Meet our Team:
Our Fearless Leader
Julie Claycomb, Ph.D.
Julie holds a longstanding interest in understanding how chromosomes are copied, built, and faithfully segregated during cell division. In addition to this interest in chromatin and chromosome biology, she has been fascinated by “non-canonical” means of regulating gene expression during animal development. During graduate school, Julie studied the mechanisms of DNA replication in Drosophila while in the lab of Dr. Terry Orr-Weaver (Whitehead Institute/MIT). As a postdoc, she came to appreciate RNA in all of its glory in the lab of Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Craig Mello, at UMass Medical School. There, she was inspired to think outside of the box about the bizarre and fascinating epigenetic functions of small RNA pathways in the C. elegans germline. She started her lab in the Dept. of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto in 2011, and was the Tier II Canada Research Chair in Small RNA Biology from 2012-2022. Julie was recently promoted to the rank of Full Professor.
Work in the Claycomb lab combines Julie's interests in chromatin, small RNA biology, and regulation of gene expression. Over the years, her team has focused on understanding how small RNA pathways regulate gene expression throughout development, mediate epigenetic inheritance, and can be deployed for intercellular communication. The team is now most excited about their recent comprehensive and systematic characterization of all 19 C. elegans Argonautes which reveals surprising new networks of tissue-specific gene regulation and opens many new lines of research (Seroussi, et al., eLife 2023)
In addition to her team’s research, Julie truly enjoys teaching, mentoring, and building community. She was fortunate to be the Graduate Program Director of her department (~400 students) for six years, and had the privilege of developing novel graduate student recruitment approaches, implementing innovative new courses, spearheading new professional development initiatives, and building community. For these contributions, she won early and mid-career Graduate Mentorship Awards from the U of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine. For the past 8 years, Julie has also mentored talented groups of students who bring together our Toronto RNA community via the monthly seminars of Toronto RNA Club and the yearly symposium of Toronto RNA Enthusiasts’ Day. She is currently enjoying roles in fostering our broader RNA and C. elegans communities as the Secretary of RNA Canada ARN, a Board Member of The RNA Society, and the Canadian Representative on the International “Worm Board.” Julie also works to help researchers share their work as an Associate Editor of the journal GENETICS, and for the past two years, she has co-organized an impactful virtual seminar series among worm small RNA researchers that draws in over 125 researchers each month. Julie enjoys teaching, both in the lab and in the classroom, and has taught in MGY200, and MMG1010/Colloquium in previous years. She currently teaches the topics of transcription, chromatin and genomics in the 3rd year Molecular Biology Course, MGY311, instructs a group of second year “small group” seminars, and leads a graduate course with Dr. Craig Smibert on Post-Transcriptional Regulation (MMG1326).
Julie hails from farmland in rural central Pennsylvania, and is a first in her family academic. There, her family raises beef cattle and operates a 50+ year-old ice cream and hamburger stand, “The Cow,” where the family’s beef cattle become tasty treats...(which is one reason why she has become a vegetarian!) Consistent with her family farming and small business operating traditions, Julie now considers herself to be a worm farmer and her lab as the small business she is entrusted to care for!
Our Intrepid Grad Students
Mathias Renaud
Mathias grew up outside of Windsor, ON. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Waterloo, where he focused on Molecular Genetics. His background in Computational Biology is also a huge benefit to the team. Although he never worked with worms before, Mathias quickly adapted and thoroughly enjoys watching them go about their lives through the microscope. This kind of makes sense, because as a little kid, Mathias always wanted to be a “bug scientist.” He feels like he wasn’t that far off now that he’s studying worms and is calling this a win! For his PhD thesis, Mathias is characterizing the functions of small RNA pathways during spermatogenesis (#WormSperm). Mathias’ favo(u)rite food is fried chicken sandwiches. Much like enjoying a tasty chicken sandwich, Mathias is focused on enjoying each step of the way in his scientific journey!
Madeline Prevec
Madeline grew up in Dundas, Ontario “near the woods!” They performed their BSc at the U of T as a Molecular Genetics Specialist before joining the graduate program. Madeline is studying the localization of the intestinal secondary Argonautes to the apical intestinal membrane. They are interested in why these AGOs sit at the membrane, waiting for RNA action to happen! Like many of us, Madeline was a new wormie when they joined the lab, and they love that worms are transparent: “microscopy is fun when you can see all the parts!” This is a good thing, because Madeline’s project requires LOTS of time on the microscope! Outside of their worms, Madeline aims to be a life-long learner, and it shows! They love learning new languages, playing the piano and flute, singing, and cooking. Some of their favo(u)rite foods include curries and omelets, because of the diversity of ways they can be prepared, along with ice cream (its own dessert category, of course!) and mangos. Madeline is a passionate advocate for social justice, and has volunteered their time as a part of student groups such as the Mental Health Policy Council and Student Mental Advocacy and Resource Team (October 2019 – 2022), which advocated for improving student mental health at U of T, along with many other important causes.
Sébastian Fuentes
Sébastian grew up in Calgary, AB.
Our Perceptive Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral Fellow: Dr. Volker Nitschko
Volker grew up in southern Germany and studied biochemistry and chemistry at the LMU in Munich where he developed his fascination with sRNA pathways. During his thesis work he worked in the lab of Prof. Dr. Klaus Förstemann and uncovered the role of the Drosophila RBP Blanks in the nuclear export of siRNA precursors. In 2021 Volker followed his interest in sRNA pathways that led him to Canada. He is currently studying the role of miRNA-binding Argonaute proteins in the C. elegans germline. For the future, Volker has his eyes on a PI position to combine his passions for research, teaching, and mentoring the next generation of exceptional scientists.
Our Determined Research Associate
Research Associate: Dr. Samantha Del Borrello
Dr. Del Borrello (or Dr. Sam, as we all know her in lab) was born and raised in Toronto. She earned her BSc as a Human Biology: Genes Genetics and Biotechnology specialist at the U of Toronto. Along the way she took lots of Developmental Biology courses, which may have influenced her love of worms and brought her back to the Claycomb lab, after performing her first undergraduate research project in the lab a “few” years ago. Sam also did her PhD at the U of T, studying the effects of anti-helminthic compounds on worm metabolism, and loves working with worms, because "the community is awesome and worms are such a powerful model for being so tiny and simple.” Sam loves worms so much that she even has a worm tattoo! Sam also loves puzzles, reading, and crafts; in fact she is a real “maker” and “DIYer.” She isn’t afraid to take apart a broken piece of equipment and figure out what makes it tick or 3-D print a new part to repair it. She also loves cooking and her favourite dish is pasta with homemade tomato sauce and lots of parmesan! Sam is always looking to learn and grow in everything she does, and enjoys passing what she learns on to newbies. She can't wait to be the seasoned Claycomb lab guru!
Our Keen Undergraduate Students
This could be you! Please send an email to julie dot claycomb at utoronto dot ca to apply!
Lab Alumni
Dr. Amanda Charlesworth, Ph.D. Student (2016-2023) [Center for Forensic Science]
Samantha Ormesher, Technician (2023) [Nursing Student, University of Toronto]
Dr. Ruxandra Molnar, Research Associate (2019-2022)
Aida Sobhani, M.Sc., Technician (2022) [Technician, UBC]
Yuk Wa Lee, M.Sc. (2020-2022) joint student with Dr. Karen Yuen of Hong Kong University [Technician]
Kexin Tian, Undergraduate Student (2022-2023) [Graduate Student, Cornell University]
Merveille Madeda, Undergraduate Student (2022)
Elli Hung, Undergraduate Student (2022)
Dr. Uri Seroussi, Ph.D. Student (2017-2021) [Web Developer, Computational Support at several Digital Art Start-ups]
Adam Sundby, M.Sc. Student (2019-2021) [Lab Technician]
Lucie Perillat, Undergraduate Student (2021) [Graduate Student, University of Toronto]
Stephanie Musa, Undergraduate Student (2021)
Annette Diao, Undergraduate Student (2020-2021) [Graduate Student, MIT]
Robert Lao, Undergraduate Student (2018-2021) [MD/Ph.D. Student University of Toronto]
Melissa Wong, M.Sc. Student (2016-2018) [Sales Representative, VWR]
Julia Sobotka, M.Sc. Student (2016-2018) [Clinical Research Coordinator, Fred A. Litwin Centre in Genetic Medicine]
(An)Drew Lugowski, M.Sc., Computational Biologist (2017-2018) [Canadian Air Force]
Dr. Monica Wu, Ph.D. Student (2011-2018) [Senior Scientist, Sanofi mRNA Center of Excellence]
Dr. Christopher Wedeles, Ph.D. Student (2011-2018) [Senior Scientist, Gate Bioscience]
Ruyan Li, Summer Undergraduate Researcher from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2018)
Dr. Kataryzna Tyc, Computational Post-doctoral Fellow (2016) [Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University]
Amena (Amy) Nabih, M.Sc. Student (2014-2016) [Ph.D. Student, ETH Zurich]
Dr. Tuhin Maity, MBA, Post-doctoral Fellow (2014-2016) [Associate Director, Health Technology Assessment and Evidence Synthesis, PDCI Market Access, a Division of McKesson Canada]
Matthew Tran, Undergraduate Student (2016)
Aldis Krizus, Technician (2014-2016)
Bakhtiyar Taghizada, Undergraduate Student (2015)
Vivian Cheung, M.Sc. Student (2012-2014) [Research Operations Coordinator at Public Health Ontario]
Michelle Francisco, M.Sc. Student (2011-2014) [Lab manager at Huang Lab, Sick Kids]
Laila Zaman, Undergraduate Student (2014)
Hasina Dhanani, Undergraduate Student (2014)
Samantha Del Borrello, Undergraduate Student (2013-2014) [Research Associate, Claycomb Lab]
Daniel Li, Undergraduate Student (2013)
Wendy Cao, Undergraduate Student (2011-2013) [Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University]
Ivy Su, Technician (2012)
Eesha Sharma, Undergraduate Student (2011-2012) [CEO, Lamar Health]
Monica Tolosa, Undergraduate Student (2011-2012) [Graduate Student, University of Toronto]
Scenes from around the Claycomb Lab...
