POSITIONS

University of Toronto

Assistant Professor, 02/2022-present

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences 

Institute of Biomedical Engineering (cross-appointed)

Faculty Member, PRiME - Precision Medicine initiative

Faculty Member, Emerging & Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC)

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre - UHN

Affiliate Scientist, 01/2023-present 

EDUCATION

2022, Postdoc, Chemical Engineering, MIT, Bob Langer & Daniel Anderson labs

2019, Ph.D., Bioengineering, University of Washington-Seattle, Shaoyi Jiang lab

SELECTED AWARDS AND HONORS

2022 Canada Research Chair in RNA Vaccines & Therapeutics (Tier 2), CIHR

2022 Gairdner Early Career Investigator Award (selected by Pieter Cullis, Drew Weissman, Katalin Karikó)

2022 Emerging Investigator Award, Journal of Materials Chemistry B

2022 J. P. Bickell Foundation Medical Research Award

2022 Emerging Voice in Drug Delivery, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews

2022 Connaught New Researcher Award

2022 New Initiative and Innovation Award, University of Toronto

2021 BMES Career Development Award                                                                        

2019 Baxter Young Investigator Award                                               

2019 Schmidt Science Fellowship, Finalist                                                                               

2019 College of Engineering Student Award for Outstanding Research

2019 Bioengineering Departmental Award for Excellence in Research and Translation

2018 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad 

2017 RSC Soft Matter Award                                                                                                

2017 Graduate School Fund for Excellence and Innovation

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

2022-present Canada Graduate Scholarships-Doctoral (CGS D​) Program Review Committee, CIHR

2022-present Scientific Advisory Board, mRNA-Based Therapeutics Searchlight Network

2022-present Associate Editor, Journal of Gene Medicine

2021-present Editorial Board, Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology

Andrew Varley enjoys exploring all areas of science and engineering. He began his studies in engineering and physics before a passion for biotechnology and life sciences. He earned a Master’s degree in microbial biochemistry and completed his PhD studies on biochemical and chemical biological studies of gene silencing (siRNA) mechanisms in the Desaulniers lab at Ontario Tech University. Andrew is a passionate teacher, having taught or tutored academics or music since the age of 15. He enjoys spending his free time playing the piano or guitar, snowboarding, riding his motorcycle, socializing with friends, or simply playing some videogames.

Yue Xu received his Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering at China Pharmaceutical University. His research interests focus on Medicinal Chemistry and Biomedical Imaging. He has published first-author papers in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Journal of Advanced Research, Small, and ACS Sensors. In the Li lab, Yue is working on the de novo design of LNPs for RNA delivery.  

I am interested in engineering novel RNA molecular therapies using synthetic biology. I completed my BSc in biological sciences at the University of Alberta and my MSc in molecular genetics at the University of Toronto. My diverse research experiences include DNA poxvirus genetics, neuropsychology data acquisition, high-throughput DNA multiplexing technologies, and microfluidic device design and fabrication. In my free time, I enjoy cooking for my family, improving my fitness level, playing video games, and exploring the great outdoors. 

I'm very passionate about research and enjoy learning new things, especially in the field of novel therapeutic solutions. I earned my HBSc at the University of Toronto with a specialization in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and a minor in Immunology. My research experience includes studying the role of the immune system in mediating idiosyncratic drug reactions in the Uetrecht Lab and working on the development of electrochemical biosensors in the Kelley Lab. In my free time, I'm a tech enthusiast and hobby artist who loves to play video games, watch documentaries, and read a good book.

I recently earned my BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where I developed an interest in pursuing further research in nanomedicine. My undergraduate research experiences focused on developing plasmonic nanoparticles for biomedical applications and optimizing new methods of measuring the surface energy of micro- and nanoparticles. I also gained industry experience at Precision Nanosystems working on customized GMP systems for manufacturing RNA therapeutics and optimizing lipid nanoparticle formulations for mRNA vaccines. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, drawing, spending time at my cottage, and learning how to bake new desserts.

Alex is passionate about the targeted delivery of drugs using nanomedicine. He understands that when one’s health falters, it can be extremely debilitating and all-consuming. Thus, he hopes to pave the way for more effective disease treatments with his research. Alex recently graduated with a BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo, primarily working on synthesizing and testing new polymer formulations for thermoplastic applications during his co-ops. He was also a nuclear engineering consultant at NPX. In his free time, Alex loves going to the gym, hiking, watching sports, and listening to psychology podcasts. 

Shufen Xu is an M.D. student in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Her research interests focus on IncRNA, cancer Immunotherapy, cell biology, and tumor angiogenesis.