Faculty & Staff
Siyun Wang, PhD, Principal Investigator
Dr. Siyun Wang is an Associate Professor of Food Safety Engineering at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, where she conducts research on microbial safety in the Ulrich Freybe Food Safety Laboratory.
Siyun received her B.Sc. in Pharmacy from Fudan University (2005) and Ph.D. in Biology from the Institute for Food Safety and Health at Illinois Tech (2010). Prior to joining UBC in January 2013, she was a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University.
Thomas Brenner, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow
BSc in Honours Biology with a minor in Chemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2015
MSc in Integrative Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2017
PhD in Food Science, UBC, 2023
During his BSc and MSc programs, Thomas investigated the structure and function of proteins involved in cellulose biosynthesis by Escherichia coli. Following this, Thomas spent a year as a Project Manager/Research Associate for two major biofilm projects at Wilfrid Laurier University. He investigated potential treatments for periodontitis-causing organism biofilms under the Canadian Glycomics Network and bacteriophage treatments for various Salmonella spp. under Salmonella Syst-OMICS. His PhD dissertation at UBC was entitled “Forumulating a broad-spectrum bacteriophage cocktail against pervasive poultry-associated Salmonella enterica serovars”.
Thomas was a recipient of NSERC Doctoral Scholarship.
Graduate Students
Tim Bowornnan Chantapakul, PhD Student
BSc in Honour Biology with a minor in Microbiology, Chiang Mai University, 2014
MSc in Food Science, University of Guelph, 2020
Tim grew up in Thailand and completed his bachelor’s degree at Chiang Mai University. During his master’s degree, he investigated the microbiome of tropical fruits in order to control Listeria monocytogenes and Cronobacter sakazakii. His current project is focused on working with bacteriophage to control plant pathogens in blueberries.
Tim is a recipient of the Thai Royal Scholarship.
Danielle Schultze, PhD Student
BSc in Nutrition and Food Science, University of Alberta, 2016
MSc in Food Science and Technology, University of Alberta, 2019
Danielle’s current research at UBC focuses on bacteriophage receptor function and resistance development in Salmonella. Previously during her MSc, she investigated the potential of high-pressure carbon dioxide technology to control Escherichia coli and Salmonella on low moisture foods.
Shelyn Wongso, MSc Student
BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, 2020
Shelyn was born and raised in Indonesia before moving to California in 2013. Her MSc research is focused on understanding the genes involved in Salmonella response to bacteriophage treatments.
Cassidy Ball, MSc Student
BSc in Food Science, University of Guelph, 2023
Cassidy grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and moved to Ontario, Canada in 2019. It is here that she complete a bachelors degree in Food Science at the University of Guelph. Her MSc research is focusing on identifying and characterizing bacteriophages to decrease the harmful effects pseudomonas syringae in blueberry plants.
Cassandra Klaas, MSc student
BSc. in Agricultural Biotechnology, University of Lethbridge, 2022
Cassandra was born and raised in Southern Alberta. She completed her BSc. at the University of Lethbridge majoring in Agricultural Biotechnology. Her MSc. research involves studying antimicrobial resistance on dairy farms within the Fraser Valley. Cassandra’s research is partnered with the federal government and she will be completing most of her research at the Agriculture and Agri-Food research facility in Agassiz.
Undergraduate Students
Lab Alumni
Lab Alumni – Postdoctoral and Research Associates
Lin Chen, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Lin Chen was a Postdoctoral Fellow in our group from 2021 to 2023. He received his PhD degree in Food Science and Technology from National University of Singapore (2021).
His project in our lab was is focused on understanding the molecular interactions between bacteriophages and host pathogens on model plants.
Currently, Lin is an Assistant Professor at the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University.
Gahee Ban, PhD
Dr. Gahee Ban was a postdoctoral fellow in our lab from 2018 to 2021. She received her PhD degree in Food Science and Biotechnology from Seoul National University and worked as a postdoctoral associate at University of Hawaii before joining our lab. Her project focused on developing effective strategies to reduce Salmonella contamination in food chain.
Currently, Gahee is a research Assistant Professor at Ewha Womans University.
Karen Fong, PhD
BSc in Microbiology, UBC Okanagan, 2012
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2015
PhD in Food Science, UBC, 2019
Karen was born and raised in the Okanagan region of BC. She completed her MSc and PhD both at our lab. Her PhD dissertation was entitled “Comparative analysis of Salmonella-infecting bacteriophages and characterization of bacteriophage-host interactions”.
Karen was a recipient of Canadian Dairy Commission & NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Doctoral Scholarship.
After a very brief postdoctoral fellowship, Karen joined Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) as a Research Scientist in Summerland, BC in 2020.
Aljosa Trmcic, PhD
PhD in Biotechnology, University of Ljubljana, 2011
BS in Food Science & Technology, University of Ljubljana, 2005
Dr. Aljosa Trmcic was a Research Associate in our lab from 2016 to 2018. He worked on L. monocytogenes and biofilm formation, as well as on microbiology of sourdoughs.
Currently, Al works as an Extension Associate in the Dairy Foods Extension at Cornell University.
Kristie Keeney, PhD
Dr. Keeney was a part-time Research Associate in our lab from 2015 to 2017.
Kristie is the founder of Keeney Scientific, Vancouver, BC.
Lab Alumni – Graduate Students
Catherine Wong, PhD Candidate
BSc in Food Science, UBC, 2016
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2019
Catherine was raised in Vancouver, BC and did her Bachelor in Food Science in 2016.
Her MSc thesis was completed in our lab, entitled “Colonization and bacteriophage biocontrol of Salmonella on fresh produce”.
Her PhD project was focused on understanding the interactions between bacteriophages and bacterial pathogens on fresh produce.
Currently, Catherine works as a Senior Research Associate at IIT-IFSH.
Thomas Guy, MSc Student
BSc in Forest Biology with a minor in Biochemistry, University of Victoria, 2021
Thomas grew up in the Okanagan before completing his bachelor’s degree at the University of Victoria specializing in plant sciences. His MSc research was focused on bacteriophage-mediated antimicrobial resistance sensitization in Salmonella.
Currently, Thomas works as a research technian at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Lucy Jiangning He, MSc Student
BSc in Honours Food Science, UBC, 2021
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2023
Lucy’s MSc project involved reducing Salmonella enterica contamination in poultry products using bacteriophages.
Justin Falardeau, PhD Candidate
BSc in Food Science, Carleton University, 2014
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2017
PhD in Food Science, UBC, 2022
Justin’s research was focused on the interaction between Listeria monocytogenes and the native microflora in soft-ripened cheeses like Brie and Camembert. His goal was to develop cheese starter cultures that possess intrinsic antilisterial activity.
Justin originally came to UBC for his MSc after completing his BSc in Food Science and Nutrition at Carleton University in Ottawa. During his MSc research, Justin investigated the occurrence and predictors of common foodborne pathogens in surface waters used for irrigation in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
Justin was the recipient of an Izaak Killam Pre-Doctoral Fellowship and currently holds an Alexander Graham Bell Canada Doctoral Scholarship.
Currently, Justin works as a Science Specialist at Food Safety Science Directorate, Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Yvonne Ma
BSc in Microbiology and Immunology, UBC, 2017
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2019
Lab Manager, 2019-21
Yvonne completed her MSc in characterizing bacteriophages isolated from British Columbia in our lab. She was a recipient of the NSERC CGS-M scholarship.
Yvonne currently works as a medical technologist at STEMCELL Technologies.
Linda Yu Tong Lu, MSc Student
HBSc in Immunology and Nutritional Science, University of Toronto, 2019
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2021
Linda grew up in British Columbia but pursued her bachelor’s degree at University of Toronto. During her undergraduate, Linda investigated clinical predictors of mortality in heart failure at Toronto General Hospital.
Linda was a recipient of the NSERC CGS-M scholarship. Her MSc research at UBC involved characterizing bacteriophages for reducing pathogenic Escherichia coli contamination in fresh produce.
Currently, Linda is pursuing her M.D. at Universtiy of Toronto.
David Mahoney, MSc
BSc in Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, 2018
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2020
David was born and raised in Nova Scotia and attended Dalhousie University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and immunology in 2018.
David’s MSc thesis was entitled “Genomic Associations of Listeria monocytogenes Adhesion at 8°C”.
Currently, David works as a research technician at AAFC.
Patricia Hingston, PhD
BSc in Food Science, Dalhousie University, 2010
MSc in Food Science, Dalhousie University, 2013
PhD in Food Science, UBC, 2017
Patricia (Trish) is originally from Ontario but also lived in Halifax, NS for 7 years while she completed her Bachelors and Masters in Food Science. She came to Vancouver for her PhD. Most of Trish’s past and current research is focused on elucidating stress survival mechanisms used by the human foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, to survive in food and food processing environments.
Trish’s research in our lab focused on investigating L. monocytogenes‘ cold, salt, acid, and desiccation stress survival as well as its ability to form a biofilm on food processing surfaces. Trish was a recipient of the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Doctoral Scholarship scholarship.
Currently, Trish is appointed as an Assistant Professor of Teaching (tenure-track) at UBC.
Yue (Cindy) Dai, MSc
BSc in Food Science, UBC, 2016
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2018
Born and raised in China, Cindy came to Vancouver in 2012 and obtained her Bachelor of Food Science degree from UBC in 2016.
Her MSc thesis project was focused on developing mitigation strategies for reducing pathogen contamination on sprouted vegetables.
Huihui (Hanna) Chen, MSc
BSc in Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, 2015
MSc in Food Science, UBC, 2017
Hanna was born and raised in Zhejiang Province, China. Her MSc project in our lab focused on characterizing the Salmonella strains that are important to fresh produce safety in BC.
Lab Alumni – Undergraduate Students
Ali Salehi, Co-op Student
Ali grew up in Shiraz, Iran and moved to Canada in 2017 to pursue his passion for biological research. Currently, he is working toward a BSc in Biology at UBC. He joined the Wang Lab in the summer of 2022 as a Co-op student to assist with investigations surrounding the optimization of bacteriophage cocktail treatments for use against bacterial pathogens.
Katerina Zhuohui Lin, Co-op Student
BSc in Microbiology and Immunology, UBC, 2019- present
Katerina was originally from China but moved to Canada at a young age. During her undergraduate degree, Katerina is intrigued by the interplay of microorganisms and immunity. Katerina worked as a Co-op research assistant at the Wang lab to evaluate the efficacy of encapsulated bacteriophage cocktails against food-borne pathogens in poultry production.
Devita Kireina
BSc in Food Science, UBC, 2018
Devita conducted her undergraduate thesis project in our lab on sourdough fermentation. She loves to bake in her spare time and when she needs to de-stress. She hopes to travel the world to try different kinds of cuisines.
Alfred Ke
BSc in Applied Biology, UBC, 2018
Alfred conducted his undergraduate thesis project on Salmonella and sprouts safety in our lab. From the science to the culinary arts, he wants to experience as many different aspects of food as possible.
Zheqing (Ula) Zhu
BSc in Food Science, UBC, 2018
Ula has started her bachelor’s degree in Vancouver since 2013. Her BSc thesis studies the biofilm-forming abilities of Listeria monocytogenes with different virulence gene profiles, with the focus mainly on the comparison of truncated Internalin A and full-length InlA in L. monocytogenes.
Gwendolyn Ge
BSc in Food Science, UBC, 2018
Gwendolyn is working on her undergraduate thesis project in our lab, which is about exploring the bacteria species involved in spontaneous cassava sourdough fermentation. In her spare time she enjoy reading, cooking, traveling and music, as well as meeting new friends.
Brett LaBossiere
BSc in Biochemistry, University of Victoria, 2018
Brett was raised in the Cariboo region of central BC. He is a visiting co-op student from the University of Victoria, and is assisting Karen Fong in characterizing Salmonella phages.
Anna Cheng
BSc in Food Science, UBC, 2013
Anna completed her BSc thesis in our lab in 2013, titled “Real-time PCR vs. Traditional methods on the detection of Salmonella enterica in chocolates”.
Anna is currently working as a Quality Assurance professional in food industry.
Yining Mao
BSc in Biochemistry, UBC, 2014
Yining worked with Karen in our lab from September 2013 to April 2014, when he was a 4th year Biochemistry student at UBC.
Hyun Soo Seo
BSc in Food and Nutritional Sciences, UBC, 2015
Hyun Soo completed her BSc thesis in our lab in 2015, titled “Antimicrobial effect of crude MRP on Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium under acidic and thermal stress conditions”.
Hyun Soo is currently pursuing her MSc in Food Microbiology at Seoul National University.
Jesline Rahardjo
BSc in Food Science, UBC, 2016
Jesline investigated the antimicrobial effects of Millard Reaction products on Salmonella.
She will continue to pursue a Master’s in Management at UBC.
Shinnie Zhou
BSc in Food Science, UBC, 2016
Shinnie’s BSc thesis project is on isolation and characterization of Salmonella phages from the BC agricultural environment.
She is currently working as a consultant in a Vancouver-based company.
Donna Lau
BSc in Biology studies, UBC, 2016
As a summer work-learn student, Donna worked with Justin on the enumeration of E.coli/Coliform in irrigation water.
Lab Alumni – Visiting Students and Scholars
Alison Nan Xiang, Visiting PhD student
Alison is a visiting PhD student supported by the China Scholarship Council. She’s pursuing her PhD degree in South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China on studying the transcriptome and metabonomics in maize sprouts under abiotic stresses. She worked on controlling Salmonella enterica in maize sprouts in our lab.
Daniel Yutong Ye, PhD Student
B.E. in Food Quality and Safety, South China University of Technology, 2017
M.E. in Food Engineering, South China University of Technology, 2020
Daniel was a recipient of the CSC scholarship.
Cora Chmielowska, Visiting PhD student, 2019
Cora is currently a PhD student at the Department of Bacterial Genetics, University of Warsaw.
Kaili Wang, Visiting PhD student, 2019-20
Kaili was a visiting PhD student supported by the China Scholarship Council. She worked on controlling Penicillium expansum infection in apples. Currently, Kaili is a research Assistant Professor at Jiangsu University.
Erkan Yildiz, Visiting BSc student, 2019
Erkan was a visiting student working on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on soft-ripened cheeses with Justin. He is currently pursuing his BSc in Applied Science at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Shoukui He, visiting PhD student (2018)
Department of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Shoukui was a visiting student supported by the China Scholarship Council. He worked on the ethanol stress response mechanisms of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in our lab. Currently, Shoukui is a research Assistant Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Maxime Haure, Visiting MSc student (2015)
Maxime is pursuing his MSc in Food Engineering at AgroSup Dijon, France. His project at UBC was focused on understanding the survival of Listeria monocytogenes in soil.
Maram Garout (2014-15)
BSc in Microbiology, King Abdulaziz University, 2010
Maram has completed her graduate study on Master of Food Science (MFS) at UBC. When in our lab, Maram investigated the effects of Millard Reaction products on Verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC).
Monika Trząskowska, PhD
Faculty of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW, Poland
Dr. Monika Trząskowska was a Dekaban Foundation Scholar. She investigated effective mitigation strategies for producing safety mung bean sprouts in our laboratory.