Meet The Team

Dr. Leo Liu completed his postgraduate studies at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) of the University of Saskatchewan and then pursued postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago and the Cleveland Clinic. He is enthusiastic about training junior scientists and is dedicated to creating a research environment that embraces care and inspiration. He loves dogs and GTA—he promises to keep his virtual crime sprees separate from his science!

Samara completed her undergraduate honours project in the lab of Dr. Simon Rousseau, where she investigated proteomic markers in circulation predictive of lung cancer in smokers. In the Liu lab, her research focuses on uncovering the molecular mechanisms of coronavirus RNA synthesis and replication. When not in the lab, you can find Samara hiking mountains or singing at karaoke.

Charlotte began her academic journey as an honours undergraduate student in Dr. Silvia Vidal's lab, where she studied the effects of Influenza virus infection on novel pulmonary organoids. Currently, as a graduate student in the Liu lab, she focuses on CRISPR-Cas9 modified iPSC-derived lung organoids and studies the activation of RIG-I-like receptors in the context of respiratory virus infections. Outside of the lab, Charlotte loves a good beer with friends at the end of a hard day's work and she strives to contribute to a positive work environment.