The prize, awarded annually, honours excellence in the research publication of a student member of the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists. Mina was recognized for the impact of her recent publication in the peer-reviewed journal, Plant, Cell & Environment. The research was based in part on her PhD thesis, which she had previously completed at Queens University.
As scientists around the world worked on research and development of an effective vaccine for COVID-19, Mina and her colleagues launched a novel research initiative focused on developing an edible vaccine for the disease. Mina led the first part of the project, which involves designing and cloning several constructs to express COVID-19 proteins in plant systems. In addition, Mina is conducting research that focuses on a proteomics-based approach to identifying host and pathogen proteins critical to clubroot establishment in canola. Funded by the Canola Agronomic Research Program (CARP) for four years, this project is a collaboration between Professor Allyson MacLean’s lab at the University of Ottawa and Professor Christopher Todd’s lab at the University of Saskatchewan.
In July 2018, Mina joined the Design That Cell team as a senior illustrator, where she helps create engaging scientific illustrations to help effectively communicate scientific concepts. She believes that, “graphics are the most powerful tool to convey information, and it’s important that they accurately and properly illustrate the science behind them without making it too complicated.”
Even though she is at the early stages of her career, Mina has already made significant contributions in the field of plant biology. She has much to look forward to professionally, but also in her personal life. Mina and her husband recently became parents! She is looking forward to spending quality time with her growing family.
