MSc Students
Virginia Chiu
Virginia Chiu was born in Toronto and moved around throughout the years before settling in Uxbridge, Ontario in 2006. She recently completed the Forensic Biology Specialist program at the University of Toronto, earning her Honours Bachelor of Science with high distinction in April 2022. Now back in Durham to pursue a Masters at Ontario Tech University, Virginia is excited to branch out to other facets of her interest in pharmacogenetics in Dr. Desaulniers' Lab. Outside of the lab, Virginia likes to go to the gym, practice her digital art skills, and tend to her 13 carnivorous plants.
Makenzie Mateus
Makenzie Mateus was born in Newmarket, Ontario; however, he moved around a lot throughout his childhood and ended up at Ontario Tech University. He completed his Bachelors of Science at Ontario Tech University in 2021, while also completing a chemistry minor. It was during this time that his appreciation for chemistry grew. Makenzie is excited to work on his MSc project co-supervised by Dr. Desaulniers and Dr. Simmons in the Aquatic Toxicology lab. When Makenzie isn’t in the lab, he’s stressed (good stress!) about what he could be doing in the lab.
Kevin Mariscal
Kevin Mariscal was born in Oshawa, Ontario, whilst the rest of his family was born in Peru. He completed his bachelors of science at Ontario Tech University in 2019. After working at Thermo Fisher Scientific for a few years as a Sr. Processing Technician, he became eager to complete a Master’s supervised by Dr. Desaulniers. Outside the lab, he likes Nike and likes to play many sports such as basketball, volleyball and tennis.
Daisee Lubrin
Daisee Lubrin was born in Saint Lucia and moved to Canada in 2019 to pursue her Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree in Forensic Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She recently graduated with highest distinction in June 2023. For her undergraduate thesis, she worked on synthesizing an alginate-DNA/RNA biosensor in a project co-supervised by Dr. Desaulniers and Dr. Stotesbury. Daisee will be continuing this project for her master’s research and is looking forward to investigating some of the applications of the biosensor that she synthesized in her undergrad. Outside the lab, Daisee enjoys reading and traveling. She is also an avid fan of the CrossFit sport (hello kettlebells!) and enjoys watching the CrossFit Games.