Our 2024 Mentors

Emily Hicks is co-founder and President of FREDsense Technologies where she has worked for the past 9 years. Coupling genetic engineering and electrochemistry, FREDsense creates portable devices that enable anyone, anywhere to measure trace contaminants in water. As a startup founder, Emily has received several awards and recognitions including top 30 under 30 in Canada for Sustainability, the 2018 winner of the She Loves Tech global finals and an Arch award from the University of Calgary for Early Career Achievement.

I recently completed a M.Sc. degree in biochemistry under the co-supervision of Dr. Wieden and Dr. Patel. I studied a translation factor and its interaction with RNA. During my studies I also participated in iGEM, biotech R&D, and completed a biotech internship. I am passionate about using biotechnology to solve global issues.

Robert holds degrees in both Chemistry and Biomedical science, with expertise in synthetic biology, nanoscience, electrochemistry, and biosensor development. During his PhD, Robert received the prestigious Vanier award at the University of Calgary and was selected as one of the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity by Johns Hopkins University. His technical excellence has been recognized with multiple research and innovation awards from academic and private institutions and demonstrated by contributions to over 70 technical presentations, reports, publications, and patents. Robert has developed a diverse range of sensors with applications in military, industrial, O&G, and water treatment sectors and is leading FREDsense’s R&D team.

Sydnee graduated in 2019 with a BSc in Biochemistry (Honours) and an MSc in Biochemistry in 2022, both from the University of Lethbridge. During her MSc, she was also a part of the RNA Innovation program working on a project with Corteva Agriscience and completed an internship at FREDsense. She is a laboratory technician in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Calgary focusing on rare disease diagnostics. She was involved in the iGEM competition from 2015 to 2019 at both the high school and collegiate levels as a student member and advisor, accumulating five special prize nominations, four gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals. She focused on human practices, wet lab, and presentation preparation. Additionally, she was a judge for the 2020, 2022, and 2023 iGEM competitions for the Diagnostic, Software, Environment, and High School tracks.

I did my BSc. and MSc in Technical Biology at the University of Darmstadt, Germany, before working in the field of international Science Policy. I started my PhD in Canada at the University of Lethbridge but relocated to the University of Manitoba at the Department of Microbiology. I participated in iGEM teams in Germany and later supervised the iGEM teams of Lethbridge. Aside of that, I am part of several national and international science associations (Synbio Canada, CSMB, GASB e.V., International DSI Network)

Krishanu is the Founder & CEO at EMeRG – a SaaS-based med-tech research and advisory platform. EMeRG is headquartered in Calgary with operations in India and Singapore. Krishanu is passionate about bringing access to innovative medical technologies around the world. He has been in the med-tech industry for over 16 years and has worked across 40+ countries, helping solve the paradox of “innovation in isolation”.

I hold both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from renowned Iranian universities. Currently I am PhD student at the University of Calgary. During my PhD, I received esteemed scholarships like the Schulich Catalyst Ph.D. Program Scholarship and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) Talent Awards. My commitment to innovation shines through multiple startup weekend victories and the founding of an AI-based startup in Iran, showcasing my entrepreneurial spirit. In my Ph.D. research, I’ve published in ACM SIGSPATIAL and submitted a paper to the Journal of Transportation Research, Part C, highlighting my significant contributions. I’ve authored books, including a novel approach to teaching AI and Machine Learning through storytelling. Beyond academia, I boast over five years of practical experience, notably as a senior data scientist at SNAPP, the Middle East’s largest ride-hailing startup. My role led to a substantial increase in order fulfillment rates through the development of a dynamic surge pricing algorithm. Interning at AltaML in Canada, I contributed significantly to the UFA fuel demand forecasting project, resulting in substantial annual cost savings. Leadership is inherent in my character, evident in my roles as Vice President and Student Representative in the Geomatics Graduate Group (G^3). I’ve also dedicated time to various volunteer experiences, rounding out my holistic approach to personal and professional development.