University of Victoria (UVic) microbiology graduate Shaeleen (Shae) Mihalynuk is bound for England, having been named as the province's Rhodes Scholar for 2025. Mihalynuk is one of 11 young Canadians, and the only one in BC, chosen for the prestigious scholarship, which provides two fully funded years of post-graduate studies at England's Oxford University.
Mihalynuk joins a list of 13 Rhodes Scholars from UVic and is the third recipient in the last six years.
I think the news is still sinking in. I feel totally honoured and overjoyed to be named a Rhodes Scholar. I owe so much to my support system, and I'm grateful for the people in my life who were able to look at a student who was quiet and find skills and potential."
Shaeleen (Shae) Mihalynuk, UVic microbiology alumna and 2025 BC's Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is awarded to young people with proven academic excellence who also show exceptional character, leadership, the energy to use their talents to the full and a commitment to solving humanity's challenges.
Mihalynuk meets the criteria. At UVic, she has become involved in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, working as part of the PeptAID project to develop alternatives to antibiotics for poultry diseases. The antibiotic alternatives use naturally occurring proteins, called antimicrobial peptides, that are produced by a number of species to fight microbial infections. She has had the unique experience of working on both the chemistry and microbiology side of the project, first working in Fraser Hof's medicinal chemistry lab to optimize, synthesize and assess the stability of different antimicrobial peptides, before moving to Caren Helbing's biochemistry lab to test how the antimicrobial peptides impact the immune system.
Shaeleen (Shae) Mihalynuk. Credit: UVic Photo Services
Mihalynuk has also dipped a toe into the biotechnology world after coming up with an idea for a new point-of-care medical diagnostic device. Her experience working on her idea, as well as co-op terms spent supporting entrepreneurs with UVic's Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technology (CAMTEC), UVic and Vancouver Island Life Sciences' BioInnovation Hub and the Coast Capital Innovation Centre, opened her eyes to the challenges that students face in getting an idea off the ground. She then used her experience to advocate for entrepreneurial co-op options that would provide science students with much-needed knowledge and support.
Shae has a remarkable knack for enriching the experiences of those around her. It is rare to find someone who, while demanding so much of herself, has the empathy and capacity to raise others up from wherever they happen to be. I am thrilled that Shae has been selected as a Rhodes Scholar and am excited to see what amazing accomplishments she will make in the future."
Caren Helbing, UVic biochemistry professor and Mihalynuk's honours supervisor
Mihalynuk demonstrates leadership outside of her studies as well. A long-time dancer with the Veselka Ukrainian Dance Association, she has helped create a semi-professional dance troupe, taught ballet classes for youth and Ukrainian dance classes for seniors, and served on the Association's board. Since the onset of the full-scale invasion in Ukraine, she has participated in benefit concerts, helped coordinate fundraising campaigns for grassroots organizations, and volunteered to teach English to Ukrainian newcomers.
Mihalynuk will head to Oxford in fall 2025, and is interested in studying global health, genomic medicine and translational health science.
