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 and the Microbiology and Immunology 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 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.
Dr. Taylor Forrester
Postdoctoral fellow
Dr. Forrester completed his B.Sc. in Biochemistry at the University of Guelph. During this time, he developed a keen interest in bioinformatics and structural biology. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in the lab of Dr. Matthew Kimber at the University of Guelph. His studies focused on characterizing biological machines associated with bacterial cell-surface polysaccharide production using X-ray crystallography and other biochemical techniques.
He then joined the lab of Dr. Chris Whitfield at the University of Guelph as a postdoctoral fellow, where he applied his expertise in structural biology to investigate capsular polysaccharide synthesis and regulation.
Now, as a postdoctoral scholar in the Zeytuni's lab, Dr. Forrester is interested in using cryoEM to better understand protease structure and function with the goal of providing novel avenues for therapeutic interventions targeting both bacterial infections and human disease.
Dr. Forrester is a recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Fellowship award.
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 the T9SS secretion system regulation.
When not in the lab, Anshu enjoys reading, playing the piano/ukulele, and experiencing different cuisines
Dr. Maxime Bizet
Postdoctoral fellow
Dr. Bizet obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Master’s degree in Chemistry for Life Sciences from Aix-Marseille University, France. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Chemistry in the Bioenergetics and Protein Engineering lab, within the Biophysics of Metalloproteins and Dynamic Systems team, under the supervision of Dr. Marlène Martinho at Aix-Marseille University. His research focused on studying the dynamics of Cytochrome P450 Reductase using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. He developed methodologies for incorporating non-natural amino acids into proteins, from plasmid design to advanced biophysical characterization, to gain deeper insights into the electron transfer mechanisms governing this essential enzyme.
As a postdoctoral researcher in Zeytuni’s lab, Dr. Bizet is leveraging cryo-EM to investigate the molecular basis of bacterial pathogenesis.
Outside the lab, Maxime enjoys cooking, reading, playing video games, and hiking.
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
PhD 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 bacterial virulence.
Outside the lab, Mia enjoys watching movies, listening to music, and baking.
Elaine Wang
PhD Student
Elaine completed her B.Sc and M.Sc in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University. During her master’s degree, Elaine investigated the structure and functions of the Type IV pili proteins using X-ray crystallography and biochemical assays. In Zeytuni lab, Elaine utilizes structural biology techniques to determine bacterial pathogens' virulence factors' structure and function.
Outside of the lab, Elaine loves sports and playing classical guitar.
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
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Natasha Alder - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2023-2024
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Sophie Munn - Undergraduate research student, 2024
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Melina Chen - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2023-2024
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Maggie Zhang - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2022-2023
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Adel Batal - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2023
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Yifan Han - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2023
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Gyana Prakash Mahapatra - MSc student, 2021-2023
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Abdullah Odeh - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2022-2023
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Keanova Monreau - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2022
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Winston Ge - Bachelor Honors thesis student, 2021