Alexander Bunka

I grew up in Kelowna, B.C. and did my Bachelors of Science at UBCO. I majored in physics and completed my Honors thesis work on pulmonary gene expression in rodents after exposure to radiation.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

In the final year of my undergraduate program, I took a particle physics course that really interested me. I knew I wanted to continue my education in particle physics. I began looking for programs in B.C. that seemed like a good fit, and was very interested in the work by Dr. Vetterli's group at SFU.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH AND/OR PROGRAM.

The Large Hadron Collider produces an incredible amount of data from proton collisions, but the most interesting events are still very rare. Our goal is to study the effect the extraneous data has on conducting quality analysis of the most valuable events.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

I'm very excited to be working on a project I am deeply interested in. It's great to be part of a team working towards common research goals.

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR FUNDED AWARDS?

On admission to the SFU masters program, I received the Special Graduate Entrance Scholarship. This is very useful award that allows me to focus on my research and coursework more comfortably. 

DESCRIBE YOUR PROGRAM TO THOSE WHO ARE SEARCHING.

So far this has been an excellent program. The people, from fellow students to administrators and staff are kind and helpful. SFU provides a good working environment, even while things are remote.