MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
Neuroscience PhD graduate working to unlock the earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's

Inspired by the mysteries of the brain, Zia Hasan turned his curious mind towards exploring neurodegenerative disease.

Zia Hasan will pick up his PhD in neuroscience on Wednesday, May 27, at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre. Photo: Rich Blenkinsopp

Originally from Bangladesh, Mr. Hasan completed his honours and master's degrees in genetic engineering and biotechnology with a focus on plant science.

However, a thought-provoking lecture by a professor led him to consider a completely new research area for his doctoral degree.

"He gave a lecture about Alzheimer's and that intrigued me," he said. "I read a lot of articles and publications and finally I decided to make a move into the field of neuroscience."

He then reached out to researchers around the world to act as a PhD supervisor, but because of his previous research background, he feels many didn't see a fit for him in their labs.

"As I was searching, Dr. Qi Yuan was also looking for a student with a background in genetic engineering and genomics. I reached out to her with a proposal and she was impressed."

Challenging project

He moved to Canada in 2019 and began working with Dr. Yuan on Alzheimer's disease rat models, investigating some of the disease's earliest symptoms.

He says it was a very challenging project with limited available protocols, so he conducted a significant amount of research and built their own methods.

Now, their lab is one of the earliest in Atlantic Canada to establish single-cell DNA/RNA sequencing.

"We are the very first to do it here at Memorial. At the time, I didn't know anything about coding or bioinformatics. My co-supervisor, Dr. Touati Benoukraf, provided support and I was able to learn how to do it. Then I was able to analyze my own data."

'Finding a village'

At Memorial University, Mr. Hasan says he found himself in a place that felt surprisingly familiar.

"Newfoundland is much like my village back home," he said. "It's small and everyone knows each other in my village. There is community here, too. If you go for a walk in the afternoon or go to the Avalon Mall, you meet people you know. That's why I like it here."

He credits Memorial's supportive environment for helping him succeed academically, particularly as an international student.

"When you move to a foreign country, and especially when English is not your mother tongue, you can be shy to speak. But my lab mates are very friendly, and my professors are very supportive."

Mr. Hasan will cross the convocation stage at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre on Wednesday, May 27, to collect his doctoral degree. He will then continue at Memorial as a post-doctoral fellow while he considers his next steps towards his long-term goal of working in academia.

His advice to future graduates?

"This is an AI era, so learn some basic coding. That will save you lots of time. And patience is key."