Dr. Josephine Chileshe is a dedicated postdoctoral scientist at VIDO, focusing on the development of immunodiagnostic tests for animal TB in Canadian Wood bison in Dr. Jeffrey Chen’s research group. In her role as the Managing Director of the SPS, she is responsible for the general operation of the Society, fosters collaboration, and advocates for the interests of postdoctoral researchers at the University of Saskatchewan. Her academic journey includes earning a 2021 Ph.D. from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, where she identified immunological biomarkers for detecting Mycobacterium bovis infection in African rhinoceros. Following this, Dr. Chileshe spent 18 months at the University of Cape Town, South Africa establishing a quail biopharming platform with a novel expression regulatory system. Dr. Chileshe's research focuses on innovating immunodiagnostic tools for animal TB in wildlife, with a primary focus on enhancing animal health and contributing to the conservation of endangered species. Embracing interdisciplinary approaches, she recognizes the transformative power of knowledge sharing. Beyond academia, Dr. Chileshe finds joy in traveling and immersing herself in different cultures. Her diverse experiences and expertise shape her holistic approach to research and life.
Dr. Francisco Silva is a postdoctoral fellow at the Toxicology Centre, focusing on the specific mechanism of toxicity of stormwater compounds using next generation in vitro and fish embryo test systems in Dr. Markus Hecker laboratory. The Dr. Francisco Silva’s academic journey includes a PhD degree obtained in 2023 from Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil , where he worked with pollutants generated of forest fires from Amazon rainforest. During the PhD period, Dr. Francisco Silva made part of his thesis as a visiting research student at Toxicology Centre between 2021 and 2022. As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Francisco Silva has collaborated with different research groups in Canada, supervising master’s and PhD students as well as, research groups from other countries such as Brazil, France, India, and Australia. Despite the academic life is a great pleasure to Dr. Silva, his life includes exploring different places, learning different cultures, and developing networks to improve not only academic life but also improving as professional and human being.
Saurabh Biswas is a sustainability scientist and energy systems engineer studying societal transformations and sustainable development linked to energy transitions. His research explores the energy-poverty nexus among marginalized and vulnerable groups of people. He has worked collaboratively with community organizations, grassroots entrepreneurs, university partners and international development agencies in seven countries to co-develop research-based programs to leverage renewable energy technology for local sustainable development. Prior to USask, Saurabh worked at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, conducting multi-disciplinary research for the US Department of Energy. He has taught courses on energy justice and grassroots energy innovation at Portland State University and Arizona State University. Saurabh holds a PhD in Sustainability from Arizona State University (USA) and Masters in Energy Systems Engineering. He is the co-founder of the open knowledge repository on community energy initiatives ‘Let Communities Lead’. Saurabh joined CASES in August 2023.
Dr. Eskandar Poorasgari is a postdoctoral research fellow at the department of civil, geological and environmental engineering. His focus is the development of innovative processes to reduce sulfate concentration in waters used for animal farming. Also, he has postdoctoral experiences from Carlton university in Canada and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He holds two PhD degrees; the first is from Aalborg University in Denmark and second one is from Carleton university. He has earned valuable experiences in water and wastewater treatment from academia and industry. He has lived, worked, and got education in 4 countries located in West Asia, Europe and North America. He has communicated and cooperated with people of various cultural backgrounds from across the world. He is dedicated to developing cost-effective and robust water and wastewater treatment processes for the people of the world. He believes every nation is entitled to the knowledge and expertise of independently devising its own water and wastewater treatment technologies. Dr. Poorasgari spends his free time on reading science books, learning languages and doing exercise.
Maria Eugenia Rodriguez (Maria) is a current postdoctoral fellow in the department of Animal and Poultry Science. She was born and raised in Ecuador, South America, and came to pursue her graduate studies at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research focuses on feed evaluation, feed processing, and feed technology in ruminant nutrition. During her studies, she learned about new technologies and applications in the fields of animal feed, such as the utilization of Synchrotron facilities for agricultural research. Additionally, she had the opportunity to share her work at conferences and research papers. Maria is eager to keep learning and searching for new opportunities. She sees herself working in a collaboration between research, academia, and extension in her future professional endeavours.
