Our Members
Principal Investigator
Ina Anreiter
Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Graduate Appointment)
Cell and Systems Biology (Graduate Appointment)
Ina did her PhD under guidance of Marla Sokolowski at the University of Toronto working on the regulation of the foraging gene and food-related behaviour. After her PhD she joined Jared’s Simpsons lab at the OICR as a Schmidt Science Fellow to develop new methods to study RNA modifications using Oxford Nanopore Sequencing. Later, she joined Thomas Clandinin’s lab at Stanford as a Stanford Science Fellow to study the role of mRNA modifications in the brain. Ina grew up in Portugal where she completed a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Molecular Genetics and Biomedicine. She loves the outdoors, animals of all kinds, and to try different foods.
Lab members
Arely Diaz
Postdoctoral fellow
Biological Sciences
Arely is a postdoctoral researcher in the Anreiter Lab. She completed her PhD at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus under the supervision of Dr. Tania Reis in 2025. Her thesis focused on understanding sex differences in metabolism and the mechanisms of RNA regulation during the larval stage. In the Anreiter Lab, she will continue working on epitranscriptomic modifications, with a new focus on understanding the role of m6A in shaping complex behaviors in Drosophila. Outside of lab, she enjoys spending time with her friends, cooking new recipes, practicing yoga, and traveling with her family.
Elizabeth Makovec
PhD Candidate
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Elizabeth completed her BSc in Genetics and Genomics, and Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023. She is currently a PhD student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program at the University of Toronto under the co-advisement of Ina Anreiter and Jacqueline Sztepanacz. Her research interests are in pleiotropy, sexual selection, sexual conflict, and behavioral genetics. In her free time Elizabeth enjoys reading, playing the piano and clarinet, and being outdoors.
Ryan Chak Sang Yip
PhD student
Cell & Systems Biology
Ryan is a PhD student in Cell & Systems Biology at the University of Toronto and his research is focused on investigating the role of m6A-mediated heat shock protein expression in Drosophila neural development. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and watching documentaries.
Enaya Chowdhury
MSc Student
Cell & Systems Biology
Enaya completed her HBSc in Immunology and Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Toronto in 2024. Currently, she is an MSc student in the Cell and Systems Biology program at the University of Toronto, interested in the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind neurobiology and disease. She is researching the impact of forever chemicals on neurobiology using Drosophila under the co-supervision of Dr. Ina Anreiter and Dr. Satyaki Rajavasireddy. In her free time, she likes to read, listen to music, and try different foods.
Sofiia Usenko
MSc Student
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Sofiia completed her BSc (Hons) in Cell & Molecular Biology and Psychology at the University of Toronto in 2025. She is currently an MSc student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with interests in behavioural genetics, epigenetics, and developmental biology. She is investigating how PFAS and their alternatives influence neuroinflammation and underlying epigenetic mechanisms. Outside the lab, she likes going for walks, trying out new recipes, and relaxing with a good game or show.
Aarushi Vardhan
MSc Student
Cell & Systems Biology
Aarushi completed her Honours BSc in Biochemistry, Biology, and Psychology at UTSC. As a MSc student co-supervised by Drs. Ina Anreiter and Eyal Gruntman, she is working on the connectomics of the Drosophila brain. In her spare time she likes to read and watch movies.
Jaza Alam
Research assistant
Biological Sciences
Jaza is a recent graduate in molecular biology & biotechnology specialist with a minor in applied statistics at UTSC. She is investigating the role of m6A modifications in the feeding behavior and longevity of Drosophila. Outside the lab, she can be found hiking & exploring outdoors, playing sports, reading, or cooking.
Xinyao Zhuang
Undergraduate Student
Biological Sciences
Xinyao is a third-year student in the program of Specialist Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. She is interested in genetics and neuroscience. In her leisure time, she likes to crochet and watch nature documentaries.
Yi Lu
Undergraduate Student
Biological Sciences
Yi Lu is a third-year student majoring molecular biology and neuroscience. She is interested in genetics and immunology. In her free time, She enjoys solving puzzles and watching movies.
Carlos Garcia-Sedore
Undergraduate Student
Biological Sciences
Carlos is a fourth-year life sciences student double majoring in human biology & molecular biology, immunology, and disease. He is investigating the effects on fitness with PFAS in Drosophila. Outside of school he likes to bowl and swim.
Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
Henny Bennett, PhD (Visiting Post-doc)
Arjan Banerjee, PhD (Assistant Professor, University of Calgary)
Graduate Students
Rebekah Jolicoeur Alfaro, MSc (Data Analyst, Lumerate)
Kevin McGarragle, MSc (Engineer, Thermo-Fisher Scientific)
Mila Gorchkova, MSc
Research Assistants/Undergraduates
Leah Ritchie (Undergraduate, BIOB99 Thesis, 2025)
Hsin-Yu Chang (Undergraduate, Volunteer, 2025)
Christabel Eileen (Undergraduate, BIOD98 Thesis, 2024)
Rossetta Mao (Undergraduate, BIOD98 Thesis, 2024)
Nazgol Moheimani (Undergraduate, NSERC USRA, 2023)
Rubab Shafiq (Undergraduate, BIOD98 Thesis, 2022-2023)
Hanabi Geiger (Undergraduate, Work Study, 2023)
Tasneem Al Mudarris (Undergraduate, NSERC USRA, BIOD98 Thesis, 2022-2023)
Zeenal Patel (Undergraduate, BIOD98 Thesis, 2022-2023)
Barbara Gundi (Undergraduate, NROD98 Thesis, 2022-2023)
Da Beattie (Undergraduate, Volunteer, 2022)
Archanah Uthayendran (Undergraduate, Research Assistant, 2022)
Parsa Sadeh (Undergraduate, NSERC USRA, 2022)
Zahn Bariring (Undergraduate, Work Study, 2022)
Behdad Hosseinpour (Undergraduate, Volunteer, 2022)
Sam Haar (Undergraduate, Work Study, 2022)
Arthikka Vasudevan (Undergraduate, BIOB98 Thesis, 2022)
Maryam Zaffar (Undergraduate, BIOC99 Thesis 2022)
Ayemen Faridi (Undergraduate, BIOC99 Thesis, 2022)
Rammiya Rathakrishnan (Undergraduate, BIOC99 Thesis, 2022)
Veenaa Balakumar (Undergraduate, BIOC99 Thesis, 2022)
Sakshi Chaudhari (Undergraduate, BIOC99 Thesis, 2022)