Jasmin Chahal

Dr. Jasmin Chahal completed her undergraduate degree in Microbiology & Immunology (MIMM) at McGill in 2014. That same year, she began her graduate studies in MIMM under the supervision of Dr. Selena Sagan completing her Ph.D. in 2020.

Dr. Chahal’s doctoral research centred on Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and its interaction with the liver-specific microRNA, miR-122. Her work explored the secondary structure of the viral genome and how it might be altered upon binding of miR-122.

Throughout her graduate studies, Dr. Chahal served a Teaching Assistant (TA) for MIMM 212 and MIMM 214, where she obtained first-hand experience teaching undergraduate students and developing course tools to help with student learning. She is a recent recipient of the 2020 SALTISE Student Award for her promotion of academic excellence and the use of innovative pedagogies in her role as a Teaching Assistant. She also developed her teaching skills by volunteering and coordinating the McGill’s Let’s Talk Science (LTS) Outreach program, which aims to teach and engage the general public about different aspects of science. With her LTS work, she created and presented hands-on and mind-on science activities for various age groups - further expanding her teaching skillset. She has also recently enrolled in the American Society for Microbiology Teaching Undergraduate Biology Certificate program. She is excited to use these skills and experiences to help develop courses in the department.