Mar 2019 – Apr 2020
Mitacs Accelerate Intern
Renaissance Bioscience
Development of systematic methods for expanding, screening, and selecting biodiversity in industrially useful yeast strains.
Publications
Peer-reviewed
2025
Chen E, Schmitt J, McIntosh G, Young BP, Lian T, Liu J, Chen KK, Liston JB, MacDonald L, Wang B, Medina Giro S, Boehme B, Das M, , Chao JT, Rogic S, Pavlidis P, Allan DW, Loewen CJR. (2025). Revealing function-altering MECP2 mutations in individuals with autism spectrum disorder using yeast and Drosophila. Genetics. iyaf121.
doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyaf121
doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyaf121
2016
Baig S, , Mohamad J, Mukheem A, Huri HZ, & Kamarul T. (2016). Potential of apoptotic pathway-targeted cancer therapeutic research: Where do we stand? Cell Death & Disease, 7(1), e2058.
doi: 10.1038/cddis.2015.275
doi: 10.1038/cddis.2015.275
2014
Gunaletchumy SP, , Tan MH, Croft LJ, Mitchell HM, Goh KL, Vadivelu J. (2014). Helicobacter pylori Genetic Diversity and Gastro-duodenal Diseases in Malaysia. Scientific Reports, 4(1), 7431.
doi: 10.1038/srep07431
doi: 10.1038/srep07431
Manuscripts in preparation
In prep
, Stephane Flibotte & Christopher Loewen. Sentinel interaction mapping (SIM): Development of a novel complementation-independent variant functionalization platform using yeast–human genetic interaction mapping for TP53. (manuscript writing in progress)
In prep
Mathew Shortill, & Christopher Loewen. Identification of pathways responsive to intracellular pH stress. (manuscript in progress; *SI performed data analysis using linear mixed-effects models)
Fellowships & Awards
May 2020 – Jan 2025
President's Academic Excellence Initiative Ph.D. Award, UBC
1,435 CAD / yr ~1,100 USD / yr
Sept 2017 – Jan 2025
UBC International Student Award
3,200 CAD / yr ~2,300 USD / yr
Sept 2020 – Aug 2024
UBC Four Year Fellowship (4YF)
25,000 CAD / yr ~20,000 USD / yr
May 2024
Mutational Scanning Symposium 2024 (MSS24) Travel Award
500 USD
May 2024
Genome Science and Technology Travel Award
1,500 CAD ~1,100 USD
Sept 2019 – Aug 2020
UBC One Year Fellowship (1YF)
9,690 CAD ~7,100 USD
Sept 2017 – Aug 2019
GSAT Rotation Scholarship Award
16,625 CAD ~12,100 USD
Dec 2014
NGS Application Workshop Travel Grant, Perdana University — European Commission & TEIN4 (selected from 20 beneficiary countries)
Jul 2013
Introductory Bioinformatics Workshop Award, Perdana University & Malaysia Genome Institute
~600 USD
Research Experience
Sept 2017 – Feb 2018
GSAT Rotation Scholar
University of British Columbia
- Morrin Lab, Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre / BC Cancer Agency — global quantitative mass-spec to identify CDK12 regulation roles in cancers.
- Loewen Lab, Life Sciences Institute — novel yeast genetic interaction mapping approach for human disease genes (TP53, BRCA1, PI3K).
- Kastrup Lab, Michael Smith Laboratories — blood coagulation factor XII and hemostasis in wound-soil activation.
- Perrin Lab, Dept. of Chemistry — RNA-cleaving DNAzymes / DNA aptamers.
- Hieter Lab, Michael Smith Laboratories — humanization of yeast to study chromosome instability (CIN) genes.
Dec 2014 – Jun 2017
Research Technician
Tissue Engineering & Stem Cell Research Group, University of Malaya · Kuala Lumpur
Supervisor: Dr. Balaji Ragavendra
- Uni-axial cyclic stretching: mechanotransduction effects on integrin function in mesenchymal stem cells (ECM, apoptosis, ROS, differentiation, proliferation).
- Apoptosis protein array profiling of Hepatitis C patients.
- Cytokine array profiling assessing exercise effects in Wistar Kyoto vs Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats.
Dec 2012 – Dec 2014
Research Assistant — H. pylori Bacteriophage Project
Marshall Centre, University of Malaya · Kuala Lumpur
In collaboration with 2005 Nobel Laureate Barry J. Marshall · Group leader: Dr. Jamuna Vadivelu · Supervisor: Dr. Loke Mun Fai
- Discovered a hypothetical, conserved ORF present in the majority of global H. pylori isolates (absent in some African isolates), consistent with an out-of-Africa acquisition model.
- Phyre modelling and VAST alignment of ORF matched a human checkpoint protein.
- Identified assembly and post-processing errors in 20+ Malaysian clinical H. pylori sequences; oversaw QC for Illumina HiSeq re-assembly and PacBio SMRT methylation data retrieval.
- Remapped sequencing contigs using an improved reference genome for ethnically diverse Malaysian isolates — adopted by all lab members for the bacteriophage project.
Computing & Bioinformatics
Coding experience since 1996; bioinformatics and NGS background from graduate and early-career research.
Languages
R (advanced — Shiny, packages), Python (familiar), PHP (basic)
DMA Shiny App
Reactive R Shiny tool for yeast strain coordinates, mutant info, and gene function lookup for the Loewen Lab Deletion Mutant Array.
View app ↗2D / 3D Phenotype Visualizer
Visualization tool for screening LOF variant or yeast mutant phenotypes on 96/384-well plates with time-series growth data; z-axis extensible.
View project ↗NGS & Genomics
Illumina HiSeq assembly QC, PacBio SMRT methylation, contig remapping, variant functionalization pipelines, linear mixed-effects modelling.
Conferences & Proceedings
Seevasant Indran, Stephane Flibotte & Christopher Loewen — Sentinel Interaction Mapping (SIM): TP53
PosterMutational Scanning Symposium 2024 (MSS24), Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT, Boston MA — May 22–24, 2024
PosterLife Science Symposium, Life Sciences Institute (LSI), Canada — Mar 22, 2024
PosterThe Allied Genetics Conference 2024 (TAGC24), Gaylord National Resort, DC — Mar 6–10, 2024
Attendee12th BIG Research Symposium (BIG23), LSI, Vancouver — Mar 28, 2023
Attendee11th BIG Research Symposium (BIG22), Vancouver — Mar 23, 2022
TalkVancouver Yeast Meeting 2021, Virtual — Mar 31, 2021
Seevasant Indran, Barry Young & Christopher Loewen — SIM: Cancer variome functionalization in S. cerevisiae
Attendee10th BIG Research Symposium (BIGX), Virtual — Mar 31, 2021
PosterCPS Research Symposium, LSI, Vancouver — Mar 27, 2020
TalkVancouver Yeast Meeting, LSI, Vancouver — Feb 26, 2020
Attendee9th BIG Research Symposium (BIG19), UBC Nest — Mar 14, 2019
Attendee8th BIG Research Symposium (BIG18), UBC Nest — Mar 9, 2018
Conference Proceedings
Proc.Vale FF, Vadivelu J, Indran S, Megraud F, & Lehours P. "Where Did the Helicobacter pylori Prophages Come From?" Helicobacter Vol. 19, p.77. WILEY-BLACKWELL, Sept 2014.
Proc.Kumar N, Vadivelu J, Ahmed N, …, Indran S, et al. "Comparative Genomic Analysis of Helicobacter pylori Identifies Three Distinct Lineages." Helicobacter Vol. 19, p.92. WILEY-BLACKWELL, Sept 2014.
Education
Mar 2018 – May 2025
Ph.D. in Genome Science and Technology
University of British Columbia · Vancouver, Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Christopher Loewen · Dept. of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Thesis: Sentinel interaction mapping (SIM): Development of a novel complementation-independent variant functionalization platform using yeast–human genetic interaction mapping for TP53
Aug 2010 – Dec 2012
B.Sc. Biotechnology (Food Science Minor)
Swinburne University of Technology · Melbourne, Australia
Memberships & Service
Jun 2023 – Present
Atlas of Variant Effects Alliance
Mar 2021 – Mar 2022
Genetics Society of America
Sept 2021 – Apr 2022
Teaching Assistant — CAPS 401 (Cellular, Anatomical & Physiological Sciences), UBC — Marking & Tutoring
Sept 2020 – Apr 2021
Teaching Assistant — CAPS 401 (Online), UBC — Marking & Tutoring
Jun 2019 – Sept 2019
Undergraduate Student Project Supervisor — Variant assay development for SYNGAP1