BIT SURE Mentor Profiles
Meet the mentors for the 2026 BIT SURE program! All of our mentors are passionate teachers and mentors who are excited to help students succeed in research. Below is a list of questions that we hope will help you get to know the mentors and give you a better idea of what to expect, should you participate in our program.
Dr. Phillip Brown
What is your research area and why are you passionate about it?
I love looking at the intraspecies interactions of bacteria and how genes can be shared! Strains of the same bacterial species will share a large portion of their genome but they will often also harbor other non-essential genes involved in everything from antibiotic resistance to virulence. Genomic analysis of these accessory genes can be extremely important in understanding how to combat human pathogens.
What do you like most about research?
Science is difficult and working with others who have knowledge you do not can help drive projects forward and help expand your set of skills. I also enjoy feeling like a detective, trying to solve a problem that no one knows the answer to.
How would you describe your mentoring style?
My mentoring style always changes depending on who I am mentoring and what style they prefer or need, I can be either hands off or on. I am always available to answer questions or provide help if students need it but in general I think research is an excellent opportunity for students to become more independent and work through problems.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to students beginning research?
Don’t be afraid to fail. Research experiments rarely work on the first try and troubleshooting is one of the most important skills to learn. If you make a mistake or your experiment does not go as planned don’t panic and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Dr. Stefanie Chen
What is your research area and why are you passionate about it?
I have always loved DNA! It looks super cool and it is so fundamental to cellular function. My research explores ways that cells preserve genome integrity, meaning preventing and fixing any damage that inevitably occurs to the DNA.
What do you like most about research?
Learning something new! When you run an experiment and get good results, you know something that no one else in the world knows! And then you get to share with other people who geek out over the same things.
How would you describe your mentoring style?
I would describe my mentoring style as “Try it first.” I’m happy to explain concepts, show students where everything is located, and demonstrate as needed, but I like to have them make a solid effort to find the appropriate information or lab reagents first. This helps them build independent research skills.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to students beginning research?
I would definitely say to embrace failure! Experiments rarely go smoothly the first time, so it’s important to make sure you’re learning from and building off of that to improve. Also, take really good notes!
Dr. Corbin Jensen
What is your research area and why are you passionate about it?
My research focuses on how cells maintain contact with neighboring cells and their environment. Specifically I look at a complex known as the Adherens Junction (AJ) which is vital to maintain proper cell-cell adhesion with my protein of interest being the Canoe/Afadin protein. Canoe/Afadin has a large intrinsically disordered region which challenges long-held dogma that structure equals function, so it is at the forefront of new scientific discoveries, while also being relevant to both the creation of life during embryogenesis as well as the deterioration of life through diseases such as cancer.
What do you like most about research?
This project stands at the intersection of so many different scientific disciplines such as genetics, developmental biology, cancer biology, cell and molecular interactions, protein dynamics and interactions, cutting-edge microscopy, image analysis and computer modeling, and more. I get to try new things and new techniques to solve a scientific puzzle that nobody else has before. It’s exciting to be exploring uncharted territory and moving science forward in the process. Sometimes the seemingly smallest of discoveries have led to life-altering discoveries in technology and human health and medicine and that is very rewarding to know my work doesn’t exist in a vacuum and could one day make a real impact.
How would you describe your mentoring style?
My mentorship style skews slightly towards being a little hands-off but with ample availability and an open-door policy. I will work extensively with you in the beginning to teach you the skills you need to hopefully be able to ride the bike without any training wheels later on, but I will always be present should you feel like you need a little bit of help with your balance. I think ownership and agency are important things to establish early on and I want to make sure you succeed on your own in your future endeavours; and to me that is more important than getting a particular experiment or assay correct.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to students beginning research?
Don’t worry about the project or research topic so much. When you start in research you are learning techniques and how to begin thinking like a scientist and what it means to do day-to-day science. Those lessons are universal, the topic or project is niche. Focus less on what the experiment is and more on why we chose that experiment and what that experiment tells us. Those concepts are transferable across fields and across projects and will build a strong foundation for future research and future success in research.
Dr. Micaela Robson
What is your research area and why are you passionate about it?
I love studying unique bacterial metabolic pathways that can be applied towards sustainability and remediation efforts! Bacteria can live in challenging environments and have developed amazing enzymes and pathways to enable their survival. Our knowledge of these pathways is extremely limited, which is why I am interested in using -omic approaches to uncover the enzymes and coding genes behind them so that they can be better leveraged for real-world solutions.
What do you like most about research?
Being on the edge of knowledge and asking questions that don’t yet have clear answers. I love the sense of discovery, even in small wins, and the opportunity to collaborate with others to advance science in ways that can make a real, positive impact on the world.
How would you describe your mentoring style?
I usually adapt my mentoring style to each student’s needs. I focus on making sure the student has clear directions and understanding, then letting them try on their own. It is important to me that students have ownership of their work while I am here to guide, demonstrate, and answer questions as needed.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to students beginning research?
Be patient with yourself and trust your abilities! You are more capable than you think. And have fun- that is the most important ingredient to research!
Dr. Melissa Srougi
What is your research area and why are you passionate about it?
Cancer biology, experimental chemotherapeutics, pharmacology. I love deciphering the biochemistry of the human body and using that knowledge not only to understand what causes disease but also to improve human health.
What do you like most about research?
Every day in the lab brings something new. It might be an exciting new finding or a challenge that needs to be overcome. I enjoy the adventure and mental stimulation that working in the lab brings and sharing that journey (ups and downs) with my trainees.
How would you describe your mentoring style?
By default I am a hands-off mentor. I want to enable my students to pursue independent or semi-independent research by the end of their tenure in my lab. However, I understand that all my students bring their own unique personalities and perspectives to the lab. I therefore maintain a very open communication policy with my trainees so we can work together to modify a mentoring plan that is best for each of them. We revisit this plan frequently since trainees’ needs change as they progress in their lab experiences.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to students beginning research?
Don’t be afraid to take risks or tackle challenges. Science is an iterative process and much of what we do in the lab does not work (even for the most seasoned scientists). Keep trying and don’t give up!