Lab Members

Muscle Physiology Lab

PhD Candidates

Eveline Menezes, MSc Originally from Brazil, Eveline completed her BS degree in Physical Education at Federal University of Vale do São Francisco. During her undergraduate, she studied Exercise and Wellness at Arizona State University with Sciences Without Borders and at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a research trainee. She then completed her MSc in Functional and Molecular Biology at the State University of Campinas under the supervision of Dr. Leonardo Reis where she examined the process of mitochondrial biogenesis in insulin secreting pancreatic cells.

Masters Students

Benjamin Arhen

Originally from Brampton Ontario, Ben completed his Undergraduate degree in Biology (Hons.) at Queen’s University in 2020. During his undergraduate years, Ben was a member of the Queen’s Gaels varsity football team and transitioned into the coaching role while pursuing his MSc. in 2020. Ben’s research focuses on the upstream molecular mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial biogenesis at various high intensities of exercise.

Kristi Storoschuk

After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph, Kristi worked as a science writer while volunteering in the D’Agostino lab at the University of South Florida. She is interested in how we can leverage muscle physiology to improve metabolic health, which brought her to pursue her PhD with Dr. Gurd at Queen’s University.

Matt Renwick

Originally from Mississauga Ontario, Matt completed his undergraduate degree in Bio-Medical Science at the University of Guelph. While attending U of G, Matt completed a 4th-year thesis and has had the opportunity to work closely with NHL and varsity-level hockey teams. Matt’s MSc will focus on investigating molecular signaling pathways of PGC-1a and mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial biogenesis.

Lauren Pacitti

Originally from Toronto Ontario, Lauren completed her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at McMaster University. She is currently completing her MSc degree in muscle physiology with Dr. Brendon Gurd. Lauren’s thesis will investigate the use of threshold exercise prescription as a way to eliminate sex differences in adaptation and substrate utilization.

Peter Mendolia

Peter completed his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at Queen’s University in the spring of 2021. In his 4th year, Peter completed a systematic review that compared the effects of intensity vs volume of acute exercise on anabolic intramuscular signaling. Peter’s MSc will be focused on examining the acute mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle.

Kyra Bancroft

Originally from Madoc Ontario, Kyra studied at Queen’s University where she received an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology. In third year, Kyra joined a research internship in the SKHS that taught her the fundamentals of study design, interpreting scientific data, and communicating exercise science literature. In fourth year, Kyra completed a manuscript challenging the ‘master-regulator’ PGC-1 paradigm looking at exercise-induced activation of novel regulators of skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis. This paved an avenue for her MSc work studying the resting protein expression of novel regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis across the early and late follicular phases of the menstrual cycle.

Kassia Regnier

Originally from Williamstown, Ontario, Kassia moved to Kingston, Ontario, to complete her BScH degree in Biology at Queen’s University. She is currently completing her MSc degree in muscle physiology with Dr. Brendon Gurd. When not in the lab, Kassia enjoys staying fit and spending time with her family and her cats.

Tanbira Alam

Born and raised in Bangladesh, Tanbira completed a degree in medicine at Dhaka University. She then moved to Kingston to pursue her MSc at Queen’s University under supervision of Brendon Gurd and Chris McGlory.