A quantum leap

Abdulmohsen Alsaui has leapt halfway across the globe on his academic journey. At Memorial, he’s researching how to revolutionize wireless communication with quantum technology. Read more...

Curiosity runs deep

Charles Lapointe’s curiosity has helped him overcome his share of hard times. Now his geologic research interests are focused on the oceans of our world and beyond. Read more...

Can't stop the Funk

Kyla Funk spent two years on another continent because she couldn’t make it back to Canada during the pandemic. But that didn’t stop her. Her time away from home led to an idea. Now as a PhD student with Memorial University’s Wildlife Evolutionary Ecology Lab, she studies elephants in South Africa. Read more...

On top of the world

Arctic researcher, blogger, podcast host – Eugenie Jacobsen goes where her curiosity leads. And at Memorial, she’s found one of the best places on earth for her graduate research. Read more...

Bridging the gap

Queen Jacques is working to improve cannabis literacy in Canada and around the world. And she’s sharing the secrets to her success with great advice for incoming grad students. Read more...

In the blood

Some people know from a very young age what they’re meant to do with their lives. Modeline Longjohn is one of those people. For her, life is about channeling her insatiable curiosity into a career that challenges her while changing the world. She wants to dedicate her time, energy and passion to a cause that will leave a lasting impact on the world well after she’s gone. It’s an ambitious goal, but one that she feels is worth striving for. Read more...

Going with the flow

Due to years of isolation, Newfoundland is abundant in monogenic disorders. Gerissa Fowler uses this to her advantage as she attends Memorial University to pursue a master of science in human genetics.She hopes her future cumulative body of research will help find solutions to gene mutations that are not only affecting people in this province, but all around the world.

Making it count

With technology and a lot of math, Brendan Carswell is using a new method to calculate animal populations and open the field of wildlife management to community involvement. Read more...

Ambition without borders

Timilehin Oguntuyaki’s interest in geology was sparked by a national tragedy in Nigeria. Now he’s researching how minerals might be used to mitigate climate change. Timilehin came to Memorial because Newfoundland has an abundance of ultramafic rock, which he needs for this research. Along with the natural environment, Timilehin has found a supportive atmosphere at Memorial as well. Read more...

Sound effects

As a child growing up in Cuba, Yanet Campbell was introduced to the world of music by her father, a fellow musician and orchestral performer. Since then, she’s honed her violin skills and is pursuing a Master of Music degree at Memorial. This program has provided Yanet not only with academic, financial and professional opportunities but also, as she puts it, “the tools to exceed in and outside of the music industry.” Read more...

On the hunt

Very few are willing to troll the woods for hours on end in search of something they want. It’s tedious work. It requires patience, commitment, and diligence — all of which Christina Prokopenko has in spades. She tracks wolves in Riding Mountain National Park in the pursuit of a deeper understanding of predator-prey dynamics. Read more...

What lies beneath

Christopher George Galley came to Memorial because it has one of the best inversion modelling research groups in Canada. Now that he is here, he is making himself at home, working full-time on his PhD in geophysics while competing as a varsity athlete in cross-country running and wrestling. Christopher's research specializes in inversion modelling method development and the modelling of seafloor massive sulphide deposits, which will have useful applications in mineral exploration as well as contribute to future technological advancement in the field. >>>

Choosing the right path

Graduate education has opened up new doors and opportunities for Jennifer Donnan. After graduating with an MBA in 2014, Jennifer has set her sights on completing a PhD in pharmacy. In her doctoral research she is exploring ways to quantitatively capture patient preferences to support patient-clinician shared decision making, which can lead to more appropriate use of medications, and result in more of the intended benefits.>>>

Positive effect

Ernest Williams has always been fascinated by the chemistry of drugs and how they affect our bodies. At 17, Ernest left his parents and siblings in Ghana to pursue his dream of a career creating the next generation of medicines. Now working towards his PhD in chemistry at Memorial, Ernest is using computer-aided drug discovery to develop better medicines for the future.>>>

Living and learning

Dr. Ellyn Lyle began her career in secondary English classrooms before tackling a series of educational advancements that led to a career in academia and her current role as dean in the Faculty of Education at Yorkville University. >>>

Good chemistry

Meet 2018 Vanier Scholar Kori Andrea. Kori's focus is in green and inorganic chemistry, and she hopes her work will provide society with a means of continuing to use the plastics we rely on every day, but without the adverse effects on the environment.

Under development

Samantha Morton is working towards a MA in sociology, international development, gender and development. After completing an undergraduate in international development, Samantha spent some time abroad, including work in developing countries. It was here that she began to question the current state of development work and the various ways aid workers could be further supported in their gender development endeavours. Like the industry, her thesis is a work in progress, but she hopes the results will have a positive influence on international development as it continues to evolve. 

The right direction

Emilie Novaczek came to Memorial for a master of science but was inspired to pursue a PhD in geography instead. Her experience with Dr. Devillers’ Marine Geomatics Research Lab introduced her to a research topic she could be passionate about and gave her an ideal learning environment in which she could thrive. She credits the strong relationships she built with her supervisors as the secret to her successful graduate student experience. Ms. Novaczek now studies seafloor mapping and marine biogeography, particularly how marine habitats change over time, and hopes her research will aid conservation planning. Read more...

Fine tuned

You don’t have to attend university to become a successful classical musician, but it’s hard to deny that world-class tutelage can provide a significant advantage. And if you’re like cellist Peter Ko, and you draw motivation from being surrounded by talented peers, music school may just be the best place for you. Peter describes his studies with Memorial’s School of Music as an academic discipline of the highest order – there’s plenty of knowledge, theory and rigorous study – but he says it differs from other disciplines in the way it resembles a trade school. Read more...

The weight of the world

PhD candidate Lori Clarke seeks to bear witness to the embodied responses to grief that people experience because of climate change. Read more...

Risky business

A northern scholarship is responsible for leading Dr. Linda Lait into new depths of marine research. Read more...

Leading the Pact

In 1995, after attending a Memorial engineering class offered in his home country of Indonesia, Heri Sulistiyono came to St. John’s campus to complete a master of engineering degree.

He enjoyed his experience so much that he returned to complete a PhD in engineering and then obtained a position as a Post-Doctoral Fellow. Read more...

In good time

Many students work diligently to complete their studies as soon as possible. This enthusiasm for reaching the finish line is what led to the development of new fast track degree programs at universities worldwide.

But there’s something to be said for taking things slow. Like Liam Kelly did. Liam feels an academic career isn’t a life hurdle to efficiently overcome. Read More...

Man about town

Josh Smee moved to St. John’s in 2010 and immediately immersed himself into the community. Mr. Smee recently completed a master of arts in political science at Memorial, using his research skills to work on a community project with limited resources. Read more...

Coast to Coast

Brittany chose Memorial University for her doctoral degree because it offered her the opportunity to study anadromous fish species, expanding her research scope with freshwater systems, and to experience living in a new country. What she didn’t expect was the opportunity to live in two new countries. Read more...

Ocean view

Whether it’s at his current home in Fortaleza City, Brazil or during his time as a graduate student at Memorial in St. John’s, NL, Dr. Manuel Furtado-Neto has always been close to the Atlantic Ocean. Read more...

Virtually unstoppable

Afsaneh Rafighi came to Canada from her home in Mashhad, Iran to begin a Masters in Computer Science in the fall of 2013. Read more...

Fishing for purpose

Ocean science wasn’t always a career choice for Kiley Best. It was at Memorial the Mount Pearl, NL native discovered an interest in a field that has since become her passion. Read more...

Politics and popcorn

Since moving to Newfoundland from Ottawa three and a half years ago, arts grad student Paula Graham has proved herself to be a vital member of the Memorial and the St. John’s communities. Read more...

Happy Dey

Rajib Dey, a geotechnical engineer/consultant with Stantec Ltd. and a Memorial graduate, has journeyed  a long way to get here. With a PhD under his belt and a successful career in progress, he feels right at home in his adopted city of St. John’s.
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What's your master plan?

Afsaneh Rafighi came to Memorial from Iran to pursue her master's degree in computer science. Take an inside look into graduate studies as she talks about her program, research, why she chose to study here, and graduate life at Memorial.

Inside the mind

Dr. Matthew Parsons’ job is a lot like being a detective. He’s a scientific private eye whose career has focused on studying the human brain and how it works. Dr. Parsons, who is originally from St. John’s, returned to Newfoundland and Labrador this fall to take up his post as assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine.

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Time Master

The key to juggling a full-time job, raising a young family and completing a hectic research schedule as part of intense graduate studies is all about striking the right balance, says master’s student Eric Watton.

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Education fit for a King

Completing a graduate degree was an aspiration Justin King had hoped to achieve upon completion of his undergraduate degree at Memorial.  Mr. King planned on applying to one of Memorial’s master degree programs but upon recommendation from his undergraduate supervisor, he was directly admitted into the Faculty of Medicine as a PhD student.

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Programmed to succeed

For many students, choosing where to attend graduate school can be difficult. For master’s student Trung Nguyen, however, it was easy. He says Memorial University chose him.

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That's amore

Francesca Boschetti first came to Newfoundland and Labrador from Piedmont, a region in Northwestern Italy, in August 2010 to visit a friend.

Little did she know at the time, her vacation would spark the journey of a lifetime.

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Going the distance

Coming to Canada to pursue an advanced degree is a dream held by many international students around the world. For Rajib, his dream came true when he was offered admission into the Master of Engineering program at Memorial University. 

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WHAT'S YOUR MASTER PLAN?

Watch Chris' video here

Take an inside look at graduate studies, as current students talk about their graduate life experience.  Find out why students are choosing Memorial for their graduate program, learn about the research our students are conducting, and discover why they love being a graduate student at Memorial University.

Chris Martin is from St. John's, Newfoundland and is completing his PhD in Sociology, at St. John's Campus.