NMIN HQP Morgan Alford has been named a 2020 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship recipient.
Morgan is a PhD candidate supervised by NMIN researcher Dr. Robert Hancock at the University of British Columbia, and is a member of the Executive Committee (Communications Director) of the NMIN HQP Network (NHN).
Her research focuses on understanding bacterial pathogenesis and developing novel therapies for treatment of infections in the context of respiratory diseases. Her project will explore how metabolic processes of bacteria contribute to adaptivity and virulence (“Identification of novel Pseudomonas aeruginosa metabolic regulators and characterization of their role in adaptive resistance and virulence”).
Vanier Scholarships are considered the Canadian equivalent of the United Kingdom’s Rhodes Scholarships. These awards recognize students who demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies. Each recipient receives $150,000 over three years toward his or her doctoral research.