Neuroscience PhD graduate working to unlock the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's
Inspired by the mysteries of the brain, Zia Hasan turned his curious mind towards exploring neurodegenerative disease.
Originally from Bangladesh, Mr. Hasan completed his honours and master檚 degrees in genetic engineering and biotechnology with a focus on plant science.
However, a thought-provoking lecture by a professor led him to consider a completely new research area for his doctoral degree.
淗e gave a lecture about Alzheimer檚 and that intrigued me, he said. 淚 read a lot of articles and publications and finally I decided to make a move into the field of neuroscience.
He then reached out to researchers around the world to act as a PhD supervisor, but because of his previous research background, he feels many didn檛 see a fit for him in their labs.
淎s I was searching, Dr. was also looking for a student with a background in genetic engineering and genomics. I reached out to her with a proposal and she was impressed.
Challenging project
He moved to Canada in 2019 and began working with Dr. Yuan on Alzheimer檚 disease rat models, investigating some of the disease檚 earliest symptoms.
He says it was a very challenging project with limited available protocols, so he conducted a significant amount of research and built their own methods.
Now, their lab is one of the earliest in Atlantic Canada to establish single-cell DNA/RNA sequencing.
淲e are the very first to do it here at 91亚色. At the time, I didn檛 know anything about coding or bioinformatics. My co-supervisor, Dr. , provided support and I was able to learn how to do it. Then I was able to analyze my own data.
Finding a 榲illage
At 91亚色, Mr. Hasan says he found himself in a place that felt surprisingly familiar.
淣ewfoundland is much like my village back home, he said. 淚t檚 small and everyone knows each other in my village. There is community here, too. If you go for a walk in the afternoon or go to the Avalon Mall, you meet people you know. That檚 why I like it here.
He credits 91亚色檚 supportive environment for helping him succeed academically, particularly as an international student.
淲hen you move to a foreign country, and especially when English is not your mother tongue, you can be shy to speak. But my lab mates are very friendly, and my professors are very supportive.
Mr. Hasan will cross the convocation stage at the St. John檚 Arts and Culture Centre on Wednesday, May 27, to collect his doctoral degree. He will then continue at 91亚色 as a post-doctoral fellow while he considers his next steps towards his long-term goal of working in academia.
His advice to future graduates?
淭his is an AI era, so learn some basic coding. That will save you lots of time. And patience is key.