Justin Nodwell
Principal Investigator
I got hooked on science when I was 15 years old while watching “The Nature of Things” on TV. David Suzuki was narrating a stop action film of dividing plant cells and explaining that people were trying to understand how this worked. The idea that there’s a discernable order to the odd-looking biological shapes was incredibly compelling and it led me to start reading and trying to understand the biological sciences.
I went on to a BSc in genetics and a PhD in molecular biology. I have been fortunate to have outstanding mentors along the way: Chi-Hung Siu as an undergraduate, Jack Greenblatt as a PhD student and Richard Losick as a postdoctoral fellow. I started my lab at McMaster University in 1998. In 2013 I moved to University of Toronto to serve first as Chair of Biochemistry and then as Vice-Dean of Research & Health Science Education. Having done all that, I’m now back to full time research and teaching.
My interests are primarily focused on the interactions of living cells with biologically active molecules. This includes projects dealing with antibiotic biosynthesis and resistance, and the ecological roles played by these molecules in nature. The lab’s translational goal is to help address the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance however, I’m mostly motivated by trying to understand how things work. The complexity of nature is astonishing.
Research Associates and Postdocs
Dr. Sheila Pimentel-Elardo
sheila.elardo@utoronto.ca
After completing her PhD from the University of Wuerzburg in Germany, Sheila joined the Nodwell Lab in 2010 as a Postdoctoral Fellow. She eventually took on a Senior Research Associate position since 2014. Her current research interests include secondary metabolites and signaling molecules from microbiomes associated with diverse organisms and metagenomes.
Outside the lab, Sheila loves spending time with her family, painting, relaxing by the beach and watching sunsets!
Dr. Farhan Chowdhury
fr.chowdhury@utoronto.ca
Farhan joined the Nodwell lab in 2025 after completing his PhD in Brandon Findlay’s lab at Concordia University, where he studied the fitness costs associated with antibiotic resistance in bacteria and developed strategies to exploit these costs to slow resistance evolution. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Nodwell lab, he continues this line of research while also exploring Streptomyces as a source of novel antimicrobial compounds.
Outside of his research, Farhan enjoys cooking, learning about fitness, health, and longevity, and playing League of Legends. He is always up to chat about any of these topics!
Dr. Natalie Sahabandu
n.sahabandu@utoronto.ca
Natalie completed her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of California, Davis, where she gained experience in protein biochemistry, molecular cloning, microscopy, and cell culture. Her research focused on developing and applying biochemical and cellular tools to better understand biological systems, with a strong emphasis on mentorship, collaboration, and scientific communication. In the Nodwell lab, she is currently working on extracellular vesicle biology, along with engineering soil-dwelling bacteria for biotechnological applications that improve microbial production of value-added compounds.
Outside of the lab, Natalie enjoys cooking and hosting for friends and family, traveling, and exploring and learning about wine.
Students
Marina Suppi
PhD Candidate
marina.suppi@mail.utoronto.ca
Marina completed a BSc in Microbiology at Autonomous University of Barcelona and a MSc in Advanced Immunology at the University of Barcelona. Marina joined the Nodwell lab as a PhD student under a joint program between the University of Toronto and the University of Melbourne. Her work focuses on exploring cell wall recycling pathways in resistant Staphylococcus aureus for antibiotic discovery.
Marina was born and raised in Barcelona, the heart of the Mediterranean you may say, so she enjoys good food, dancing, outdoor adventures, and a nice vermouth under the sun.
Katharine Myler
PhD Candidate
k.myler@mail.utoronto.ca
Katy completed her BSc in Biochemistry and Chemistry at the University of Guelph in 2019 and began her graduate studies in the Nodwell Lab in 2021. She is investigating the underlying cause of antibiotic sensitivity in Staphylococcus aureus caused by mutations affecting cell wall homeostasis pathways and stringent response.
When she’s not out coxing her rowing team, Katy enjoys exploring the city, returning to Stoney Creek for home-cooked meals, or watching documentaries.
Valerie Chow
PhD Candidate
vcw.chow@mail.utoronto.ca
Ian Douglas
PhD Candidate
ianw.douglas@mail.utoronto.ca
Oliver Ojeda Valencia
MSc Student
oliver.ojedavalencia@mail.utoronto.ca
Oliver completed his BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Toronto in 2025 and joined the Nodwell lab a year later. He is investigating transposon mobility in Streptomyces to develop an efficient mutagenesis tool for genome-wide functional studies.
When he’s not cloning, Oliver enjoys defending his spikeball win streak, going to the movies, and reading manga.
Elaina Piliouras
MSc Student
elaina.piliouras@mail.utoronto.ca
Elaina completed her HBSc in the Integrated Science Program at McMaster University with a specialization in Biochemistry in 2025. Now in the Nodwell Lab, she works to better understand the role of Streptomyces derived extracellular vesicles in antibiotic delivery through reverse engineering.
Outside of the lab, Elaina enjoys cooking and baking, walking her dog, trivia night, and beating Oliver in spikeball.
Gabriel Fabiano
PhD Student
gabriel.fabiano@mail.utoronto.ca
After earning his HBSc in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Toronto Scarborough, Gabriel moved downtown to join the Nodwell Lab. He is currently investigating the mechanisms that drive susceptibility and resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to cell wall antibiotics.
Originally from Indonesia, he loves exploring the diverse food scene of the Greater Toronto Area and enjoys a good game of Scrabble!
Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
Kirsten Meyer, 2026
Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo
Anne van der Meij, 2026
Hanna Ostapska, 2025
Glenna Kramer, 2020
Vaccine Clinic Documenter, UHN
Ahmed El-Sherbeni, 2018
PDF, University of Toronto
Leslie Cuthbertson, 2013
Huntsville High School
Maira Medellin-Pena, 2010
Kapil Tahlan, 2009
Associate Professor, Memorial University
Andrews Willems, 2007
Lecturer, McMaster University
Lab Technicians
Susan MacMillan, 2003-2007
Jill Regoeczi, 1998-2003
Undergrad/Visiting Students
Osha Cruz Joaquim, 2025
Joulia Donoyan, 2024-2026
Oliver Ojeda Valencia, 2024-2025
Ines Ben Makhlouf, 2024
Ian Douglas, 2023
Aakash Natarajan, 2023
Devin Robb, 2023
Ryan Pinch, 2023
Hannah Tyrrell, 2022-2023
Théophile Lambert, 2022
Tyler Luizinho, 2022
PhD Graduates
Jan Falguera, 2024
Nicholas Kotoulas, 2023
PDF, University of Toronto
Simoun Icho, 2022
Consultant, Bain & Company
Stephanie Tan, 2022
Scientist, Interface Biosciences
Vanessa Yoon-Calvelo, 2020
Medical Science Liason, Rapid Novor
Louis Ho, 2020
Scientist, Eurofins Scientific
Martin Daniel-Ivad, 2019
PDF, Dr. Emily Blaskus, Harvard University
Scott McAuley, 2019
Equity Research Analyst, Paradigm Capital
Stefanie Mak, 2017
Program Manager, STEMCELL Technologies
Tomas Gverzdys, 2017
Associate Research Scientist, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Charul Jani, 2015
Research Scientist, Ragon Institute
Arryn Craney, 2012
Clinical Microbiologist, Orlando Health
Steven Ahn, 2012
Research Associate, University of Toronto
Ye Xu, 2012
Associate Research Scientist, PPD
Stephanie Au-Young, 2010
Research Associate, SickKids Research Institute
Nancy McKenzie, 2008
McMaster University
Marcus Eccleston, 2006
Tamara O’Connor, 2005
Assistant Professor, John Hopkins University
Michael Hudson, 2004
Director of Synthetic Biology, LifeMine Therapeutics
MSc Graduates
Mayeesha Khan, 2024
Medical student, McMaster University
Cyrus Savalanpour, 2022
Maxime Lefebvre, 2021
Microbiology Lab Technician, Mount Sinai Hospital
Gaelen Moore, 2019
Lab technician, Dr. Hyun Kate Lee, University of Toronto
Emilie Song, 2018
PhD, Max Plank Institute of Biochemistry
Margot Smith, 2013
PhD, McMaster University
Nabeela Hameed, 2013
VideoComm Technologies
Salman Ahmed, 2012
SunLife Financial
Catherine Au-Yeung, 2010
Graphic Designer
Elizabeth Marton, 2008
ApoPharma
Khoa Nguyen, 2008
Dachaun Zhang, 2002
Reem Samir Ahmed Ali, 2002
In honour of
Michael Kamin Hart
MSc, 2008-2011
Michael was a member of the Nodwell Lab when the lab was still at McMaster University. Michael was diagnosed with lymphoma and passed away in 2011 at the age of 25. His family created the Michael Kamin Hart Award for Excellence in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Care in his honour.