London RIOT

Amal Aziz is a researcher pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering at Western University's Robarts Research Institute under Dr. Aaron Fenster. With a background in medical biophysics, her current focus is on developing a 3D breast ultrasound system to provide point-of-care technologies for the early diagnosis of breast cancer, especially in underserved populations.

Inaara Ahmed-Fazal is a PhD student at Robarts Research Institute at Western University, co-supervised by Dr. Aaron Fenster and Dr. Elvis Chen. She completed a BASc in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Her current research focuses on the application of 3D ultrasound imaging toward kidney cancer ablation procedures.

Nitara Fernando is a 4th year PhD Candidate in Medical Biophysics at Western University. Her research focuses on the development of an emerging imaging modality called Magnetic Particle Imaging for detection of metastatic lymph nodes in breast cancer and melanoma. 

Huilin Niu is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Biochemistry, where she studies the role of lipid metabolism in metastasis, with a focus on analysing a myxoid liposarcoma cohort to better understand its metastasis patterns. She is also committed to cancer outreach and fundraising.

Sarah Bilgasem is a second-year medical student at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Engineering from Laurentian University and a Master’s in Health Sciences from Western University. Her research interests focus on health equity in cancer care alongside optimizing treatment strategies in radiation oncology.

Edward is an MD/PhD Candidate in the Department of Medical Biophysics at Western University. His research focuses on developing artificial intelligence tools to improve radiation treatment for cancer patients. Edward is passionate about STEM outreach and loves to talk about anything science related!

Alyssa Wu is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry at Western University. Her doctoral research investigates the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer brain metastasis through mass spectrometry-based proteomics and phosphoproteomics with spatial resolution. She studies the communication signals between cancer cells and their surrounding environment that enable tumours to grow in the brain. Alyssa is passionate about cancer education and outreach and believes that translating complex scientific discoveries into accessible knowledge empowers patients, families, and advocates, while fostering meaningful connections between researchers and their communities.

Ebenezeer is a second year medical student at Schulich Medicine with an interest in cancer research that pertains to investigating RB gene mutations in TNBC and exploring potential therapeutics.

Maegan Taylor is currently in her fourth year BMSc with an Honours Specialization in Biochemistry of Infection and Immunity at Western. Her research is on developing diagnostic assays for M. tuberculosis in the Guthrie-Guariglia Lab and hopes to continue on in research by pursuing a Masters in Biochemistry. 

Peter is currently a 7th year MD/PhD student at the Schulich School of Medicine and is very glad to be continuing his involvement in RIOT for the 7th year and counting!

Ryan Au is a PhD Candidate at Western University studying Medical Biophysics. His research is focused on developing AI tools and using eye tracking technology to improve the diagnosis of prostate cancer on multiparametric MRI.

Raffin is a Master’s student in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Western University. He is passionate about advancing cancer research and sharing new discoveries with both the scientific community and families affected by cancer.

Tori is a 1st year MSc student in the department of medical biophysics at Western University. Her research focuses on the theranostic potential of different iron particles for cancer. Passionate about healthcare advocacy and community engagement, she serves as the Vice President of Breast Cancer Canada’s London Hub, a volunteer at ChildCan, and a partnership coordinator at Bark at the Moon Animal Rescue.

Timothy Yau is a CAMPEP PhD Candidate in medical biophysics working at the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre. His research is focused on developing tumour tracking techniques for lung cancers to improve radiation therapy precision and accuracy.

Justin Yang is a medical student at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. He is interested in the technology behind cancer therapies and making cancer treatment plans easy to understand for everyone.

Yubing Xia is a Master’s student in Anatomy and Cell Biology in Dr. Vanessa Dumeaux’s lab. With a background in immunology, she is studying how B cell activity in blood and tumor tissues changes during neoadjuvant therapy and how these immune dynamics relate to treatment response in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Rimsha Malik is a first-year MESc student in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Zhang. Her research focuses on developing wearable magnetic biomedical sensors using graphene and magnetic nanoparticles. She’s passionate about spreading cancer awareness and making science more accessible through education and outreach.

Jin-Young Bang is a first-year medical student at Schulich Medicine with a research background in medical biophysics and radiation oncology, specifically in the use of SABR for treating pancreatic cancer. 

Zainab Zahra is a MSc student in Medical Biophysics at Western University. She is investigating the efficacy of high-dose, markerless radiation therapy in treating locally advanced pancreatic cancer through clinical trials and blood perfusion imaging.

Sagarjit Aujla, a PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Western University, specializing in medical imaging, and AI. I’m passionate about using research and technology to improve healthcare and make scientific advancements more accessible to the public.

Rashad is a first-year medical student at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. He also holds a bachelor's degree in biomedical science from York University. He has participated in multiple cancer events in the past and hopes to continue finding opportunities to spread awareness. He has also conducted clinical research on multiple myeloma and hopes to continue finding opportunities in Cancer research.

Sakina Hussain is a first-year medical student at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Health Science and a Master’s in Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization from McMaster University. Her interests focus on improving equitable access to cancer screening and care for women through patient-centred oncology innovation.