Justine Karst Career stage Associate Professor Affiliation University of Alberta Team(s) Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Mycorrhizal ecology of forests, restoration ecology Toby Spribille Career stage Assistant Professor Affiliation University of Alberta Team(s) Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Evolutionary biology of fungal symbioses, especially interested in non-nutrient service exchange; biodiversity and conservation advocate. Daniel Charlebois Career stage Assistant Professor Affiliation University of Alberta, Departments of Physics and Biological Sciences Team(s) Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Biophysicist who combines mathematical modeling, synthetic biology, and fungal pathogens to study genetic networks, drug resistance, and bioelectromagnetics. Emile Gluck-Thaler Career stage Postdoc Affiliation Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, University of Neuchatel Team(s) Co-Chair of the Scientific Program Committee, Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Mycologist and evolutionary biologist who studies the genetic bases of adaptation in species interactions. Especially interested in the mechanisms of genome evolution and the ecological consequences of structural variation. Viola Halder Career stage PhD Affiliation University of Guelph, Shapiro Lab Team(s) Outreach, Principal Coordinator, Organizing, Scientific Program, Program design, Presentation Competition Web link(s) Twitter Instagram Bio Grad student in the Shapiro Lab at UoG, working with Candida albicans, to determine how stress response genes within the pathogenic fungus interact with each other, using Crispr to create stress response mutants. Stephen Strelkov Career stage Professor Affiliation University of Alberta Team(s) Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Bio Stephen Strelkov is a Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Alberta, where his research is focused mainly on the biology and management of field crop diseases, including tan spot of wheat and clubroot of canola. Gulnara Tagirdzhanova Career stage Ph.D. student Affiliation University of Alberta, Department of Biological Science Team(s) Awards Committee, Outreach Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio PhD student at the Spribille Lab using metagenomics to study lichen symbiosis Greg Thorn Career stage Associate Professor Affiliation University of Western Ontario Team(s) Organizing Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Greg Thorn is a mycologist whose graduate studies at the University of Guelph (with George Barron) and the University of Toronto (with David Malloch) were followed by positions in Japan, Michigan, Indiana, Wyoming, and finally back to London as a faculty member in the Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario. My research is focused on the ecology and diversity of fungi. I teach courses on Biodiversity, Plant Evolution, Field Botany, and Mycology, and am the Curator of the Dr. Laurie L. Consaul Herbarium (UWO). Brianna Ball Career stage Ph.D candidate Team(s) Outreach Committee Web link(s) https://www.uoguelph.ca/mcb/people/dr-jennifer-geddes-mcalister Bio PhD student in the Geddes-McAlister lab profiling Cryptococcus neoformans interactions with host immune cells using quantitative proteomics. Linda Horianopoulos Career stage Postdoctoral fellow Team(s) Outreach Committee Bio Linda is an NSERC postdoctoral fellow in the Hittinger lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She fell in love with fungi during her PhD in the Kronstad lab at UBC and wanted to embrace the amazing diversity among yeast metabolism which she is currently focused on in her postdoctoral project. Linda first became involved in the Canadian Fungal Network in 2019 and is keen to continue to foster stronger connections between researchers across Canada with a fungal focus, primarily through the conference and seminar series. Lauren Wensing Career stage Ph.D candidate Team(s) Outreach Committee Bio I am a 3rd year Ph.D candidate in Dr. Rebecca Shapiro’s laboratory. My research looks at understanding the role of essential genes in antifungal resistant Candida albicans isolates during antifungal drug treatment through the use of a transcriptional repression system known as CRISPRi. When I am not in the lab I enjoy spending time outdoors mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing and of course mushroom hunting! Twitter: @laurwensing Body Contact Us
Justine Karst Career stage Associate Professor Affiliation University of Alberta Team(s) Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Mycorrhizal ecology of forests, restoration ecology
Toby Spribille Career stage Assistant Professor Affiliation University of Alberta Team(s) Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Evolutionary biology of fungal symbioses, especially interested in non-nutrient service exchange; biodiversity and conservation advocate.
Daniel Charlebois Career stage Assistant Professor Affiliation University of Alberta, Departments of Physics and Biological Sciences Team(s) Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Biophysicist who combines mathematical modeling, synthetic biology, and fungal pathogens to study genetic networks, drug resistance, and bioelectromagnetics.
Emile Gluck-Thaler Career stage Postdoc Affiliation Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, University of Neuchatel Team(s) Co-Chair of the Scientific Program Committee, Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Mycologist and evolutionary biologist who studies the genetic bases of adaptation in species interactions. Especially interested in the mechanisms of genome evolution and the ecological consequences of structural variation.
Viola Halder Career stage PhD Affiliation University of Guelph, Shapiro Lab Team(s) Outreach, Principal Coordinator, Organizing, Scientific Program, Program design, Presentation Competition Web link(s) Twitter Instagram Bio Grad student in the Shapiro Lab at UoG, working with Candida albicans, to determine how stress response genes within the pathogenic fungus interact with each other, using Crispr to create stress response mutants.
Stephen Strelkov Career stage Professor Affiliation University of Alberta Team(s) Organizing Committee Web link(s) Website Bio Stephen Strelkov is a Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Alberta, where his research is focused mainly on the biology and management of field crop diseases, including tan spot of wheat and clubroot of canola.
Gulnara Tagirdzhanova Career stage Ph.D. student Affiliation University of Alberta, Department of Biological Science Team(s) Awards Committee, Outreach Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio PhD student at the Spribille Lab using metagenomics to study lichen symbiosis
Greg Thorn Career stage Associate Professor Affiliation University of Western Ontario Team(s) Organizing Web link(s) Website Twitter Bio Greg Thorn is a mycologist whose graduate studies at the University of Guelph (with George Barron) and the University of Toronto (with David Malloch) were followed by positions in Japan, Michigan, Indiana, Wyoming, and finally back to London as a faculty member in the Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario. My research is focused on the ecology and diversity of fungi. I teach courses on Biodiversity, Plant Evolution, Field Botany, and Mycology, and am the Curator of the Dr. Laurie L. Consaul Herbarium (UWO).
Brianna Ball Career stage Ph.D candidate Team(s) Outreach Committee Web link(s) https://www.uoguelph.ca/mcb/people/dr-jennifer-geddes-mcalister Bio PhD student in the Geddes-McAlister lab profiling Cryptococcus neoformans interactions with host immune cells using quantitative proteomics.
Linda Horianopoulos Career stage Postdoctoral fellow Team(s) Outreach Committee Bio Linda is an NSERC postdoctoral fellow in the Hittinger lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She fell in love with fungi during her PhD in the Kronstad lab at UBC and wanted to embrace the amazing diversity among yeast metabolism which she is currently focused on in her postdoctoral project. Linda first became involved in the Canadian Fungal Network in 2019 and is keen to continue to foster stronger connections between researchers across Canada with a fungal focus, primarily through the conference and seminar series.
Lauren Wensing Career stage Ph.D candidate Team(s) Outreach Committee Bio I am a 3rd year Ph.D candidate in Dr. Rebecca Shapiro’s laboratory. My research looks at understanding the role of essential genes in antifungal resistant Candida albicans isolates during antifungal drug treatment through the use of a transcriptional repression system known as CRISPRi. When I am not in the lab I enjoy spending time outdoors mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing and of course mushroom hunting! Twitter: @laurwensing
