Ariel Frame

Ariel is a PhD student in the neuroscience program at Western University. He moved to London from Vancouver in 2016 in order to begin graduate school at Western. He is a neurobiologist who is currently researching aging, metabolism and memory in hopes that his future work will address the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease etiology. Ariel likes in depth discussions on controversial topics, playing soccer and the number three.

Lab website: www.thecumminglab.com

Twitter: @ArielFrame

Interview: Episode #167: The Super Secret Sex Life of Fruit Flies

Yimin Chen

Yimin is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies whose research interests encompasses all sorts of online communication: from fake news to internet memes. When he isn't busy with GradCast, Yimin likes to spend his time not working on his thesis on the classification of internet trolling behaviours.

Interview: Episode #110: Memes and Pepes with Yimin Chen

Viki Tellios

Viki Tellios is currently a PhD student in Neuroscience and has been a part of the Western community for 7 years (and counting), previously completing her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and Classical Studies. Her research journey began during undergrad, working on a wet lab project at Lawson Research Institute. Here, she investigated the role of nitric oxide on corneal wound healing. Becoming interested in nitric oxide as a therapeutic target in a variety of diseases, she continued this research into her PhD, focusing instead on its elusive role in neuronal development in the cerebellum at Robarts Research Institute. Outside of her research, Viki enjoys engaging with other graduate students at Western and considers GradCast the ideal outlet to do so.

Contact: vtellios@uwo.ca

Interview: Episode #153: When Dendrites Go Dend-Wrong

Chantal Lemire

Chantal Lemire holds a Master of Music in viola performance from McGill University, and a Master of Arts in Music Theory from the University of British Columbia. Currently a PhD candidate at the University of Western Ontario, her doctoral research examines the intersections of speech and music in Beat generation jazz-poetry and contemporary spoken-word song. She has presented papers at the Canadian Music Centre, The Peabody Institute of Music, the Vancouver International Song Institute, the 2017 Society for Music Theory Annual Conference, and several other conferences across North America and the UK. She was awarded a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in 2013 for her research on text/music interactions in singer-songwriter Tom Waits’s spoken-word songs, a Research Excellence award from Western University in 2014, and a Graduate Teaching award in 2015. Chantal is also deeply committed to community service and involvement, and in 2017 she was selected by the National Educational Association of Disabled Students to receive one of five national Student Awards for her advocacy for graduate students with disabilities.
Equally active as a violist, Chantal has performed in chamber ensembles across North America and Europe and with orchestras such as the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, the Georgian Bay Symphony, and the Winnipeg Symphony. She is currently a faculty member and co-organizer for the Orchestra North Summer Program in Owen Sound, Ontario.

To go to Chantal's Music profile, click here

Interview: Episode #72: Speaking Words with Chantal Lemire

Joyla Furlano

Joyla Furlano is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in Neuroscience at Western University. Broadly speaking, her research interests include exercise, aging, brain health, and cognition. Her doctoral research uses fMRI to examine the effects of exercise on memory and brain function in sedentary overweight older adults. Joyla joined the GradCast committee in August 2018 as a Host and Recruiter. She has loved being a part of the team ever since and especially enjoys learning about graduate research outside of her department. Beyond GradCast, Joyla's hobbies include outdoor activities, astronomy, and cycling.

E-mail: jfurlano@uwo.ca

Nicholas Handfield-Jones

Nicholas Handfield-Jones is a second-year Master’s of Neuroscience student. His work uses high-powered magnetic resonance imaging to uncover the anatomy and function of a brain region called the striatum. He joined GradCast because of his interest in podcasts and editing. In his free time, Nick can be found writing fantasy books or playing tactical RPGs.

If you would like to contact Nick, please send him an email at nicholas.handfield@gmail.com, or catch him at twitter @NHandfield

Roger Hudson

Roger Hudson is a doctoral student studying Neuroscience at Western University. He is ardent about science communication and suggests podcasts to be an ideal platform to spread this advocacy into the lives of the public domain. Hudson aims to shed light on the basic neurobiology of schizophrenia by demonstrating how the endocannabinoid system in the brain influences the onset of schizotypal symptoms in otherwise normal functioning people. He also believes it may have implications for policy development around marijuana and other drugs of abuse. He is also a recent recipient of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Taniya Nagpal

Taniya is a fourth year PhD candidate in the Department of Kinesiology studying under the supervision of Dr. Michelle Mottola and Dr. Harry Prapavessis. Her research interests include obesity prevention, lifestyle (nutrition and exercise) behaviour change and exercise in special population groups. Her current research focuses on adherence to nutrition and exercise recommendations during pregnancy. By supporting women with strategies to lead a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy we can improve the health of two generations (mom and future baby), including preventing obesity. Taniya joined Gradcast in 2015 after doing an interview. She currently assists the team by hosting and head hunting for guests for the show. Taniya continues to be a part of the Gradcast team because it is an opportunity to meet students outside of your department, learn about the various projects being done at Western and grow as a researcher! 

Interview: Episode #43: Taking Mom to the Gym with Taniya Nagpal 

Gregory Ian Robinson

Gregory is a first year Master's student in Physiology and Pharmacology / Developmental Biology. His research includes maternal insults on brain and heart development. Among making and listening to podcasts, Gregory's hobbies include music, sports, and socializing. Gregory loves to play the guitar and sing covers of his favourite songs. His favourite sports are football, basketball, and tennis. If you need to talk to Gregory, you can find him at the GradClub with a beer in hand after a long day in the lab. Or, you can reach him through social media or email...

Instagram: @GregoryIanR
Twitter: @GregoryIanR
Email: Gregory.Robinson@uwo.ca
Interview: Special Episode: Greg Goes to Grad School!

Gavin Tolometti

Gavin is a PhD candidate in the Earth Sciences department and the Center for Planetary Science and Exploration. He moved to Canada in 2016 after completing his undergraduate degree in Scotland, and immediately became involved with his department and field work. His research focuses on the surface properties of lava flows and rocks melted during meteorite impacts. If you ever talk about going for hikes, kayaking in a lake or river, or just wanting to chill at a pub Gavin will always be interested and excited!

Twitter: Follow @GavinOnTheMoon

Interview:Episode #184: Billie Jean is Not My Lava

Connor Chato

Connor is an Msc Student studying the Phylodynamic Clustering of HIV using Bioinformatics methods. This essentially means trying to tell computers what to do by typing frantically at them (Coding). Although his current focus is HIV, past work focused on Yeast, a topic that inspired his very non-academic hobby of beer making. Other hobbies include back-country camping, avid podcast listening, and (with Gradcast) podcast making.

On the off chance you happen to be into the Phylodynamics of HIV, or just want to see what that looks like, you can check out the coding projects going in Art Poon's lab at https://github.com/PoonLab

 Interview: Special Episode: Time to Track AIDS

 Interview: Special Episode: Behind the Scenes Experience of Health Care Providers in Pediatric Oncology