Fonseca is an Assistant Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences and a scientist at BC Cancer. Academic credentials include a BSc and MSc from Goa University and a PhD from the University of British Columbia.

250-519-5500 (ext 693749)

Area(s) of expertise:
Prostate cancer genomics, circulating tumour DNA, tumour immunology, T-cell biology, and cytokine signalling.
Smioling headshot of Dr. Mariya Goncheva on neutral grey background

Dr. Mariya Goncheva

Assistant Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Mariya Goncheva is an Assistant Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc and PhD from the University of Edinburgh.

250-721-7071

Area(s) of expertise:
Respiratory infections, viral-bacterial co-infections, influenza, coronaviruses, Staphylococcus aureus, and host-pathogen interactions.
Smiling headshot of Dr. David Goodlett

Dr. David Goodlett

Professor and Director of the UVic Genome BC Proteomics Centre Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. David Goodlett is a Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences and Director of the University of Victoria–Genome BC Proteomics Centre. Academic credentials include a BSc and PhD from North Carolina State University.

250-721-7242

Area(s) of expertise:
Mass spectrometry, proteomics, lipidomics, microbial diagnostics, host-pathogen interactions, and technology development.
headshot of smiling Dr. Caren Helbing wearing a white lab coat with laboratory shelves in background.

Dr. Caren Helbing

Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Caren Helbing is a Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc (Honours) from the University of Windsor and a PhD from Western University.

250-721-6146

Area(s) of expertise:
Thyroid hormone signalling, environmental contaminants, environmental DNA, antimicrobial peptides, biodiversity, and planetary health.
Smiling Dr. Lum with arms crossed in front of bookshelf

Dr. Julian Lum

Professor (Limited Term) Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Julian Lum is a Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences and a distinguished scientist at BC Cancer. Academic credentials include a BSc, MSc, and PhD from the University of Ottawa.

250-519-5718

Area(s) of expertise:
Cancer immunology, immunometabolism, autophagy, T-cell engineering, immunotherapy, and metabolomics.
Smiling headshot of Dr. Aditya Mojumdar in front of a neutral background.

Dr. Aditya Mojumdar

Assistant Teaching Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Aditya Mojumdar is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include an MSc from Uppsala University and a PhD from the University of Trieste.

Office: Petch 185

Area(s) of expertise:
Molecular biology, protein biochemistry, yeast genetics, genome stability, aging, and cancer biology.
Smiling headshot of Dr. Brad Nelson on white background

Dr. Brad Nelson

Professor (Limited Term) Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Brad Nelson is a Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences and Director of BC Cancer’s Deeley Research Centre. Academic credentials include a BSc (Honours) from the University of British Columbia and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

250-519-5705

Area(s) of expertise:
Cancer immunology, immunotherapy, T-cell and B-cell biology, genomics, cytokine signalling, and immune-cell engineering.
Smiling headshot of Dr. Chris Nelson in front of a rocky hill.

Dr. Christopher Nelson

Associate Professor and Graduate Advisor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Christopher Nelson is an Associate Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc and PhD from the University of British Columbia.

250-853-3889

Area(s) of expertise:
Chromatin biology, gene transcription, RNA metabolism, protein-folding regulation, and DNA-repair pathways.
Smiling headshot of Dr. Helena Petrosova on neutral grey background

Dr. Helena Petrosova

Assistant Professor (Limited Term) Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Helena Petrosova is an Assistant Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences and a Group Leader at the University of Victoria Genome BC Proteomics Centre. Academic credentials include a BSc, an MSc, and a PhD from the Masaryk University, Czech Republic.

Area(s) of expertise:
Imaging mass spectrometry, spatial biology, lipidomics, metabolomics, proteomics, spirochetal infections, and host–pathogen interactions.
Dr. Lisa Reynolds smiling with a natural background

Dr. Lisa Reynolds

Associate Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Lisa Reynolds is an Associate Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include a BSc from the University of Manchester and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh.

250-721-6658

Area(s) of expertise:
Mucosal immunology, the microbiome, helminth infections, bacterial infections, and early-life immune development.
Head shot of Dr. Tuffs on neutral grey background.

Dr. Stephen Tuffs

Assistant Professor Molecular Life Sciences

Dr. Stephen Tuffs is an Assistant Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences. Academic credentials include an MSci (Honours) from the University of Glasgow and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh.

250-721-6507

Area(s) of expertise:
Host–pathogen interactions, Staphylococcus aureus, bacterial toxins, inflammation, immunology, and microbial persistence.

Staff

Adjuncts & emeriti

Adjunct professors

Adjunct Assistant Professor
Ph:(+44) 7444-376002
Email: Javier.Alfaro@proteogenomics.ca
Immuno-Informatics Research Group

Javier Alfaro is a computational immunologist focused on immunotherapy and vaccine science. He is interested in leveraging multi-omics to better understand how immune-systems interact with disease. These high-throughput datasets are then used to develop AI models with applications in Vaccine design in the context of Cancer and Emerging disease.

Adjunct Professor

Human plasma proteomics and biomarkers of disease and quantitative mass spectrometry.

Adjunct Assistant Professor
Ph: 250-363-6800
Email: andrew.ross@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Institute of Ocean Sciences

Application of mass spectrometry and associated techniques to marine biogeochemistry and proteomics, including the identification of metal-binding compounds and modified proteins involved in stress, disease, and the biological uptake of essential trace elements.

Adjunct Professor
Phone: 814-863-4655
Email: sbs24@psu.edu
Dr. Selleck's website

Our laboratory is interested in the signaling function of heparan sulfate modified co-receptors, their effects on autophagy, mitochondrial function, lipid catabolism and ultimately, their role in neurodegenerative disease.

Adjunct Assistant Professor
Ph: 250-519-5700
Email: jsmazynski@bccrc.ca
Deeley Research Centre 

I develop engineered immune cell therapies, known as CAR-T cells, to tackle hard-to-treat solid tumours such as ovarian and pancreatic cancer. My research focuses on creating new cell engineering strategies to improve cancer recognition, potency, and persistence in the body, with the ultimate goal of translating these advances into treatment options that move from the lab to the clinic.