Lab Members | macneillab

Lesley MacNeil, Ph.D.

(she/her)

I obtained my undergraduate degree in Microbiology from the University of Guelph. I continued my studies at McMaster University where I obtained a Masters degree studying tumor formation and mammary gland development with Dr. John Hassell. I completed my PhD at the University of Toronto where, co-supervised by Dr. Joseph Culotti and Dr. Jeff Wrana, I worked on regulation of axon guidance and cell migration. From Joe, I gained a love of genetics, neurons and all things C. elegans and from Jeff, I gained a love of signal transduction and molecular biology.

In 2009, I was lucky enough to be awarded a CIHR post-doctoral fellowship to work with Dr. Marian Walhout at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the Program for Systems Biology. During my post-doc, I mapped out transcriptional networks that regulate gene expression in the C. elegans intestine. At the same time I was drawn back to my microbiology roots and began to explore the impact of bacterial diet on C. elegans development and metabolism.

In 2015, I started my own group at McMaster University where we study pretty much everything having to do with worms and bacteria (check out our research page). I am a member of the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute and the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR).

Our Lab Members

Grad Students

Ph.D. student

Nial Navaratne (he/him)

Nial completed his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology at the University of Toronto, where he gained an interest in host-microbiota interactions. His research in the MacNeil lab focuses on the impact human microbiota isolates have on neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s models of C. elegans. He’s particularly interested in Enterobacter isolates from the human gut, and how they impact the regulation of genes that contribute to tau-induced neurodegeneration. Prior to joining the lab, Nial spent his summers as a camp counsellor at the Tim Horton's Children's foundation.

MSc. student

Sofia Di Francesco (she/her)

Sofia completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology at McMaster before pursuing a Master's degree in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences. In the MacNeil lab, she is working with C. elegans models of Alzheimer's disease to examine the role of nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) in disease. Outside of the lab, Sofia can be found at a local concert, laughing at comedy podcasts, reading books, and spending time with her family & friends!

MSc. student

Raphaela Cayabyab (she/her)

Raphaela completed her Honours Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology & Genetics CO-OP at McMaster before continuing her studies in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences as an MSc student. Her work in the MacNeil lab focuses on investigating the regulation of the SHC-3 adaptor protein in C. elegans. When she is not in the lab, Raphaela can be found trying out food spots around town, reading books, junk journaling, and learning languages!

MSc. student

Liam Williams (he/him)

Liam completed his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Windsor, where he became interested in all things microbiology. His research in the MacNeil lab focuses on investigating the neuroprotective effect of Rothia aeria in an Alzheimer’s disease model of C elegans. When outside the lab, Liam can be found watching whatever sports game is on at the time, thrifting, or playing Pokemon.

MSc.

Co-supervised under Dr. Mehdi Moradi

Sahib Khokhar (he/him)

Sahib is an MSc student in the Engineering department. He is co-supervised by Dr. Mehdi Morani and Dr. MacNeil. He is working on developing computational solutions to phenotyping worms.

Undergrad Students

Undergraduate Researcher

Grace Zhu (she/her)

Grace joined the lab in May 2025 as a project student, and will be continuing as a undergraduate thesis student. In the lab, she is supporting the development of a machine learning model to help identify gene function and drug action C. elegans, and helping characterize C. elegans genes! When she's not in the lab, Grace can be found doing art, writing, or trying new baking recipes!

Undergraduate Researcher

Gabriela Mesa (she/her)

Gabriela is entering her fourth year of Molecular Biology & Genetics Research Specialization Co-op! She joined the lab in January for her co-op term and will complete her undergraduate thesis at the MacNeil lab. In the lab she focuses on generating and characterizing new transgenic strains of C.elegans while also helping with other lab projects. Outside of the lab you can find Gabriela watching the blue jays or getting yogurtys!

Undergraduate Researcher

Amir Taghi Zadeh (he/him)

Amir is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Biochemistry program at McMaster University with interests in genomics, microbiology, and healthcare research. In the lab, he works on projects involving genomic mapping and the characterization of candidate neuroprotective metabolites while developing experience in experimental design and data analysis. Outside of academics, he enjoys playing guitar, basketball, and hiking.

Undergraduate Researcher

Olivia Kosmala (she/her)

Olivia is a third-year student in the biomedical discovery and commercialization program (BDC) here at McMaster. She is completing her senior thesis in the MacNeil lab! Outside of the lab she can be found hiking, skiing, and playing with her dog Milo!

Lab Alumni

Postdocs

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Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Alex Jiang

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Salah Uddin Khan

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Hiva Mesbahi

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Scott Amon

Graduate Students

Msc.

Jacob Sutoski

Ph.D.

Dr. Sommer Chou

Ph.D. | MD

Dr. Sophie Ngana

Ph.D

Dr. Kim Pho

Msc.

Victoria Leon Guerrero

Msc.

Sabih Rashid

Staff

Lab Technician

Mercedes Di Bernardo

Lab Technician

Natalie Mari

Undergraduates

Caleb Lin - Undergraduate thesis student 2025 - 2026

Kole Rado - Undergraduate thesis student 2025 - 2026

Destiny Osunbiyi - Summer Scholar Program (SSP) student 2025

Isabella Luebke - Undergraduate thesis student

Danielle Suvanto - Undergraduate thesis student

Diego Brunetto - 3rd year project student
Ruhaim Ali - Summer Scholar Program (SSP) student
Zahra Ridha - Undergraduate thesis student
Jola Adeoye- Undergraduate thesis student
Danielle Zak - Undergraduate thesis student
Rebecca Snow - Undergraduate thesis student/Summer student
Ashley Stewart - Undergraduate thesis student/Co-op student
Elisabeth Jonah - Summer Scholar Program (SSP) student
Janki Valhega - 3rd year project student
Spring Wang - Co-op student
Yejin Kang - Undergraduate thesis student/Co-op student
Dami Shittu - Undergraduate thesis student
Alyshia Laidlaw - Undergraduate thesis student
Dennis Weber - Undergraduate thesis student
Meghan Kates - Undergraduate thesis student
Anita Singh - Undergraduate thesis student
Rabia Fatima - Undergraduate thesis student
Kiana Karimpoor - Undergraduate thesis student
Jamie Clark - Undergraduate thesis student
Jonathan Ong - Undergraduate thesis student
Lamia Hossain - Undergraduate thesis student
Eduardo Rojas - Undergraduate thesis student
Bryanna Meikle - Undergraduate thesis student/Co-op student
Tammy Lau - Undergraduate summer student
Andrea Tench - 3rd year project | 4th year thesis student 2015 - 2017
Michelle Lohbihler - 3rd year project student | volunteer 2016 - 2017
Treden Simon - Thesis student 2015 - 2016
Sophia Duong - Thesis student 2015 - 2016
Dennis Ng - Thesis student 2015 - 2016