Grad Spotlight - Qirat Ashraf

Name: Qirat Ashraf

MSc or PhD Candidate: PhD Candidate

Location of Undergraduate Education: HBSc., University of Toronto Mississauga

Name of the Lab at CPS: Gunning Group

Selected Awards: CPS Teaching Fellowship (2022, 2026), Special Travel Opportunity Fellowship (2022)

Selected Research Contributions: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4162-7278 

Qirat, please tell us about yourself and your journey as a PhD Candidate!

How did you come to UTM? What interested you to join a lab here?

During my second year of undergraduate studies at UTM, I overheard my peers talking about volunteering in research labs and participating in ROPs, and I thought it seemed interesting. I applied to an ROP in my second year but did not get a position. I reapplied in my third year and was accepted into the Gradinaru lab. During my third year, I also volunteered in the Gunning group, where I got a taste of medicinal chemistry and biophysics. Originally, I was about to join a lab at Western University, but I became interested in the projects in the Gunning group, so I joined the Gunning group.

When did you realize that you wanted to pursue graduate study?

During my time volunteering in the Gunning group and completing my ROP in the Gradinaru lab, I realized that working in a lab was like solving a complex puzzle, which made me enjoy the work I was doing in both labs. As a result, I decided to pursue graduate studies.

What are your research interests? Tell us few exciting things about your research.

I am interested in understanding how perturbations in protein structure influence protein behaviour and disease phenotypes. In particular, I am interested in developing potential therapeutics for hard-to-treat diseases. 

My research focuses on investigating how mutations within the SH2 domain of the transcription factor STAT5B alter its structure and function. STAT5B plays an important role in T-cell blood cancers and understanding how these mutations affect its behaviour may help guide the development of therapeutics that target transcription factors, a class of proteins often considered undruggable.

What is your goal when you finish your degree?

I enjoy learning, so I will likely pursue a postdoctoral fellowship where I can learn new tools to study protein behaviour and phenotypic effects. After that, I will most likely pursue a position in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.

What are some of your achievements you'd like to share?

I have given three oral presentations at conferences (Drug Discovery Chemistry, CSC, and Pacifichem), which I consider a significant achievement. I have also had the opportunity to collaborate with clinicians, industry scientists, and academics, and I have published in multiple journals.

Do you have any advice for students considering to pursue graduate studies in research?

You’ve probably heard this a million times but be proactive. Figure out which labs interest you and then start emailing those labs. People get busy and can be forgetful, so always send follow-up emails when asking about volunteer, ROP, or thesis positions. Take any opportunity you get to work in a lab, even if you are in charge of mundane tasks. You will be exposed to the research environment, and you can learn a lot by shadowing graduate students. Also, when applying for graduate studies, make sure to consider the lab environment - how people interact with one another and the availability of the principal investigator. All of these factors matter, as they can greatly influence the quality of your graduate experience.

(https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/cps/news/cps-grad-spotlight-qirat-ashraf)