People

After obtaining an Honours B.Sc. degree in Biochemistry from the University of Western Ontario, Voula went on to do Ph.D. studies in Biochemistry at the University of Toronto with Professors Julie Forman-Kay and Daniela Rotin, conducting NMR structural studies of WW domain complexes. She continued her post-doctoral work in Toronto, with Professors Lewis Kay and Julie Forman-Kay, examining additional WW domain – peptide complexes and conducting studies on the first nucleotide binding domain of CFTR. She joined the Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto in 2007. She is also cross-appointed to the Department of Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto.

Kristina Han is the Site Coordinator, Site Technician, Teacher Liaison and Ambassador for the Amgen Biotech Experience Program at the University of Toronto Mississauga (ABE@UTM), one of two ABE Canada sites.    Kristina joined the ABE@UTM team in November of 2017, and oversees the daily operation of the program at UTM.   Kristina also liaises with the ABE team at Carleton University (ABE@CAR), which began operations in 2022.  Additionally, Kristina is one of three Master Lab Technicians in the global ABE community, providing technical and curriculum development support to the ABE Program Office and 27 international program sites.

Agatha joined the lab in 2018 as an undergraduate student for a thesis project,  while simultaneously completing a second thesis project in AIRLab. In  2019, she graduated with distinction with an Honours Bachelor of Science  in Molecular Biology, and went on to join the lab as a graduate student  in the Department of Cell and Systems Biology. Agatha is pursuing her  PhD, studying the roles and interactions of intrinsically disordered  regions in human cardiac KATP channels. She enjoys spending time with her cat, friends, and family, and frequently adding new hobbies to her ever-growing list.

Cosmina completed her HBSc at McMaster University in Chemical Biology. Shortly after, she joined the Kanelis lab in 2025 as a MSc student. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Faris joined the lab in September 2025 as a PhD student, and he previously completed his HBSc at the University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM) in chemistry. Currently, Faris studies the roles of intrinsically disordered regions in regulating protein function for human cardiac KATP channels. In his free time he enjoys writing poetry, playing several sports, and learning history.

Jeffrey completed his HBSc at University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) in biological chemistry and forensic biology. Thereafter, he obtained his MSc at University of Toronto St. George under the supervision of Professor Andrew Woolley developing optogenetic tools. Jeffrey returned to UTM and joined the Kanelis lab in 2020 as a PhD student. In his spare time, he enjoys photography, going to the gym and hanging out with friends.

Maya joined the lab in 2022 for an undergraduate research project. She completed a HBSc with high distinction in 2023 before joining the lab as a PhD student.

Sarah joined the research group in September 2019 as an undergraduate thesis student and received her HBSc. In June 2020 with majors in Biology and Chemistry. In September 2020, Sarah started her PhD. and has be working on elucidating the structure and interactions of the yeast ABC transporter, Ycf1p.

Bardia, an undergraduate student specializing in Neuroscience, joined the lab as a volunteer in March 2025 and is now doing his BIO481 thesis project, working alongside Maya Eid. Outside the lab, Bardia enjoys playing chess and is passionate about pursuing a career in medicine.

Meryem joined the lab as a UTEA student in May 2025, shortly after completing her fourth year of undergraduate studies. She worked closely with Maya to elucidate the effects of disease-causing mutations on the structure and dynamics of human pancreatic KATP channels. Meryem is currently a casual student working on the ABE program. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, exploring Toronto, and diving into scientific articles. She is deeply passionate about biochemistry and physics.

Tarek joined the lab in May 2025 as an undergraduate research student and then stayed to do a BIO481. Tarek is investigating protein-protein interactions within the yeast ABC transporter Ycf1p, focusing on the regulatory (R) region. In his free time, Tarek enjoys playing boardgames with friends and biking during the summer.