{"id":76122,"date":"2022-01-20T10:08:24","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T15:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=76122"},"modified":"2022-01-21T13:48:23","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T18:48:23","slug":"grad-student-researchers-receive-196000-in-federal-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2022\/01\/grad-student-researchers-receive-196000-in-federal-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"Grad student researchers receive $196,000 in federal funding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Genetic muscle diseases, attention and memory in the aging process, and the Zika and West Nile viruses are among the topics Brock student researchers will explore thanks to a boost in federal funding.<\/p>\n

Six Brock University graduate students received a total of $196,000 in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).<\/p>\n

Among the recipients is Robert Crozier (BSc \u201919), a PhD student in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences who is examining the effects of naturally occurring chemicals from the rosemary plant on allergic inflammation.<\/p>\n

The NSERC funding will allow Crozier and his team to develop their early-stage discovery research, helping draw attention and pave the path for plant-derived compounds as anti-allergy therapeutics.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllergies are a significant economic and health-care burden, as they can be long-term chronic disorders with a potential to be fatal in the context of anaphylactic reactions,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u201cOur discovery-based research will help open the door and draw attention to these plant-derived compounds as potential anti-allergy therapeutics in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crozier\u2019s supervisor, Adam MacNeil, has worked with him since his undergraduate degree at Brock and speaks highly of his research and character.<\/p>\n

\u201cRob is amongst the most exceptional research talents I have had the pleasure of mentoring,\u201d said MacNeil, an Associate Professor of Health Sciences. \u201cHe is quick to offer his help and is a sought-after collaborator within and beyond my team \u2014 a true pillar of excellence, dedication, teamwork and rigour amongst Brock\u2019s outstanding graduate student body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crozier was introduced to immunology during his third-year class with MacNeil. He was impressed by the professor\u2019s passion and positive influence on students, and his efforts to ensure they enjoyed and understood course content.<\/p>\n

Crozier wants to take his positive experience at Brock and cultivate it wherever his career takes him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope to look for post-doctoral positions after my PhD to continue supporting a positive environment in a research program I run someday,\u201d he says. \u201cExperiencing the positive influence a supervisor can have on an individual is a driving force for me to stay in academia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crozier is just over a year into his graduate journey after fast-tracking his master\u2019s through his outstanding research contributions. This is Crozier\u2019s first graduate NSERC award, adding to two he won during his undergraduate studies at Brock.<\/p>\n

Brock University\u2019s graduate student NSERC award recipients include:<\/strong><\/p>\n