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Dr. Matthew Macauley

BSc – University of British Columbia, 2003
PhD – Simon Fraser University, 2010
Postdoctoral Fellow – The Scripps Research Institute, 2010-2014
Assistant Professor – The Scripps Research Institute, 2014-2017
Assistant Professor – University of Alberta, 2017-2022
Associate Professor – University of Alberta, 2022-2025
Professor – University of Alberta, 2025-present

Trained as a biochemist, Dr. Macauley carried out his PhD with Professor David Vocadlo, at Simon Frasier University, using chemical biology to tackle roles for glycosylation. This interest was further developed during his Postdoctoral research with Professor James Paulson, at The Scripps Research Institute, where Dr. Macauley developed an expertise in glycoimmunology.

Following two years as an Assistant Professor at The Scripps Research Institute, Dr. Macauley joined in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta in 2017. Dr. Macauley is a tier II Canada Research Chair in Chemical Glycoimmunology and the Raymond U. Lemieux Chair of Carbohydrate Chemistry.

Dr. Macauley is passionate about all things ‘glyco’, including: research, teaching, and mentoring.

Lab Members

Postdoctoral Fellows & Research Associates

Dr. Elizabeth Akinluyi

Elizabeth Akinluyi

I attained my PhD in Basic Medical Sciences (Pharmacology) from the University of Ibadan,
Nigeria, focusing on investigating the anti-stress potential of morin hydrate and elucidating its
underlying mechanism of action using mouse models. Before this, I completed an M.Sc. in
Neuropharmacology at the same institution, and a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. I received research awards from the Company of Biologists
(DMM) and the International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN-CAEN), facilitating a six-month
research visit to Professor Marie-Eve Tremblay's laboratory at the University of Victoria, BC, in
October 2022. This experience marked the initiation of my in-depth exploration into the
intricate roles of microglia. My research interests revolve around the intricate roles of
microglia in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative diseases. As a Postdoctoral Fellow in
the Macauley lab, I am actively engaged in studying microglial CD33 and TREM2 in the context
of Alzheimer's disease, contributing to the advancement of our understanding in this critical
field.

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Dr. Meghan Connolly

Dr. Meghan Connolly

Meghan Connolly joined the Macauley Lab in 2025 as a postdoctoral fellow after earning
her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her doctoral
research focused on how stress and exercise shape microglial states in the striatum, revealing
lasting molecular signatures linked to motivation and neuroplasticity. She also investigated the
neuroprotective effects of exercise-derived extracellular vesicles on hippocampal function and
inflammation.
In the Macauley Lab, Meghan is exploring how Siglec receptors, particularly CD33,
regulate microglial function and contribute to Alzheimer’s disease progression. Her work
integrates molecular neuroscience and immune signaling, drawing on her background in
transcriptomics, glial biology, and cellular neuroimmunology to better understand glial
contributions to neurodegeneration and how immune-glycan interactions shape brain aging.
Outside the lab, Meghan enjoys hiking in beautiful places, devouring books, crafting
mostly ‘functional’ pottery, and spending time with her dog, Frankie.

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Dr. Mathieu Decloquement

Dr. Mathieu Decloquement

Mathieu Decloquement completed his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Institute for
Structural and Functional Glycobiology (UGSF, Univ. Lille, FR) in September 2023. Supervised by Dr.
Anne Harduin-Lepers, his doctoral research focused on the molecular and evolutionary bases of
polysialylation biosynthesis, particularly using chemical biology to study the enzymatic specificities of
vertebrate polysialyltransferases. After six months as a research engineer funded by an ANR/DFG
European project, Mathieu is now a recipient of an Alberta Innovates Postdoctoral Fellowship and
joined Macauley laboratory in July 2024 to develop an expertise in glycoimmunology. His current
research aims to elucidate the molecular and cellular basis of Siglec ligands in cancer leveraging
machine learning and chemical biology approaches. In his free time, Mathieu enjoys traveling and
participating in sports like running, swimming, gym workouts, biking, and soccer.

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Dr. Maju Joe

Maju Joe

Maju Joe received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India. He then joined the Lowary group at the University of Alberta where he was involved in projects directed towards the development of new anti-microbial agents, in particular anti-tuberculosis agents and vaccines. A major part of his research work was focused towards gaining insight into mycobacterial cell wall biosynthesis and generation of protective antibodies against several mycobacterial cell wall oligosaccharides. Maju joined Macauley group in 2022 and is currently involved in studying the biological roles of glycans and a large family of glycan binding proteins called “Siglecs”. His research interests include: discovery and development of new synthetic strategies, methodologies, their application to the synthesis of bioactive natural products and new chemical entities having pharmacological importance. He is also interested in process research and development.

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Dr. Dhanraj Kumawat

Dr. Dhanraj Kumawat​

A native of India, Dhanraj Kumawat completed his B.Sc. in Chemistry from Hindu College University of Delhi and then graduated with Master’s Degree in Chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar in 2019. His M.Sc. thesis project was supervised by Dr. Chandrakumar Appayee was entitled: “Synthesis of Noval Hydrogen Bond Donor Organocatalysts and Biologically Active Fargesin and Methyl Piperitol”.

Email: kumawat@ualberta.ca

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Dr. Edward Schmidt

Edward Schmidt

Eddie Schmidt completed his Honours Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2019.  His Honours thesis project which was supervised by Dr. Geoff Horsman involved the engineering of bacterial cytidylyltransferases and synthesis of various phosphonates.

email: enschmid@ualberta.ca

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Graduate Students

Anindita Saha

Anindita Saha

Anindita received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Chemistry from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh in 2021. She focused her master’s thesis on Synthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial study of Schiff bases of Ciprofloxacin derivatives. Also, she worked as a research fellow at the Institute of Radiation and Polymer Technology, Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) under the supervision of Dr. Ruhul A. Khan in several projects including the fabrication of bio-fiber reinforced polymer-based composite materials: Effect of Gamma Radiation, comparative studies of the physio-mechanical properties of the composites from 2021 to 2023. She has now joined the Macauley lab for her graduate studies at the University of Alberta and is excited to further work on the interface of chemistry and biology.
Email: anindit3@ualberta.ca

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Arisa Salary Kamangar

Arisa Salary Kamangar

Arisa, originally from Iran, completed his B.Sc. in Chemistry at Sharif University of Technology in his home country in 2023. During this time, he worked on a project supervised by Dr. Ali Pourjavadi,
focusing on the synthesis and characterization of functionalized polymer micelles using polysaccharides as a basis, achieved by grafting caprolactone monomers onto starch, chitosan, and alginate backbones.
These micelles, which possessed magnetic nanoparticles and were further modified, were intended for various biomedical applications, including drug delivery and imaging. Currently, he is pursuing his graduate studies at the University of Alberta under the guidance of Dr. Matthew Macauley to explore the synthetic realm of glycochemistry.

Email: salaryka@ualberta.ca

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Ching-Wen Hsu

Ching-Wen Hsu

Ching-Wen received her B.Sc. in Chemistry from Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan. She then completed her M.Sc. under the supervision of Dr. Wenwei Lin at the National Taiwan Normal University, where she worked on the development of novel organocatalytic methods. In 2022, she joined Dr. Todd Lowary’s Lab as a research assistant at Academia Sinica. Her project focused on synthesizing modified glycans found in tuberculosis clinical isolates, which serve as chemical probes to investigate the roles of the structural modifications. Ching-Wen then came to the University of Alberta and joined Dr. Matthew Macauley’s group, where she aims to further expand her experience in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry.

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Hsin-Li Chang

Hsin-Li Chang

Hsin-Li (Sony) received his B.Sc. degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Toronto in 2025. During his undergraduate studies, he worked in Dr. Mark Nitz’s research group, focusing on oxidation-dependent amide bond formation. He is now joining Dr. Matthew Macauley’s group at the University of Alberta, where he looks forward to further exploring carbohydrate chemistry. Outside of science, Sony is a big NBA fan and enjoys watching a wide variety of dramas.
Email: hsinli@ualberta.ca

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Jasmini Premadaskumarasiri

Jasmini Premadaskumarasiri

Jasmini comes from Sri Lanka. She completed her B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Colombo in 2023. She worked there as a teaching assistant for a year. She has a research background in protein modeling and molecular dynamics. She has joined the Macaulay Lab as a graduate student at the University of Alberta to further explore the interdisciplinary area of chemical biology.
 

Email: hsinli@ualberta.ca

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Kristin Labasan

Kristin Labasan

Kristin received her B.Sc. in Chemistry for Teachers at the Philippine Normal University - Manila (Magna cum laude) in 2014 and her M.Sc. in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines - Diliman. She worked as a graduate research assistant at the Institute of Biological Chemistry and Institute of Chemistry at Academia Sinica, Taiwan for four years. She has research backgrounds in chemical biology and functional materials, and currently authors three journal publications. At the present, she has joined the Macauley Lab for her PhD in Chemistry at the University of Alberta. Her research will focus on the strategic design and organic synthesis of chemical reagents for protein modification.

Email: labasan@ualberta.ca

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Mertsia Nadareishvili

Mertsia Nadareishvili​

Mertsia received her B.S.c. in 2022 at the San Diego State University with an emphasis on chemical engineering. She has been a part of Dr. Rusudan Kakava’s research group and her project focused on Chiral Separation of Sulfoxides and Hydantoins. She has been working in pharmacological industry and has been an intern in Lugar Research Center based on the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health. She has joined Macauley lab in 2024 and is delighted to pursue her research. In her free time, Mertsia loves to explore music, cinematography and is a huge sports fan.

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Sung-Yao (Sam) Lin

Sung-Yao Lin

Sam earned his B.Sc. in Biotechnology from National Formosa University, Taiwan, in 2014, and later completed a master's in Biochemistry at National Chung Hsing University, with a focus on the structure of transmembrane proteins in the small intestine. He worked at Academia Sinica, collaborating with Dr. Steve Roffler, and his research delves into immunotherapy for cancer. Currently, Sam is pursuing a graduate program in Medical Microbiology and Immunology, where he investigates the interplay between B cells and T cells within the germinal center through glycan alteration

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Xingyang Qiu

Xingyang Qiu

I completed my B.Sc. Honours in Nanoscience through a collaborative program between the University of Waterloo and Beijing Jiaotong University (China) in 2021. Then, I finished my master's degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto in 2023, where I worked in Dr. Levente L. Diosady's lab researching the encapsulation of iron in acidic beverages using liposomes. I also assisted in Professor Naomi Matsuura's lab with research on encapsulating cancer drugs using liposomes. Currently, I am continuing my Ph.D. studies at the University of Alberta, working in Dr. Macauley's and Dr. Derda's groups to explore how to use liposomes for DNA encoding.
 
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Xin-Ru Li

Xin-Ru Li

Sherry received her B.Sc. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan, in 2019. She then completed her M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University under the supervision of Dr. Kwok-Kong Tony Mong. Afterward, she worked as a graduate research assistant at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. Her research background includes enzymatic and organic synthesis of carbohydrates, as well as investigating structure–activity relationships of glycoconjugates with protein complexes in the immune system. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in Dr. Macauley’s group, focusing on immunomodulatory roles of carbohydrates in disease.
 
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Zeinab Jame Chenarboo

Zeinab Jame Chenarboo

Zeinab comes from Iran. She completed her B.Sc. in Chemistry at University of Tehran. She is now starting her Graduate Program at the University of Alberta and looking forward to working at the interface of chemistry and biology within the Prof. Matthew Macauley’s group. Aside from her interest in science, Zeinab likes playing music and travelling.

Email: zjameche@ualberta.ca

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Technicians

Chris St. Laurent

Chris St. Laurent

Chris completed his B.Sc. in Molecular Genetics in 2002 at the University of Alberta. He worked as a Lab Technician/Lab Manager for Dr. Dean Befus in the Department of Medicine at the U of A, from 2002-2015 studying Mast Cells and inflammation. He then worked for Dr. Ian MacDonald, Department of Ophthalmology, U of A, from 2015-2019 running the Viral Vector Core, where he developed and produced AAV and Lentiviral vectors for use in Gene Therapy pre-clinical trials. Chris joined the Macauley group in April 2019.

Email: cds@ualberta.ca

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Fahima Mozaneh

Fahima Mozaneh

Fahima is currently in her forth year of studies at the University of Alberta, finishing up a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Biological Science and Chemistry. Fahima is excited to obtain research experience, especially in the area of synthesis, while more generally broadening her knowledge in science.

Email: mozaneh@ualberta.ca

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Liany Luna Dulcey

Liany Luna Dulcey

Liany completed her B.Sc. in Medical Laboratory Science in 2015 at the University of Santander, Colombia, followed by an M.Sc. in Physiological Sciences in 2017 and a Ph.D. in Sciences in 2021, both from the Federal University of Sao Carlos, Brazil. Parallel to her graduate studies, she worked as a lab assistant in her research group, contributing to general lab activities and various aspects of ongoing projects. Liany has expertise in cell culture, in vivo animal procedures, and different cellular and molecular biology techniques. In 2023, she joined the Macauley group as a research assistant.

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Susmita Sarkar

Susmita Sarkar

Susmita Sarkar finished her B.Tech in Pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals from Rajabazar Science College, Kolkata, India in 2001. She worked for a pharma company in India till 2007. In 2008, she joined University of Alberta to do her masters in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences under the supervision of   Prof M. R. Suresh. There, she worked on designing antibody-based point of care diagnostics for tuberculosis. In 2011 she joined Prof. D. R Bundle in chemistry as research technician and worked in the field of synthetic vaccines. In 2016, she joined Prof. R. Derda’s group in chemistry and worked in the project for designing genetically encoded array technologies. In 2017, she joined Prof. M. Macauley group as research technician.

Email: susmita@ualberta.ca

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Undergraduates

Rebecca Popowich

Rebecca Popowich

I am currently a second-year undergraduate student studying neuroscience at the University of Alberta. I look forward to gaining research experience in the Macauley lab while exploring an interest in Alzheimer’s Disease. In my free time, I enjoy reading, swimming, and playing the piano.

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Alumni

Postdocs

Dr. Kyle Bednar,  Senior Scientist, AstraZeneca
Dr. Dharmendra Raghuwanshi, Research Scientist, Serum Institute
Dr. Abhishek Bhattacherjee, Research Scientist, Jubilant Bioys
Dr. Levon Movsisyan, Research Scientist, Symeres
Dr. Gour Daskhan, Research Scientist, TC Scientific
Dr. Michael Downey, Research Scientist, Sussex Research
Dr. Dimitra Lamprinaki, Research Scientist, Quandram Institute
Dr. Ghazaleh Eskandari-Sedighi, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California Irvine
Dr. Kei Takahashi-Yamashiro, Assistant Professor, University of Tokyo

Graduate Students

Mirjam Anhalt (Masters Visiting Student)
Elena Shanina (Masters Visiting Student). PhD student, Max Plank Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Ayk Wadlow (Masters Exchange Visiting Student). PhD student, Freie Universitatat
Santiago Tijaro Bulla (MSc graduate). Graduate Student at Simon Fraser University
Jeremy Jerasi, Scientist, Future Fields 
Dr. Jaesoo Jung (PhD graduate), Post Doctoral Fellow at UCSD
Dr. Kelli McCord (PhD graduate), Post Doctoral Fellow at Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Jhon Enterina (PhD graduate, Post Doctoral Fellow at University of Toronto,
Kayla Graham (MSc graduate)

Research Assistants

Vivian Aghanya. Graduate Sudent, Public Health, UAlberta.
Hoi Pui (Emily) Chao, Graduate Student at Western University
Joana Juan. Nursing School, UC San Francisco
Caleb Loo. Graduate Student, Master’s in Biotechnology, University of Toronto.
Abhishek Dahal. Government of Alberta

Undergraduates

Toni Dimaano
Arjun Bains. Medical School Student, Ireland
Bryce Erickson. London Business School Masters
Christopher Huddleston.
Matthew Luzentales-Simpson. Graduate Student, University of British Columbia.
Gaurav Sidhu. Medical School Student, UAlberta
Laura Streith. Graduate Nursing Program, UAlberta.
Summer Smyth, Ph.D Student, UAlberta
Kennedy Chisholm, Medical School at University of Calgary
Xue-Yan Guo
Tess Garrett
Hannah Veinot, Graduate Student at University of Alberta
Madeline Crichton, PharmD, UAlberta
Partha Kulkarni,  Medical School, Queens University

Territorial Acknowledgement

The University of Alberta, its buildings, labs, and research stations are primarily located on the traditional territory of Cree, Blackfoot, Métis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, and Ojibway/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe nations; lands that are now known as part of Treaties 6, 7, and 8 and homeland of the Métis. The University of Alberta respects the sovereignty, lands, histories, languages, knowledge systems, and cultures of First Nations, Métis and Inuit nations.

Faculty Of Science, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
E5-18A Chemistry Centre – East
11227 Saskatchewan Drive NW
Edmonton. AB  T6G 2G2

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