Krista Joris
Research Associate/Laboratory Manager
BSc (University of Western Ontario), Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Affairs – Sciences (Algonquin College of Arts and Technology)
Krista provides the link between administration and experimentation in the lab. She handles the research ethics for animal and clinical investigations. Additionally, Krista acts as a resource for molecular biology projects and hopes to be back at the bench for experiments in the near future.
Matt Ling
Research Technician
MSc (University of Sydney)
BSc (University of Toronto)
When not hard at work investigating MAIT cell function in the context of Ovarian cancer and ascites, Matt acts as a valuable resource for our students with a wealth of immunological and technical knowledge. Matt maintains our animal models and ensures the smooth operation of the lab
Dr. Marina Ninkov
Postdoctoral Scholar
PhD (University of Belgrade)
MSc ( University of Belgrade )
Marina recently completed a postdoctoral research project in France and is bringing us her wealth of experience in the area of immune regulation. She is interrogating the host-microbiome interface in health and disease. She is also investigating how mediators of physiological/psychological stress govern innate-like T cell functions.
Rashed Rashu
PhD Candidate
MSc (University of Manitoba)
BMSc MSc (University of Dhaka,
Bangladesh)
Having completed his Masters in Immunology at the University of Manitoba, Rashed worked in the lab as a research technician before deciding to pursue his PhD. He is investigating the immune response to Covid in the context of MAIT cells and trying to enhance the efficacy of vaccination.
Bella Ou
International Visiting PhD Candidate
Bachelor in Clinical Medicine (Sichuan University)
As part of her oncology doctorate at Sichuan University, Chengdu, China, Bella’s interest in cancer immunology has led her to join our lab as a visiting student researcher. She will investigate the presence of MAIT cells in the draining lymph nodes of mouse bladder cancer, and their influence on the effects of cancer immunotherapy. In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, hiking and cooking.
Inbar Habaz
MSc Candidate
HBSc (York University)
Having investigated several strategies for bladder cancer immunotherapy, Inbar uses animal models and clinical samples to determine how MAIT cells impact the immune response. His simple pleasures are cooking, fish-keeping, hiking, puzzles, and of course science!
Nicole Wang
MSc Candidate
Nicole is exploring several fibrosis models in the context of MAIT cells for her Masters project. She completed her undergraduate thesis project in our lab on the cross-talk between iNKT and MAIT cells in mouse models.
Annette Wu
Undergraduate Volunteer
Annette is studying how the serine/threonine protein kinase mTOR controls anticancer T cell responses.
Dr. Mansour Haeryfar
Principal Investigator
Doctorate in Laboratory Medicine (National University of Iran)
MSc (University of Manitoba)
PhD (Dalhousie University)
Mansour is interested in anticancer immunotherapy and anti-pathogen immunity. He is a soccer player, a collector of ancient coins, and a Seinfeld buff!
The Haeryfar Laboratory 