Carleton University’s Madiha Khan, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biology, has been awarded the L’Oreal France-Canada Research Fund (FCRF) Award for mentorship worth $5,000. Khan is researching fruit development in model plant Arabidopsis thaliana that can be applied towards improving pod shatter resistance in oilseed crops as part of a France-Canada collaboration with Veronique Pautot at the Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin in France.
“Madiha is a role model for young women in science,” said Shelley Hepworth. “Not only is she an excellent scientist, she embodies the experience of young immigrant women coming to Canada. Madiha was 12 years of age when her parents moved to Canada from Pakistan to give their three girls better opportunities for education. Cultural differences made it initially difficult for Madiha to fit in but she soon integrated. She advises others to not set limits for themselves and to never be afraid of taking new opportunities.”
Khan works part time as a postdoctoral research fellow and is teaching biotechnology. Her research expertise is in the area of molecular biology, plant development and genetics.
Khan has been a mentor to many undergraduate students and junior graduate students in her lab, but she has been especially effective in mentoring students who are newcomers to Canada, including those from Ethiopia, Jordan, China, Korea and India. A female scholarship student from Zambia is currently working with her. Khan has also worked with intermediate and middle school students as a volunteer for Let’s Talk Science, a student outreach organization that sends graduate students to local schools to promote science awareness.
Congratulations Madiha!