Members
Get to Know Our Team
Dr. Natalie Zeytuni
Principal Investigator
Dr. Zeytuni is an assistant professor at the department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill University.
Dr. Zeytuni has obtained a BSc in Marine Biology and Biotechnology from the department of Life Sciences at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Fascinated by the raw research potential in the marine environment she later joined Prof. Raz Zarivach laboratory at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for MSc and PhD studies. In her MSc and PhD studies, Dr. Zeytuni’s trained as a biochemist and structural biologist, specializing in X-ray crystallography, and her studies focused on a bacterial biomineralization system that produces magnetic nano-crystals called the magnetosome. Later, Dr. Zeytuni joined Prof. Natalie Strynadka at the University of British Columbia, Canada for postdoctoral studies. As a postdoctoral fellow she studied the numerous bacterial secretion systems and membrane transporters associated with bacterial pathogenicity. During her postdoctoral training Dr. Zeytuni has specialized in cryo-electron microscopy, membrane protein production and purification as well as membrane-mimetics systems.
Dr. Zeytuni has been awarded with prestigious fellowships and grants during her studies including the Banting fellowship, EMBO long-term fellowship, L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science fellowship and others.
Prof. Albert Einstein's spirit
Can be only described in equations.
Pure energy.
Space heater
Chief Thermodynamics Regulator
Supports heat addiction. Essential member.
Dr. Natalie Zeytuni
Principal Investigator
Dr. Zeytuni is an Assistant Professor at the department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and an associate member of the Biochemistry Department at McGill University.
Dr. Zeytuni has obtained a B.Sc. in Marine Biology and Biotechnology from the department of Life Sciences at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Fascinated by the raw research potential in the marine environment she later joined Prof. Raz Zarivach laboratory at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for MSc and PhD studies. In her M.Sc. and Ph.D. studies, Dr. Zeytuni’s trained as a biochemist and structural biologist, specializing in X-ray crystallography, and her studies focused on a bacterial biomineralization system that produces magnetic nano-crystals called the magnetosome. Later, Dr. Zeytuni joined Prof. Natalie Strynadka at the University of British Columbia, Canada for postdoctoral studies. As a postdoctoral fellow she studied the numerous bacterial secretion systems and membrane transporters associated with bacterial pathogenicity. During her postdoctoral training Dr. Zeytuni has specialized in cryo-electron microscopy, membrane protein production and purification as well as membrane-mimetics systems.
Dr. Zeytuni has been awarded with prestigious fellowships and grants during her studies including the Banting fellowship, EMBO long-term fellowship, L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science fellowship and others.
Anshu Saran
PhD student
Anshu completed her Masters in Biotechnology from McGill University and has a triple major undergraduate degree in Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Zoology from India. Anshu had several enriching research experiences at the McGill and Concordia University - the most notable ones have involved work on the heme-binding role of the enzyme GAPDH and structural aspects of the protein Parkin.
Now Anshu is interested in utilizing structural biology techniques to better understand proteins of medical and biotechnological significance. Here at the Zeytuni lab, Anshu is working on the structural and functional aspects of bacterial secretion system.
When not in the lab, Anshu enjoys reading, playing the piano/ukulele, and experiencing different cuisines
Adwaith B Uday
PhD student
Adwaith obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biology from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in India. Adwaith has been involved in various research projects during his time at the Indian Institute of Science. For his Master’s thesis project, he worked on understanding the structure of various complexes in prokaryotic translation initiation using cryo-electron microscopy.
Here at Zeytuni lab, Adwaith is working on determining the structure and function of a group of membrane transporter proteins involved in the secretion and self-resistance against a novel peptide antibiotic.
Outside of the lab, Adwaith loves listening to music, watching movies and TV shows, traveling, and exploring new places. He is also professionally trained in Indian classical music – both vocals and Mridangam (a percussion instrument).
Mia Yang
MSc student
Mia has completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Alberta, where she discovered her interest in topics related to protein-protein interactions and structural biology.
In Zeytuni’s Lab, Mia is investigating the structure and function of signaling cascades regulating solvent production in bacteria.
Outside the lab, Mia enjoys watching movies, listening to music, and baking.
Gyana Prakash Mahapatra
MSc student
Gyana received his master's degree in Marine Biotechnology from Annamalai University, India. In recent years he has been involved in a series of research projects, where his primary research focus has been on bacterial pathogenesis and protein biochemistry. His most recent project at the Indian Institute of Science focused on studying the structural aspects of bacterial type VII secretion system.
In Zeytuni's lab, Gyana investigates the structure and function of macromolecular machines involved in bacterial pathogenesis using high-resolution Cryo-EM techniques.
Outside of the lab (in the "real life"), Gyana likes music, watching movies, cooking, and sleeping. He also loves to travel to discover new beautiful landscapes and incredible foods!
Abdullah Odeh
Undergraduate Honors student
Abdullah is in his fourth year of studies in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill University. Previously working as a research intern at the Montreal General Hospital, Abdullah is now interested in laboratory work that focuses on structural biology and he is keen to learn a range of research techniques that can allow him to become more skilled as a scientific researcher.
Specifically, Abdullah is investigating the importin-alpha proteins that mediate protein localization to the nucleus across the nuclear membrane.
Outside the lab, Abdullah spends most of his time reading, cooking, and on the soccer field.
Maggie Zhang
Undergraduate Honors student
Maggie is a third-year undergraduate student in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics majoring in pharmacology at McGill University.
Maggie wishes to have a deeper understanding of basic science research and be able to apply it in her future career. At the lab, she hopes to gain an in-depth understanding of proteins that affect bacteria's gliding motility.
Outside of the lab, Maggie is interested in skiing, hiking, camping, traveling, and chugging coffee every day.
Prof. Albert Einstein's spirit
Can be only described in equations.
Pure energy.
Prof. Marie Curie's spirit
Chemical Integrity Officer
Radiation specialist.
Space heater
Chief Thermodynamics Regulator
Supports heat addiction. Essential member.
Alumni
Integral part of our journey
1. Keanova Monreau - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2022
2. Winston Ge - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2021