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"I am enjoying the opportunity to work on something that I find interesting, and that also challenges me to continuously improve and better myself."
Student Profile: Nathan Gock
PhD student in the Faculty of Health Sciences
I am a first year PhD student in Dr. Frank Lee's Molecular Neurobiology laboratory. I have long had a research interest in neuroscience, and I have previously completed a MSc in neuroscience before joining Dr. Lee's laboratory. In my spare time, I enjoy writing on topics of neuroscience and medicine on the popular science website Sciworthy.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?
I completed my undergraduate degree at Simon Fraser University and enjoyed my experience. Following the completion of my MSc at King's College London in the United Kingdom, I decided that I wanted to return home to Vancouver and started looking for research laboratories that worked on areas of interest similar to my own. Luckily, I found Dr. Lee's laboratory here at SFU.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH AND/OR PROGRAM.
In Dr. Lee's laboratory, we research aspects of dopamine neurotransmission, namely how important proteins (like the dopamine transporter) may interact with other proteins of the dopamine signalling system. We are also interested in how these interactions may be affected in certain disease processes, such as Parkinson's disease, or ADHD.
WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?
I am enjoying the opportunity to work on something that I find interesting, and that also challenges me to continuously improve and better myself. Undertaking a Doctorate is something that has been both incredibly challenging as well as rewarding, and I look forward continuing to learn and grow in this program at SFU.
Additionally, SFU offers many opportunities for career improvement and networking for young research scientists. This year, I am particularly excited about being part of a group from SFU that will attend the International Student Research Forum in Odense, Denmark, to present on research in progress. International research forums such as this can be vital in opening up research collaborations as well as for networking with other researchers around the world, and I am grateful to SFU for affording us this opportunity.