This page lists our current and honorary members. Perhaps you’d like to see our growing list of amazing Alumni?

Graduate Students:

Sofya Ermolina (PhD student, 2021-) did her undergraduate degree at Brock University and worked as a technician in McMaster’s CAF. She brings that wealth of skills to our team that will be essential to uncover the role of the microbiome and inflammation in healthy and unhealthy aging. She’ll be working primarily in the PreClinical Studies in Aging Lab to find new avenues of intervention to improve the aging trajectory. Distinctions: CIHR funded scholarship to attend the Summer Program on Aging. Medical Sciences travel award 2023. McMaster Institute for Research on Aging Graduate Scholarship 2023. CIHR CGS Doctoral Scholarship 2025. 

Nancy ElChaar (PhD candidate, September 2022 – ongoing) is co-supervised by Dr. Mike Surette and is a member of both the Surette and Bowdish labs. She studies how the microbes that live in the upper respiratory tract interact with pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae with the hopes of finding novel microbiome-based molecules that can keep the bad bugs out. Distinctions: Canadian Society of Microbiologist conference travel award 2022, FHS plenary award PechaKucha oral presentation award 2023

Eman Ranne (MSc student, September 2024-ongoing) completed his BSc at the University of Toronto, Scarborough. He joined the Bowdish lab to uncover why older adults who have serious respiratory infections can have long-lasting health issues, including cognitive decline. He aims to discover new treatments to help people recover from infections and continue living their best lives for as long as possible. Distinctions: Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) 2025/26

Hesam Hafezalseheh (PhD candidate, 2024- ongoing) obtained his MSc in Biostatistics at the Université Laval. He is co-supervised by Dr. Chris Verschoor and Dr. Bowdish and brings his unique analytical skill set to answering the important question of why and how some of us age well, and some age poorly. Using large datasets such as the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging he is investigating which biomarkers are associated with accelerated or delayed aging, frailty and poor health outcomes, including post-pneumonia cognitive decline.

Olivia Povey (MSc candidate, 2025-ongoing) completed her BSc at McGill University where she did her honours thesis project studying influenza vaccination and infection with Dr. Brian Ward. She brings her expertise to studies of protective immune responses differ between young and older adults. Specifically, she is studying how non-neutralizing antibodies to COVID-19 vaccinations might protect from infections in older and frail adults.

Eaint Thet Su (MSc candidate, 2025-ongoing) did her BSc at Carnegie Mellon University (Qatar). She brings her extensive cell and molecular biology experience to studies of how the aging gut microbiota contributes to healthy and unhealthy aging. She investigates how the aging gut and the aging immune system communicate to keep our microbes at bay and what happens when that communication breaks down.

DeAnna Meacher (MSc candidate, 2025-ongoing), a McMaster Biology graduate and is co-supervised by Dr. Chris Verschoor and Dr. Bowdish. She studies how age, frailty, medications, and chronic inflammation alter immune responses to vaccination and infection.

Lab Manager & Manager of the PreClinical Studies in Aging Lab:

Erica de Jong (MSc, 2018-2020) did her MSc entitled “Unhealthy Aging and the microbiota” in the Bowdish lab. She is helping us uncover how the microbes that live in and on us conspire against us as we grow older, manages our biobank and industrial and academic collaborations. She is also the lead scientist in the PreClinical Studies in Aging Lab and collaborates extensively with researchers in Europe and North America. Distinctions: Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2019/2020). Certificate of Excellence from the Summer Program in Aging, CIHR (2019).

Post-doctoral fellows:

Dr. Kémy Adé (PDF 2023-ongoing) completed her PhD at the Institut Pasteur where she studied how the aging microenvironment impacted tissue resident macrophages. She is studying how aging and frailty impacts lung macrophage numbers, types, and function, with the aim of understanding how these changes increase the risk of pneumonia and lung disease. Distinctions: McCall MacBain Postdoctoral Leadership program 2024

Dr. Ferris Munyonho (PDF 2025-ongoing) received a prestigious Fulbright scholarship for his PhD studies in Biomedical Sciences at Tulane University where he developed novel methodologies for studying Pneumocystis infections. He received his MSc from Zhejiang University of Science & Technology and has worked as a research scientist at the University of Zimbabwe. He brings his extensive experience in infectious disease in vulnerable populations to studies of COVID-19 infections and vaccinations in vulnerable and older adults.

Research Coordinators & Technical Staff:

Braeden Cowborough (2019 – ) got an MSc from the McMaster Immunology Research Centre with Dr. Matt Miller in 2017. After working briefly in industry he joined the Bowdish team. Braeden’s portfolio is extensive, he is leading our labs serological studies of antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccinations.

Undergraduates:

Isabela G.G. Viana (2024 Summer student, 2024-25 3rd year Honours Biochemistry project student) studies how antibody isotypes (IgG1/2/3/4) made in response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination protect from infection. Perhaps having the initials IgG made this project her destiny? She also runs the lab’s TikTok account and our trainee led vaccination promotion campaign ‘Protect your herd’. Distinctions: Winner for best undergraduate poster presentation, Infection & Immunity Forum (IIRF) 2025

Shuo Fang (2024-25 4th year Chemical Biology thesis student) has extensive research experience in her many co-op projects and brings her passion for understanding the mechanisms of aging to the Bowdish lab. She studies the long-term health effects of pneumonia in order to develop new treatments to improve the lives of older adults.

Fearless leader: Dawn‘s project is – in theory – pushing back the boundaries of macrophage biology. In practice she spends a lot of time writing grants, writing more grants, filling out interminable paperwork, and basically keeping all those macrophage shaped balls in the air. She is pictured here doing what she loves best – keeping the data gods fed and happy with exciting new discoveries. An office covered with figures from papers planned and in progress is a happy office.