578 | Wiggle and Jiggle: How Do Proteins Move?

GraduatedLife is a GradCast series where we interview graduates of some of Western's graduate programs. In this instalment of GraduatedLife, Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Professor Joel Faflak, a faculty member in Western's English and Writing Studies Department.  In their conversation, Joel recounts his graduate studies under Professor Ross Woodman (1922 – 2014), a charismatic scholar with an interest in Romanticism and in William Blake, specifically.  This was matched by Woodman's interest in the arts and in spirituality.  Joel's doctoral co-supervisor was Professor Tilottama Rajan, FRSC, who is still teaching at Western.  Also of personal importance for Joel was Ross' wife, Marion (1928 – 2018), an author with an interest in psychology.  Topics discussed include Mary Shelley, the Literary Canon, the Bible, Shakespeare, the Gothic Revival, Tony Kushner, Emily St. John Mandel, and London Regionalism – the artistic movement that was centred around London from the late 1950s through the '80s, in which "the ordinary" (London, Ontario) became the extraordinary.  In that spirit, Joel advocates for retrieving a sense of wonder and awe, as part of university life. Joel received Full Professor status in 2013 and, more recently, was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2025. Congratulations, Dr. Joel Faflak, FRSC! In other good news, this is Ryan's first time appearing on GradCast since his convocation ceremony on Wednesday, October 21, at which he received his Doctor of Musical Arts, in Performance. Congratulations, Dr. Ryan Baxter, DMA! Recorded on Monday, October 26, 2026 Produced by Mark C. Ambrogio Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

In this episode, hosts Maris Schneider and Kuljeet Chohan chat with Victoria Kata, a Master’s student in the Chemistry Department. Victoria studies how a peptide, a small protein that is similar to the proteins in our bodies, move. She does so by tracking how the peptide's mass changes as it breaks its hydrogen bonds and binds to another hydrogen isotope, deuterium. Victoria is passionate about the foundational chemistry of the hydrogen-deuterium exchange of peptides and ultimately what that tells us about the movement of peptides talking about how this work could inform future pharmacological research. Join us as we learn about the wiggle and jiggle of peptides!     Recorded on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026. Produced by Anika Bushra Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (produced by WhiteHot)

In this episode of GradCast, hosts Anthony Cruz and Rafaela Platkin are joined by Kat Newman-Seymour, a PhD student in Western's Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies. In their PhD research, Kat examines the experiences of transgender people in Houston, Texas, and Toronto, Ontario, as they navigate climate change and environmental conditions. Their research draws parallels between environmental racism and the comparatively less well-studied experiences of transgender individuals. Kat draws on ideas such as minority stress theory, environmental justice, and queer and trans ecologies. Listen to learn more!     Recorded on Tuesday, October 27th, 2026. Produced by Anika Bushra Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (produced by WhiteHot)

In this week's episode, hosts Kuljeet Chohan and Mark Ambrogio interview Ehsan Ur Rahman Mohammed, a PhD candidate in Computer Science. In their conversation, Kuljeet and Mark explore Ehsan's interest in "adversarial robustness," which relates to how well an AI model performs at object recognition and image generation. A graduate of India's Kakatiya Institute of Technology and Science, Ehsan did his master's research at the University of Windsor.  In their conversation, Ehsan discusses his affection for both Windsor and London, his attention to public policy surrounding AI, and the many interests that enrich his graduate experience. Ehsan serves Western's Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) as the Chair of the Sustainability Committee. Ehsan's LinkedIn     Recorded on Tuesday, October 20th, 2026. Produced by Anika Bushra Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (produced by WhiteHot)

We often assume that reality is objective, but as researchers, how do we tackle perceived reality in our subjects? For psychology master’s student Isaac Withers, this is a key question in designing virtual reality (VR) spaces. Can VR simulate the experience of a psychedelic drug trip in a controlled setting? What is the process of assembling reference material to create such a simulation?  Isaac, being a proponent of multidisciplinary approaches, divides his research time between the psychedelics work and work on understanding categorization. In the latter research, he probes how our brains learn to place things into categories, and how categorization influences our personal biases. Listen with Kelly Wang and Victor Lau as they discuss with Isaac about building a graduate journey that emphasizes collaborating with others, learning from many different sources, and overall building a well-rounded life to help diversify thinking in the research space. Links: https://mindalab.com/ Recorded on Tuesday, October 13th, 2026. Produced by Garth Casbourn Theme tune "Feelin Good" provided by FreeBeats.io (produced by WhiteHot)

This week, hosts Anthony Cruz and Bruno Mesquita are joined by Sara Varon Echeverri, a PhD student in Western University's Department of Philosophy studying social and scientific problems related to climate change. Enrolled in Western's collaborative specialization in environment and sustainability, Sara is trying to determine the best ways to study climate change that can lead to effective responses from the public. Sara believes in the importance of bringing people together and was involved in planning the 2026 Rotman Graduate Student Conference, bringing international students to Western to discuss the philosophy of science. In this episode, Sara discusses her research in philosophy and provides tips on how to plan a conference! Recorded on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 Produced by Ella Siciliano and Anthony Cruz Theme tune “Feelin Good” provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)    

This week, MSc (PhD-intended!) candidate Alexander Gain talks about his research on modelling and testing immune responses to different HIV vaccines. Although current treatments help keep the virus at bay, this requires people living with HIV to take anti-viral medication for the rest of their lives. Building a preventative vaccine could allow for people to experience a better quality of life, but requires a lot of tricky planning and overcoming experimental constraints. How does one even start to design HIV vaccines that can hopefully work across different HIV variants? What sort of models can be used to examine the immune response following vaccination? What technical challenges exist before such questions can be properly tested, and how does one pace themselves better over such a marathon of a research endeavour? Join Bruno Mesquita and Victor Lau as they hear more about Alex tackling a career path that aligns with his values, and for an episode that has both fun details and takes into account a larger picture. To find out more about Alex and his research, please check out his labs! https://artslab.ca/enter/  https://kerfootlab.com/ Recorded on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr Theme tune “Feelin Good” provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

This week, PhD student Bright Ofori talks about his research on HIV stigma and mental health among older adults living with HIV. With advances in treatment, people living with HIV are living longer. However, this raises new questions about what aging with HIV looks like; what happens when the social impacts of HIV (including stigma, shame, and fear of disclosure) last after diagnosis? Bright’s research compares the experiences of older adults living with HIV across two different settings: the Ashanti Region of Ghana and African, Caribbean, and Black communities in Ontario. How do culture, community, and social support shape experiences of HIV stigma? How can stigma affect mental health, including experiences of depression and anxiety? And how can researchers capture these experiences while ensuring that the people and communities affected have a meaningful role in building a stronger voice for affected individuals? Join Kuljeet Chohan and Victor Lau as they hear more about Bright’s methodologies and tackling how stigma exists, to understand a little more about the prevalence of HIV stigma and persisting through with mental health challenges. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bright-ofori-phd Instagram: @i.am.bryt  ---------------------------------------- Recorded on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Produced by Kuljeet Chohan Theme tune “Feelin Good” provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

We’re back with our mini-series, chatting with folks on campus who support graduate students in every aspect of life!  This week, your hosts, Maris Schneider and Garth Casbourn, are chatting with Melanie Molnar, the Ombudsperson at Western University. Melanie is a professional mediator who supports graduate students as they move through their programs and learn to navigate complex relationships with supervisors and advisors. Tune in to learn more about Melanie’s role in graduate life and how you can use the Ombudsperson to support your academic journey. If you would like to learn more about the Ombudsperson or access their services, you can find all of the information here https://www.uwo.ca/ombuds/index.html.   Recorded on Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026 Produced by Kuljeet Chohan Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

In this week's episode, hosts Ryan Baxter and Mark Ambrogio interview Rory Succee as he graduates with his MA in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology.  A newly-minted Western graduate, Rory is about to begin a PhD in Art History – also here at Western. Congratulations, Rory! In their conversation, Ryan and Mark ask Rory about research he undertook at St. Dominic's Cemetery in D'Hanis, Texas — a cemetery of German heritage.  Rory shares anecdotes about his fieldwork at the cemetery, as well as how he learned from oral history and archival research, not to mention enjoying the famous "southern hospitality" from the local Texans. As he enters his PhD, Rory is interested in the work of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, as well as other noteworthy Latin American artists, including Frida Kahlo, Poty Lazzarotto, Candido Portinari, and Fernando Botero.     Recorded on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by White Hot)