Zachary Robinson

I completed my undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Lethbridge (Canada). I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on multiple research projects under the supervision of Dr. Trushar Patel and Dr. Borries Demeler, focusing on the role of RNA-protein and RNA-RNA interactions in disease and on analytical ultracentrifugation as a potential tool to study these interactions. I was able to gain experience in a wide range of biophysical techniques including small angle X-ray scattering, microscale thermophoresis, multi-angle light scattering, and analytical ultracentrifugation while working on these projects. I was also introduced to the world of cell biology through basic qPCR and confocal microscopy experiments. I led the wet-lab side of the 2024 Univeristy of Lethbridge iGEM project, attempting to engineer nanobodies that would enable the detection of the Plasmodiophora brassicae pathogen at extremely low concentrations in soil samples taken from farmers fields under the supervision of Dr. Vineet Rathod.

I joined the Lau Lab in September 2024, and my current research is focused around investigating the structure and function of several microtubule binding proteins which I believe may play a role in stabilizing the Plasmodium falciparum cytoskeleton, as well as facilitating the movement of organelles such as the rhopteries and the micronemes, which have important roles in the invasion of human red blood cells.