Introducing Deveshi Deveshi from the Faculty of Health Sciences!

Name: Deveshi Deveshi
Year: 3rd 
Major: Health Sciences, Life Sciences Stream
Supervisor: Dr. Gratien Prefontaine

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: I want to work in the healthcare system, preferably in medicine as a physician.

Q: How did you get involved in research?
A: Initially, I became interested in research by learning about the various research projects done in different faculties at SFU, especially in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Getting involved in research seemed as a great learning experience through which I could learn as well as apply my knowledge. So in my second year, I decided to contact various researchers to apply for research positions. However, I had very limited experience in working in a lab setting and most research projects did not have positions open so I didn’t get much response. Thankfully, Dr. Prefontaine invited me to join his Epigenetics Lab and so I got a summer USRA to conduct research in his lab.

Q: What are you researching?
A: Dr. Prefontaine’s Lab focuses on the role of SmcHD1, an epigenetic chromatin remodeling protein, in gene expression and control. Over the Summer semester, I read various research papers on the topic and worked on creating different BAC plasmids with the SmcHD1 gene insert in order to use the Baculovirus Expression System which is a method used to produce recombinant baculovirus for protein expression.

Q: What’s your favourite course that you have taken so far in your degree?
A: BISC 202 with Dr. Fitzpatrick! That course really fascinated me. Dr. Fitzpatrick made the course even more engaging.

Q: What scares you the most in the lab or the field? 
A: We had limited amount of the gene of focus so various procedures and experiments had to be done quite carefully and precisely. Initially, that was a bit scary but you learn as you go!

Q: How did you get involved in research?
A: Initially, I became interested in research by learning about the various research projects done in different faculties at SFU, especially in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Getting involved in research seemed as a great learning experience through which I could learn as well as apply my knowledge. So in my second year, I decided to contact various researchers to apply for research positions. However, I had very limited experience in working in a lab setting and most research projects did not have positions open so I didn’t get much response. Thankfully, Dr. Prefontaine invited me to join his Epigenetics Lab and so I got a summer USRA to conduct research in his lab.

Q: What are you researching?
A: Dr. Prefontaine’s Lab focuses on the role of SmcHD1, an epigenetic chromatin remodeling protein, in gene expression and control. Over the Summer semester, I read various research papers on the topic and worked on creating different BAC plasmids with the SmcHD1 gene insert in order to use the Baculovirus Expression System which is a method used to produce recombinant baculovirus for protein expression.

Q: What’s your favourite course that you have taken so far in your degree?
A: BISC 202 with Dr. Fitzpatrick! That course really fascinated me. Dr. Fitzpatrick made the course even more engaging.

Q: What scares you the most in the lab or the field? 
A: We had limited amount of the gene of focus so various procedures and experiments had to be done quite carefully and precisely. Initially, that was a bit scary but you learn as you go!