Research in Bio-organic Chemistry
Mark grew up in Prince Rupert on the Northwest Coast of Canada. He completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of British Columbia. After earning his PhD with David Bundle at the University of Alberta, Professor Nitz worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Barbara Imperiali at MIT. He started his independent career in 2004 in the Chemistry Department at the University of Toronto and was promoted to full professor in 2014.
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PhD Student Description: Adam was born and raised in Toronto. He completed his B.A.Sc. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Bioengineering at the University of Toronto. In his thesis project under the supervision of Dr. Alison McGuigan, he worked on improving the optical properties of a tissue-mimetic tumour cell assay platform called GLAnCE. He joined the Nitz group in 2023 as a PhD student, where he is working on the metalation and functionalization of porphyrins as barcoding reagents for Mass Cytometry. Outside the lab, he enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking outdoor walks, and competing in video game tournaments. |
MSc Student Description: Ahmed did his B.Sc. at McMaster University, where he was involved in projects including organic photocatalyst optimization, analysis of organic pollutant fate in the environment, and formulation of pharmaceutical products for pre-clinical trials. Since joining the Nitz group in 2024, Ahmed has been working toward producing new C-glycoside scaffolds. Sugars aside, he has a real passion for cheese… soft, sharp, pungent, bring it all. Crackers aren’t the only things he’s cracking up, though. Stay punny, Ahmed!! |
Post-Doc Description: Alex is a PhD student at the University of Toronto. He is exploring the usage of bacterial toxins to generate defined glycoproteins. When not working, he enjoys amateur birdwatching in nice weather or curling up in front of a computer when the weather is lousy. He also heartily recommends checking out some of David Attenborough’s nature documentaries as an escape from reality. |
PhD Student Description: Angus was born and raised in the city of Richmond Hill, ON. He completed his B.Sc. in Biochemistry at the University of Waterloo under the supervision of Dr. John Honek, where he worked on the combinatorial synthesis of ADAMTS-4/5 inhibitors targeting the metalloproteinase domain. As a PhD student, his research focuses on the design and synthesis of ruthenium drug analogs to study their pharmacological effects by mass cytometry. Outside of the lab, Angus enjoys going to the gym, training for half marathons, snowboarding, building Lego and late-night gaming sessions with his friends. |
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PhD Student Description: Diane was born and raised in Korea until she was 10 years old when she immigrated to Vancouver, BC. She completed her B.Sc. in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of British Columbia. As a PhD student in the Nitz lab, Diane is working with bacterial nanocompartments to develop them into protein-based reagents for mass cytometry. After 6 pm, you may find her knitting while rewatching K-dramas from the 2000s, or admiring cake videos. Ask her about the free food events that are being offered around Lash Miller! |
PhD Student Description: Hunter grew up in Ottawa and did his Bachelors of Science in Chemistry at Carleton University. His 4th year honours thesis was in organic chemistry under Jeff Manthorpe studying the kinetics of diazomethane generation and alkylation of various diazald precursors. He is currently doing his masters working on the biofilm project. The goal of his research is to increase the cellular uptake of 1-phosphate sugars using acyl-phosphate derivatives that will cleave spontaneously within the cytoplasm to give the 1-phosphate sugar. In his spare time he enjoys playing sports and spending time outdoors to explore what the world has to offer. |
Post-Doc Description: Jamie completed her B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Chemistry at the University of British Columbia (2018). Her thesis project involved the synthesis of peptide derivatives as potential ligands for metallic catalysts of the hydroamination reaction. She joined the Nitz group in fall of 2018 and is working on the bio-incorporation of tellurium-containing amino acid analogues/probes. Outside of the lab, you may find Jamie reading (non-scientific literature), doing arts and crafts, terrorizing her friends with pictures of yummy food over instant messaging, or listening to JK Rowling’s inspiring Harvard commencement speech for the nth time. Ten points to Gryffindor! |
MSc Student Description: Patricia was born in Toronto, but grew up in Orangeville, Ontario. She moved back to Toronto to start her B.Sc. in Biological Chemistry at UofT and graduated in 2024. She joined the Nitz lab as a third year undergraduate student and stayed in the lab for graduate studies. Currently, she is working on utilizing acetyltransferases as a chemoenzymatic tool for labelling sugars. Outside the lab, you can find her at the gym, paddling on the lake, or playing TTRPGs with friends. |
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PhD Student Description: Una grew up in the Niagara Region and completed her B.Sc. in Biochemistry at Brock University. Her undergraduate thesis project was under the supervision of Dr. Tony Yan and revolved around synthesizing an alternative for PEG compatible in bioconjugation reactions with oligonucleotides. Beginning her graduate studies, she joined the Nitz lab to further explore the field of chemical biology and is currently investigating certain classes of acetyltransferases for the labelling of sialic acid residues on glycan structures. Outside the lab, she enjoys visiting cafes (both for coffee and the vibes), playing cozy games and doing puzzles. |
MSc Student Description: Valeria was born in Toronto but grew up all around the GTA. She completed her BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Chemistry next door at TMU. Her fourth year thesis with Dr. Koivisto worked towards the development of EdU compatible fluorescent BODIPY probes for use in CuAAC click chemistry. She joined the Nitz lab as a MSc student where she is studying the various oxidized species of tellurophene as they pertain to a bioorthogonal click reaction. Outside the lab she enjoys dancing, playing cards, reading, spending time with her cat, and yoga. |
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Post-Doc Description: Adam joined the Nitz lab in 2014 as a PhD student. He was born and raised in Toronto, and completed his BSc in 2011 at the University of Guelph, majoring in Biological & Pharmaceutical Chemistry + Mathematics. In 2014, he completed his MSc in chemistry at Guelph under the supervision of Dr. France-Isabelle Auzanneau, researching glycosylations at O-3 of GlcNAc. His current research in the Nitz lab revolves around developing substrates for bacterial enzymes which are responsible for the synthesis of biofilm exopolysaccharides. Outside of the lab, Adam enjoys hockey, soccer, tennis, and hiking. |
MSc Student Description: Alan was born and raised in Toronto where he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, with a focus in Chemistry and Human Biology. He worked on the development of tellurium-based probes in monitoring rates of protein synthesis. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, reading and dining. He is also an avid Drake listener with a special love for sad Drake songs. |
MSc Graduate Description: Amanda is a U of T Master student working on synthesis of sugar analogs and using photocatalysis to functionalize the anomeric position of various carbohydrates. She completed undergrad studies in the pharmacology program at McGill university. Besides research, she loves painting, drawing, music, and keeping pet snakes. |
Undergraduate Description: Amanda was a co-op student, majoring in biochemistry, from the University of Waterloo. Her aim in the Nitz lab was to synthesize a carbohydrate-protein conjugate for the development of a vaccine against an infectious fungus. In her free time, she enjoys watching comedies, going for walks and annoying her twin sister. |
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PhD Student Description: Ben completed his undergraduate degree in Chemical Biology at McMaster University, working with Dr. Jim McNulty during his final year on the development of CYP19A1 (aromatase) inhibitors as hormone-dependant breast cancer therapeutics. Sparking his love for research at the interface of chemistry and biology, he joined Dr. Mark Nitz’s lab in 2011. Since that time, he has worked on diverse projects related to the biosynthesis of the PNAG polysaccharide, encompassing structure-based drug design, virtual screening, traditional and protecting-group free carbohydrate synthesis, and assay design. Outside the lab, Ben enjoys craft beer, board games, listening to new music, and exploring Toronto’s restaurant scene. His favourite things are Björk, the Food & Drink magazine, and hiking. |
Undergraduate Description: Ben is originally from Victoria, BC but is currently an undergraduate biochemistry specialist student at the University of Toronto. He will be working on designing and synthesizing monosaccharide inhibitors for enzymes utilized in the formation of biofilms by pathogenic bacteria. Outside of working in the lab and studying, Ben enjoys going to the gym, hiking, playing computer games and watching films. |
PhD Student Description: Daniel was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He completed his undergraduate degree in biological Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Daniel has been working as a research assistant for the Nitz group since January 2016, and is now a full time PhD student. He is currently working on a new protein conjugation method for antibody drug conjugates. Daniel often spends his spare time playing soccer, socializing, and reading. |
Management Consultant Description:
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MSc Student Description: Ethan was born and raised in Vancouver BC and did his undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of British Columbia. While there, he completed an undergraduate thesis with the Straus Group, focusing on the characterization of aurein 2.2 peptide derivatives. He joined the Nitz Group at the University of Toronto in September 2018 as a Master’s student, and is currently working on producing bisubstrate GlmU inhibitors. Ethan spends most of his time playing basketball, crocheting, and arguing with others about how Taylor Swift’s country albums are way better than her pop albums. |
PhD Student Description: Hanuel completed his BSc at the University of Western Ontario in 2012, with an Honors Specialization in Chemistry. For his undergraduate thesis, he worked with Prof. Leonard Luyt on developing a F18 PET imaging agent to investigate orexin receptor expressions in colorectal carcinomas. As a Ph.D student in the Nitz lab, his project is focused on the development of novel organotellurium scaffolds for mass cytometry reagent development. In his free time, he enjoys watching football and basketball with a rather large pint of beer. |
MSc Graduate Description: Helen was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and completed her undergraduate at the University of Toronto. She is a MSc student at UofT with her work focusing on the development of tellurium-based mitochondrial probes for mass cytometry. Outside of the lab, she enjoys working out, bouldering and being a huge foodie. |
PhD Student Description: Being curious about Tim Horton’s, maple syrup, and poutine, Jay came to Toronto from the UK. He finished his undergraduate studies and MChem with Stuart Conway at the University of Oxford, researching phosphate bioisosteres in the context of AMP analogues. In the Nitz group, he works on the synthesis and evaluation of organotellurium probes for hypoxia in cancer. When not in the lab, he enjoys wine, the TSO, and snapchat filters. |
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Post-Doc Description: Ji was born and raised in Wuhan, China. He received his PhD degree from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, under the supervision of Prof Adriaan J Minnaard and Prof Martin D Witte. During his PhD, he majorly worked on the regioselective modification of carbohydrates. In October 2020, he joined the group of Prof Mark Nitz at the University of Toronto as a postdoc, where he started the research of developing new bench stable radical precursors for carbon-carbon bond formation. |
MSc Student Description: Jobette is from Edmonton, Alberta. She completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Biological Sciences at University of Alberta working on Human Milk Oligosaccharides. Escaping the cold winters, she moved to Toronto to pursue her MSc degree in Biological Chemistry. She worked on developing a new metal-free bioorthogonal reaction with N-hydroxylamines. When not doing science, she loves going out for brunch, staying active, listening to music (house, deep house, electro house, progressive house and more house music) and eating chocolates. She is also obviously a Disney Princess (just look at that photo!). |
PhD Student Description: José’s hometown can be found amongst the misty mountains on Vancouver Island. In between watching Netflix, playing soccer and squash, and avoiding the west coast winter rains, José somehow managed to finish his BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Victoria. Thinking it was time to experience a real Canadian winter, José ended up at the Nitz lab at the University of Toronto working on the biofilm project. He worked on synthesizing monosaccharide substrates for the deacetylase enzymes IcaB and PgaB. |
Undergraduate Description: Julia is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, specializing in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. She is working on designing a novel molecular probe that labels proteins using azide-alkyne click chemistry. When she’s not in the lab or drowning in lots and lots of homework, she enjoys baking, biking, painting, and reading Homer’s epics. |
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Undergraduate Description: Lexi is a fourth-year undergraduate student, majoring in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Toronto. She is currently working on the development of molecular probes for protein labeling using alkyne-azide click chemistry. In her spare time, Lexi enjoys cooking using exclusively Chef Ricardo’s recipes. |
Postdoc Description: Lisa has lived all over Canada and her favorite city is Toronto. She received her BSc from the University of Victoria in BC, spent four years working at the National Research Council Canada in Ottawa, and then obtained her PhD from the University of Guelph under the supervision of Dr. Chris Whitfield. Her field of expertise is glycobiology, and she is working on several glyco-related projects in the Nitz lab, where she was the recipient of a Banting postdoctoral fellowship. As she is trying to be competitive for faculty positions, she doesn’t really have spare time. However, she loves trying interesting food, new wines, and expensive scotch. |
Undergraduate Student Description: Livi moved to Toronto in 2021 to start her B.Sc. in Biological Chemistry at UofT. In summer 2023, she worked in the Taylor group on investigating new hydrogen atom transfer catalysts for site-selective C-H functionalization. Currently, she is working on developing substrates to follow the degradation of PNAG by host based glycosidases. Outside of the lab, she can be found on the ocean both coaching sailing and sailing herself, travelling as much as possible, and cuddling her two cats. |
MSc Student Description: Michael is originally from Ottawa, however, was raised in Nepal and Vietnam. As an undergraduate Chemistry and Biochemistry major at the University of Toronto, he is working to explore the bio-orthogonal application of the 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones, and to extend the concept of amino acids to synthesize novel beta-turn catalysts. Outside of the lab, Michael enjoys making music, playing volleyball and basketball, and hoping for warm weather. |
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MSc Student Description: Miky is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, but grew up in Winnipeg after moving there at the age of 5. She completed a B.Sc Honours in Chemistry at the University of Manitoba. There she completed her honours thesis under the supervision of Dr. Rebecca Davis, where she looked at the molecular docking of conduritol aziridine inhibitors in enzyme GCase. In the Nitz lab, she is working on analyzing the ability of GlmU to catalyze the formation of its own bisubstrate inhibitor. In her free time, Miky enjoys spending time outdoors, going hiking, canoeing and camping in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. |
MSc Student Description: After learning that bacteria can exchange electrons in the environment, Miya became fascinated with the undiscovered world of microbiology and conducted her undergraduate degree in Microbiology at UofT. Now as a master's student in Chemistry, she is investigating the pathway mediating the uptake of unnatural sugars in E. coli which can be used as metabolic labelling tools. In her spare time, her hobbies include harnessing the power of microbes in the kitchen for fermentation, wandering in nature, sunbathing with her cat, meditation, and creating herbal tea blends. |
PhD Student Description: Nesrin completed her BSc in chemical biology at McMaster University, where she worked in the group of Dr. Jim McNulty on Amaryllidaceae alkaloids as well as medicinal chemistry of aromatase (P450 19A1) inhibitors. For her PhD work, she has been developing methodologies to enable the selective functionalization of polycationic beta-cyclodextrins for applications in drug delivery and molecular recognition. In her free time, she enjoys working on various art projects, attending TSO concerts and collecting cute trinkets. Her desk in the lab can be easily identified by the over-abundance of Hello Kitty merchandise, Kurt Vonnegut books and a mountain of packing slips from Sigma Aldrich orders. |
PhD Student Description: Nicole completed her B.Sc.(hons.) degree at Memorial University, in her home province of Newfoundland. Three days after her convocation, she headed to Toronto to begin work in the Nitz lab, and officially started her PhD in September 2018. Her research focuses on the development of a tellurium-based amino acid probe, with hopes that it will be incorporated into small peptide drugs for use in bio-distrubition studies. Outside the lab, she can be found searching for new local craft breweries, or dog-watching in Trinity Bellwoods Park. |
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Undergraduate Student Description: Priya is originally from Trinidad & Tobago and is currently a 4th year biological chemistry specialist student at the University of Toronto. She is working on altering the NahK enzyme to preferentially accept a modified version of GlcNAc. In her free time, Priya enjoys yoga, reading in the park, and making desserts while listening to carefully curated playlists. |
PhD Student Description: Rodolfo earned his Ph.D. under the tutelage of Prof. Nitz. He then went to Oxford to work under Prof. Bayley and Davis to work with nanopores. Afterwards he developed chemical methodology for the development of a polysomal extraction device at a start-up in Italy. Then, eager to continue research joined the laboratory of Prof. Gunning developing anti-cancer compounds. He worked with Prof. Nitz in developing new metal-based probes for protein bio-marker detection. |
Undergraduate Student Description: Rohan was born and raised in Pennsylvania, United States. For university, he moved to Toronto to study both chemistry and biochemistry at UofT where he is currently finishing up his last year of his B.Sc. During the 2022-2023 school year, Rohan worked under Professor Datong Song to study inorganic catalysis, where his project revolved around synthesis, characterization, and coordination of various ligands to early transition metals. Currently, he is working in the Nitz lab on acetyltransferases as a tool for labeling glycans. Outside of the lab, he can be found playing ultimate frisbee, watching movies with friends, or enjoying nature. |
Undergraduate Student Description: Samuel (Sam) is originally from Mauritius island. He is completing his undergraduate in biological chemistry. Sam is currently working with Daniel Lee on a protein marker derived from phenyl hydrazine. Sam's interests are mainly total synthesis and analytical chemistry. On the side, Sam is the president of an NGO that helps students apply to university and an online copywriting/SEO freelancing business. Sam enjoys learning about Egyptian mythology, escape rooms, mountaineering and family time. |
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Aquatic Biologist Description: Sigma joined the group as an independent researcher in December 2022. With two of his fellow algae eaters, Sigma studies the microenvironment of the fish tank, specifically the seasonal changes in algae bloom. You might find him in the Nitz group room sleeping in his pagoda, playing hide-and-seek behind the filters, or eating his much preferred food pellets. Drop by the Nitz lab to say hello to this little guy! |
PhD Student Description: Steph has been a resident of the GTA her whole life thus far. She completed her Bachelor of Science (hon.) in Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Toronto (St. George) in 2017. After her undergraduate degree, she worked for a year at UHN as a clinical research assistant under Dr. Anne O’Neill. She decided that she wanted to be back at the lab bench and in 2018 joined the Zamble lab at UofT in the Department of Chemistry. There, she began studying an important metalloprotein found in numerous pathogens, [NiFe] – hydrogenase. She has since continued her work in the Nitz lab by focusing on screening and characterizing potential inhibitors against this nickel-based enzyme. When Steph is not in the lab pipetting away, she loves to do nail art, knit, crochet, paint…honestly any and all crafts, try new cuisines, watch movies, read romance novels mostly & spend time with friends! |
Undergraduate Student Description: Veronica grew up frequently moving between the USA and Russia until her family finally settled in the GTA when she was 7. She is currently pursuing a bachelor's of science in chemistry and biochemistry. Veronica is currently working on designing an antibody conjugate for flow/mass cytometry using both organic synthesis techniques and small protein chemistry. She has always enjoyed doing various sports and now competes for NDRC's 24U team for dragon boat. Outside of the lab you can find her at the gym or teaching lifesaving courses. |
PhD Student Description: Zach was born and grew up in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He completed his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and chemistry at Dalhousie University. His undergraduate thesis, supervised by professor Stephen Bearne, concerned the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme mandelate racemase. He joined the Nitz lab in September, 2016. Currently he is developing inhibitors against the enzymes PgaB and IcaB. In his free time, Zach enjoys cooking, jogging, and drinking tea. |
