Belanger, Corrie
Faculty of Science
Master of Science
Dr. Robert Hancock
Armstrong, Canada
CIHR Graduate Scholarships
Studying the mechanisms of susceptibility of opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa to antibiotics in host-like conditions for the discovery of potential in vivo antimicrobial targets and for improvement of antibiotic discovery methods.
Studying the effects of known and modified antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides against opportunistic gram negative pathogens in host-like conditions to determine the mechanisms that allow differential susceptibility to some antimicrobial agents in conditions that mimic the host environment, such as the serum of a sepsis patient or the sputum of a cystic fibrosis patient.
Being a part of a research project that is entirely dependent on your own contributions and making new discoveries that are unexpected or just doing experiments that work are all rewarding and exciting.
UBC has a large number of microbiology faculty with diverse interests, decent funding opportunities, and a great location.
Research in microbiology is really what drives my interest in graduate school. It is a tough career choice, but there are so many options for independent growth.
Finding a job.
I believe making connections and collaborating with other research groups is a large part of graduate school and is an important aspect of successfully completing the program and finding something to continue my career with.