Administrative Leadership
Paul Adams, PhD
Director
Dr. Paul Adams is the Director of the KPU Applied Genomics Centre and a faculty member in the Biology Department at KPU.
He received his PhD from the University of British Columbia in 2010, completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, and has worked in the field of genetics for over 15 years.
Paul has expertise in genomics, genotyping, metagenomics, quantitative PCR, Sanger sequencing, next generation sequencing, DNA profiling, molecular biology, cell biology, and human neurological disease.
Abhinaya Venkatesan, PhD
Research and Partners Manager
Abhinaya joined the Applied Genomics Centre in August of 2023. She has over six years of experience in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), molecular biology, and bioinformatics. Abhinaya began her academic career in India where she received a Bachelor’s in Bioinformatics in 2016. After working in the Biotech industry for a couple of years, she moved to Canada to pursue her PhD at the University of Calgary.
Following her PhD, she joined the AGC team as a Molecular Geneticist. During this time, she was involved in several projects and worked collaboratively with cross-functional teams and partners. In July 2024, Abhinaya started a new position as Research and Partners Manager. In this role, she continues to apply her diverse scientific and leadership expertise to lead and manage various projects at the AGC and communicate with partners and external parties.
Lyndsey Baillie, MSc
Laboratory and Research Coordinator
Lyndsey Baillie joined KPU as the Laboratory and Research Coordinator of the Applied Genomics Centre in November of 2018.
She received her MSc from Dalhousie University in 2012, focusing on the study of population genetics in fish, and subsequently spent 5 years working as a DNA sequencing technologist at the University of British Columbia.
Lyndsey works on both Sanger and next-generation sequencing projects within the Applied Genomics Centre and organizes student and industry projects.
Faculty
Mathias Schuetz, PhD
Faculty, Biology
Dr. Mathias Schuetz leads Hops R&D in the KPU Applied Genomics Centre. Mathias holds a PhD from Simon Fraser University and completed post-doctoral fellowships in the Department of Botany and in the Michael Smith Laboratories at the University of British Columbia.
He has more than 15 years of experience in metabolomics, germplasm development, plant pathogen management, cultivar development, cultivation of hops and cannabis, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
Nicole Tunbridge, MSc
Faculty & Co-Chair, Biology
Nicole is a project leader in the KPU Applied Genomics Centre and Co-Chair of the Biology Department. She received her M.Sc. from Simon Fraser University and has been a faculty member in the Biology Department at KPU since 2016.
Nicole’s teaching and research expertise are in the field of plant ecology and evolution. Her current research activity in the AGC is focused on new cultivar development and micropropagation of ornamental plants. She is also a member of KPU Wild Spaces, interdisciplinary research collective focused on place-based teaching and learning.
Layne Myhre, PhD
Faculty, Biology
Dr. Layne Myhre completed his undergraduate and Master's degrees in Cell Biology at the University of Saskatchewan, his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics at the University of Alberta, and a post-doctoral fellowship in developmental biology at the University of British Columbia.
His research interests are genetics of development and aquatic toxicology/water protection. He is passionate about student mentorship and Indigenous partnerships at KPU. His primary experience is in transgenics, developmental cell biology and aquatic toxicology testing.
Mika Mokkonen, PhD
Faculty & Co-Chair, Biology
Mika, a faculty member in the Biology department at KPU, is a project leader working in the Applied Genomics Center. He received his MSc and PhD (with honours) from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Simon Fraser University.
Mika’s 20 years of research experience are in the areas of evolution, genetics and ecology, with a particular focus on the genetics of health and disease. His current attention is on the development of a genetic test to detect and monitor a reportable salmon pathogen in BC, as well as trying to understand the molecular-genetic mechanisms underpinning the aging process in humans.
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Kelsie Doering, PhD
Faculty, Biology
Kelsie, a faculty member in the Biology department at KPU, works in the Applied Genomics Center as a project leader through the AGC Faculty Research Mentorship Program. Kelsie received her PhD in Medical Genetics from the University of British Columbia.
Kelsie’s area of expertise is in the genetics of cellular stress response pathways in C. elegans. The focus of Kelsie’s research project in the AGC is identifying plant-parasitic nematodes for use in agriculture.
Research Staff
Garrett McCarthy, MSc
Analytical Scientist
Garrett McCarthy has been a research technician at the KPU Applied Genomics Centre since August 2019. Garrett has a BSc in Biochemistry and a MSc in Biology from the University of British Columbia.
He has a passion for zymology and studying beer and wine research. He focused on wine yeast populations in the Okanagan during his MSc. He works on hops-related research as well as many other projects within the Applied Genomics Centre.
Erick Samera, BSc
Bioinformatician
Erick is a graduate of the Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Health Science program with a minor in Biology. Erick started in the junior bioinformatician role on April 1, 2023 after working at the Applied Genomics Centre as a student research assistant for two years.
The main focus of Erick’s work at the AGC is on next-generation sequencing analysis and investigations using large datasets. Utilizing the knowledge and skills he gained over the course of his degree program, Erick contributes to the success of multiple research projects.
Taylor Chin, BSc
Research Technician
Taylor works in the Applied Genomics Centre as a research technician since graduating from KPU with a BSc in Health Science, minor in Biology, in June 2023.
Supporting many projects, Taylor’s work in the AGC includes insect identification using molecular methods (Sanger Sequencing), developing qPCR testing to detect microorganisms in soil, and studying DNA methylation patterns in mammalian embryos. During her time in the AGC she has also developed skills in DNA extraction, PCR, cell culture, and many other molecular techniques.
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Emma Bulowski, BSc
Research Technician
Emma works in the Applied Genomics Centre as a research technician since graduating from KPU with a BSc of Horticulture Science, major in Urban Ecosystems, in June 2024.
In the AGC, Emma utilizes plant development techniques that support the objectives of industry partners projects. Emma’s research experience includes selective breeding, mutagenesis, shoot regeneration, and embryos rescue. During her undergraduate experience, she worked with senior leaders on developing plant tissue culture methods and producing novel cultivars through forms of induced mutagenesis using gene editing tools, such as CRISPR.
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RJ Wester, MSc
Scientific Writer
RJ initially joined the Applied Genomics Centre in June of 2020 as a research assistant shortly after completing his BSc in Health Sciences at KPU. Since then, he graduated with an MSc in Environmental Sciences from Thompson Rivers University in 2024, focusing on cattle genomics.
Now, RJ has moved to a Scientific Writer role, preparing manuscripts for various research projects within the Applied Genomics Centre. Utilizing the knowledge and skills gained in molecular genomics throughout his academic and professional journey, RJ produces manuscripts for publications to showcase the Applied Genomics Centre's important research in agricultural genomics.