Meet The Team
Our lab is a blend of brilliant minds and passionate researchers (plus Michele), all driven by the love for immunology. Meet our quirky and dedicated team members – the scientific explorers leading the charge in unraveling the immune system’s mysteries.
Michele Ardolino
Emperor Professor
Michele was born and raised in Italy, near Rome, as you will know from his accent and inappropriate comments. Michele has a true passion for cooking and mouse work. Fortunately, the two are rarely combined.
Reem Kurdieh
Associate (real) Boss
After receiving a master degree from McGill University in Montreal, Reem moved to Ottawa and she is now our lab tech. After complaining for two years, she has finally started to like her new city mainly thanks to her awesome lab mates that made it fun for her and to the NK cells that are amazing to study.
Marie Marotel
Post-Doctoral Fellow
After receiving her PhD in immunology from Claude Bernard University in France, Marie decided to join the lab for multiple reasons: 1) the snow, 2) the high probability to see a bear in Canada and 3) because she is passionate about NK cells. While she is constantly trying to wake these cells up, she also takes care of the park she adopted here in Ottawa and loves to plan social events with her labmates.
Marisa K. Kilgour
Post-Doctoral Fellow
I completed my B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Victoria (BC). My Ph.D. focused on understanding the metabolic relationship between cancer and the immune system (cancer immunometabolism). Specially, I studied how tumor derived metabolites impact the function of T cells in ovarian cancer. I have a great interest in cancer immunotherapy, so my current project as a postdoctoral fellow is to understand how trogocytosis impacts the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK therapy. In my free time I love to run, cook, and crochet.
Sara Asif
PhD candidate
Sara is a Ph.D. student in the Ardolino and Vanderhyden labs, interested in reproductive biology and cancer immunology. Her research project aims to understand the inflammatory role of group 2 innate lymphoid cells during ovulation, and how the dysregulation or absence of these cells leads to uncontrolled inflammation and subsequent pathogenesis in the ovaries. Sara also volunteers with Let’s Talk Science & Let’s Talk Cancer. Outside the lab, Sara spends her free time painting, reading, and running.
Olivia Makinson
PhD. candidate
After receiving her BSc. in biochemistry from McGill University, Olivia decided to leave her hometown of Montreal and make the long-distance move to…Ottawa! Interested in studying cancer immunology, she joined the lab in September 2021 and has been fascinated by NK cells ever since. Outside of the lab, Olivia can be found on the rugby field, baking treats for the lab, or attending the social events that Marie plans!
Colin O’Dwyer
MSc candidate
While running a lawn care business, Colin completed his BSc in biology at Carleton University and discovered a particular interest in immunology. Afterwards, he decided to leave the luxurious life of landscaping and join the Ardolino lab to work on his MSc. When he isn’t trying to figure out how PD-L1 intracellular signaling affects cancer cells, he is tracing the lineage of immunoproteins to uncover when ligands evolved relative to their receptors.
Valeria Vasilyeva
MSc candidate
Valeria is a first year MSc student and joined the lab because of her strong interest in cancer immunology (and studying NK cells is more edgy than studying T cells). Valeria is working on the LAG3 project under the supervision of Dr. Marotel. In her free time, she enjoys training her 11 pet parakeets to do cool tricks and befriending other animals, as pictured above.
Amélie Papineau
BSc candidate
Amélie is a fourth-year student in the BSc in biochemistry at the University of Ottawa. Interested in metabolism and immunology, she decided to work alongside Valeria on her project, which focuses on understanding the metabolism of NK cells. In her free time, she can either be found in the kitchen trying to master a new baking recipe or curled up on the sofa reading a good book.
Contact Us
Address: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute – 501 Smyth Road – Cancer Center – Ottawa, ON K1H 8M2
Tel: 613-737-8899 ext 77253
Mail: mardolino@ohri.ca
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