[Ottawa Chapter] Careers in Academia Panel

Debating between continuing your academic path or venturing to other fields? Find some answers in our evening event focused on the different career paths in Academia. This night features a panel of academic successors of all backgrounds followed by a moderated Q&A session.

Find out more about our invited guests below (More panelists to be announced soon!):

Dr Bruno Pires:

Bruno holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the Catholic University of Brasília, and I obtained my Master's and Ph.D. in Oncology from the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA, Rio de Janeiro).

He then came to Canada Postdoctoral Fellow at INCA, and subsequently at two institutions in Canada: the University of Ottawa (Faculty of Medicine) and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). In Canada, he conducted projects related to genetic alterations in breast cancer carcinogenesis, aiming to identify targets for early diagnosis and prevention. Then, he worked on the design and study of the mechanism of action of new anticancer drugs of the "PROTACs (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras)" class. Currently, I'm a Full Professor in the Department of Biophysics and Biometrics (DBB) at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

Dr. Rowida Mohamed:

I am Dr. Rowida, a PDF, and Instructor in Chemistry and Health Science, specializing in Cancer Biology. My career has been marked by collaborations with renowned organizations, such as the Canadian Diabetes Association, Kidney Foundation Canada, and the Ottawa Mission. Mentoring has been a significant part of my journey, spanning both undergraduate and graduate students. Additionally, I volunteered for over five years at the Paul Menton Center, supporting students with diverse needs. I've made valuable contributions across various university departments, including the Examination Center and the Environmental Health Department. During the pandemic, I created instructional videos to aid undergraduate students in their learning. My dedication to research and teaching excellence has earned me several prestigious awards, including multiple NSERC awards from 2017 to 2021, the TA Award in 2015, and the recent Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022. I am deeply committed to Chemistry, Health Science, and Cancer Biology, and I'm passionate about sharing my knowledge and experiences with the next generation of scientists. I am thrilled to inspire others to reach their full potential on this exciting journey.

Dr. Edana Cassol:

Edana Cassol is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Carleton University. She conducted her graduate and postdoctoral training in immunology and infectious diseases across three different continents, gaining experience in both fundamental discovery and translational research. In her current role, she is actively involved in research, teaching and departmental administration including program development.  She is also co-leading the establishment of  the Tissue Engineering and Applied Materials (TEAM) Hub. This interdisciplinary network of researchers is using tissue engineering and advanced optical imaging to evaluate the role of the tissue microenvironment in disease.

Dr. Jean-François Couture:

Dr. Jean-François Couture is a full professor and chair in the Department of Biochemistry-Microbiology-Immunology at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Couture graduated from Laval University in the department of physiology and endocrinology. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. Dr. Couture became an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa in 2007. In 2012, he was promoted to Associate Professor, then to Full Professor in 2016. Dr. Couture held a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Structural Biology and Epigenetics from 2008 to 2018. Dr. Couture has published over 90 papers with some of those published in journals such as Science, Genes & Dev and Cell.  Trained as a protein crystallographer, Dr. Couture, throughout his career, has systematically used structural biology to further our comprehension of complex biological problems and identify small molecules for the treatment of cancers.

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