Team Members
Current Lab Members
John Barrett, PhD
John completed his PhD at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He has studied the viral pathogenesis of various dsDNA viruses (baculoviruses, poxviruses, papillomaviruses). He now leads Dr. Anthony Nichols’ research group studying HNSCC and ATC.
Peter Zeng
Peter is a MD/PhD candidate at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. He found his passion for research while completing his undergrad at McMaster University. Currently in the Nichols lab, he is using computational technologies to explore mechanisms of treatment resistance in head and neck cancer.
Peter is supported by a CIHR Vanier Scholarship and PSI Foundation Fellowship.
Outside of the lab, he enjoys cooking, watching sports, and trying out different restaurants.
Fun fact about Peter: He eats his ketchup with a side of fries.
Mushfiq Shaikh, PhD
Mushfiq is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Nichols lab. His interest in cancer was developed during his master’s (MSc) in experimental oral pathology (oral cancer) at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. He earned his PhD from Australia, working in Professors Nigel McMillan and Newell Johnson’s labs. His current research focuses on understanding the genomic basis of head and neck cancer and cancer immunotherapy.
Outside the lab, Mushfiq is fond of travelling to historic and scenic places, trying out different restaurants, and enjoying photography with his old Sony compact DSLR camera. He is a big fan of the Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) and the Brisbane Broncos and follows the English Premier League (EPL).
Halema Khan, PhD
Halema completed her PhD at the University of Western Ontario. She studied the mechanisms of interaction of intrinsically disordered proteins with their targets in the oxidative stress response pathway. She is now working as the research coordinator for the Head and Neck Cancer team at Victoria Hospital.
In her off-time, Halema is busy training 4 little ones to become kind and compassionate humans. She enjoys cooking, biking, walking, and camping with her family.
Shengjie Ying
Shengjie is an MD/PhD candidate at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. He previously completed his undergrad at Western and developed a passion for research during his master’s at the University of Toronto. As part of the Nichols lab, he is using computational approaches to investigate head and neck cancer.
Outside of the lab, Shengjie enjoys playing badminton, cooking, and playing violin.
MohdWessam Al Jawhri
Wessam is an MD/PhD candidate at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. He first discovered his love for research during his undergraduate studies where he completed his Bachelor of Medical Science in the Department of Pathology. He continued on to complete his MSc in the same department.
Outside the lab, Wessam enjoys staying active through calisthenics and resistance training.
Fun fact: He is a tech enthusiast who enjoys building computers.
Nichols Lab Alumni
Imran Khan, PhD
Imran did his Ph.D. in Warsaw, Poland and moved to Canada in 2018 to pursue his Postdoc at Western University where he studied the genomic basis of the development of anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Imran is presently a research associate in the Department of Otolaryngology at Stanford University.
Outside the lab, Imran loves shooting videos with his phone gimbal and drone to cover his travelling passion. He likes training for amateur boxing, wall climbing, and tennis to be physically fit to lift the pipette with a tip ON.
Alana Sorgini
Alana was an MD candidate at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She did her undergrad in biomedical sciences at the University of Ottawa and studied the difference in behaviour between anatomical subsites in head and neck cancer at the Nichols lab.
Outside the lab, Alana likes all kinds of exercise (especially outdoors), spending time with friends, and drinking a surprisingly large amount of iced coffee.
Allie Dawson
Allie completed her BSc at the University of Prince Edward Island and established a passion for research while working in the agriculture field. She moved on to pursue her master’s degree at the Nichols lab where she studied the molecular basis of chemoradiation resistance in head and neck cancers.
When not working, Allie enjoys indulging in local coffee shops, exploring the city of London, and dreaming about PEI beaches.
Sarah Elizabeth Belle Ryan
Sarah earned her undergraduate degree at Western University with an Honours Specialization in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. As a member of the Nichols lab, she studied targeted therapeutics and immunotherapies in cell and animal models in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.
Sarah Belle is currently the Research Coordinator for the Spinal Cord Injury Research Evidence (SCIRE) London team and develops clinical evidence modules regarding rehabilitation following spinal cord injury.
Outside of work, she enjoys training her rescue dog Tobi and holds a brown belt in Kenjute.
Hugh Kim
Hugh became an MD candidate at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry after completing his BSc in quantitative biology at McGill University. As a member of the Nichols lab, he used computational techniques to investigate the molecular heterogeneity within head and neck cancers.
Hugh is currently a PGY2 in the Department of Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Toronto.
Outside of work, Hugh is a CrossFit addict, dabbler of the Bokklubben World Library, jack-of-all-trades band member, and ex-amateur Korean pop dancer.
Interested in joining us?
Highly motivated undergraduate, medical students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to apply by email to anthony.nichols@lhsc.on.ca - with CV and transcript(s) attached.