Meet Our Lab Team
Our laboratory includes members from Brazil, Iran, Russia, Taiwan, China, Turkey, the United States and Canada and it keeps changing.
Research Associate
Oleg Matusovsky, obtained his master’s science degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from Far Eastern State University in Russia. After working as a visiting scientist at the Institute of Molecular Biology in Austria, where he studied enzyme kinetics of myosin light chain phosphorylation, he completed his PhD in Biochemistry in 2006 at the Institute of Marine Biology in Russia. Matusovsky then gained postdoctoral experience with the Institute of Biomedical Aging Research in Austria and McGill University's Meakins-Christie Laboratories. As a research associate with Meakins-Christie, he improved his skills in various biochemical, biophysical, and physiological methods to study muscle contraction on the molecular level. In 2016, he joined Dr. Rassier's laboratory and is currently involved in several projects including high-speed Atomic Force Microscopy to study the dynamic behavior of molecular motors in various conditions.
Contact: oleg.matusovskiy [at] mcgill.ca
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Yu-Shu Cheng is a Postdoc Student in Muscle Physiology and Biophysics at McGill University. His research focuses on the relationship between myosin-actin cross bridge and the mechanisms of the structural myosin interact with actin filament in the skeletal muscle. He holds a Master of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and a Ph.D. from McGill University.
Contact: yu-shu.cheng [at] mcgill.ca
Ph.D. Student
Daren Elkrief is a Ph.D. student in the Physiology department. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a BSc in Molecular Biology. He recently received his MSc from McGill in Kinesiology, studying the effects of aging on the neuromuscular junction. He is currently using the atomic force microscope to assess the molecular contractile properties of the skeletal muscle Actin-myosin ATPase.
Contact: daren.elkrief [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Ph.D. Student
Fatemeh Ostadan is a Ph.D. candidate in the Experimental Medicine department. Her BSc and clinical background are in Orthotics & Prosthetics. She has 8 years of work experience in this field at the Iranian Red Crescent/Cross Rehabilitation Center in Tehran, Iran. She received her MSc from McGill University in Rehabilitation Sciences, studying the effects of aging on the susceptibility to motor memory interference induced on the primary motor cortex(M1). She is currently working on skeletal muscle dysfunction in Cystic Fibrosis. To assess muscle abnormalities in this disease, she is using different methods; Computed Tomography measurements to assess muscle quantity and quality in CF patients and maximum force generation and force re-generation measurements in single muscle fibers in CF mice.
Contact: fatemeh.ostadansafar [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Master's Student
Xiaoyu Jiang (Annika) just graduated from McGill with a BSc in Physiology and Mathematics. Her research focuses on mathematical modelling and simulation. Last year, she finished a project on modelling calcium transient in Oligodendrocytes in CNS. Currently, she's joining Dr. Dilson Rassier's lab for developing computational models in muscle activity.
Contact: xiaoyu.jiang [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Summer Student
Yutong Han is a BSc student in the Physiology and Mathematics program, minoring in kinesiology at McGill University. She is currently working on the inter-sarcomere dynamics and force generation in myofibrils.
Contact: yutong.han [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Ph.D. Student
Maryam Owrangi is a Ph.D. student in Muscle Physiology and Biophysics at McGill University. She graduated with a Master of Sport Science at Kharazmi University – Tehran, Iran in September 2021. She has defended her Master's Thesis on The Effect of Scapula Focused Training on Proprioception in Adolescent Swimmers’ Shoulder with Scapular Dyskinesis. She also completed her bachelor's program in Sports Science at the same university and the title of Distinguished Talent by the Iranian National Organization of Educational Testing in 2018.
Since September 2021, right after her graduation, she has been working as a Corrective Exercises Specialist at Tan-Asa Rehab and Corrective Movements Institute in Shiraz, Iran. During her Master's education, she also worked as a Teacher Assistant and a part-time Aquatic Therapist in various swimming clubs. In addition to her academic and career endeavours and success, she has been also a national competitive swimmer with more than 80 provincial and national championship medals. Currently, she’s joining Dr. Dilson Rassier’s lab for working on sarcomere dynamics and force generation in myofibrils.
Contact: maryam.owrangi [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Master's Student
Murat Madan graduated from the Marmara University, Istanbul with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Sports Teaching as well as a master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Psychology. He worked as a research assistant between 2017 and 2021 at a university in Istanbul. As one of the International Olympic Committee Young Leaders, he launched several sports projects, namely BMX and skateboarding, for children to teach them the Olympic Values.
Contact: murat.madan [at] mail.mcgill.ca