USask College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

The College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is proud to present the 2025-26 Clement Employee Service Award to Mandy Wonsiak from the College of Engineering.

As a graduate assistant in the College of Engineering’s Graduate Commons, Wonsiak works with students on each step of their academic journey. From reaching out with questions about the application process to graduating at convocation, Wonsiak brings clarity, patience, and friendliness to every interaction.

Congratulations, Mandy, and thank you for your commitment to graduate students at USask.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/BIt2E72

USask Engineering

The College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is proud to congratulate four individuals who represented USask at the Falling Walls Lab Edmonton Finals last night at the University of Alberta.

Falling Walls Lab Edmonton is an opportunity for students and early-career professionals to pitch innovative research that has the potential for major impact.

Congratulations Haonan Tian (USask Alum), Mengying Liu (Postdoctoral Scholar), Nickson Joseph (PhD Student), and Arash Amanlou (PhD Student)!

Congratulations! Mehdi Khalaj and Katie Tolley are the recipients of the 2026-27 Lieutenant Governor Scholarship awards.

These prestigious scholarships help ensure the next generation of leaders have the tools to turn innovative ideas into real world impact.

"Congratulations to this year's remarkable recipients on earning their scholarships through original thinking and groundbreaking research," Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre said.

Read more: https://www.facebook.com/534742888652518/posts/1601733978620065

: Last month, the USask College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies hosted the university's annual 3MT competition, where graduate students put their communication skills to the test by explaining their research in under three minutes — making complex science accessible to everyone.

One of the competitors was graduate student Laura Kellerer from the Department of Veterinary Microbiology. Her presentation explored how a viral protein called ICP4 acts like a “key” that unlocks herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‑1), giving it access to its DNA so it can replicate.

By studying how this protein works, researchers hope to stop it from multiplying, a promising step toward a real cure for the challenging virus.

Watch Laura's talk: https://ow.ly/tsJz50YXLV7

Check out all the 3MT participants and winners here: https://ow.ly/5gOJ50YXJxq

Congratulations, Laura! 🎉

Congratulations to Cassidy Waldrep, who competed at the Western Regional Three Minute Thesis Finals this week. Thank you for representing USask!

Thank you to the University of Regina for hosting an outstanding competition and supporting excellence in research communication.

CGPS' Associate Dean is helping to lead the charge in beef cattle research in Saskatchewan.

Dr. Jaswant Singh (DVM, PhD), researcher at USask’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine, has spent his career researching the reproductive management of cattle and working on new methods to help farmers increase the number of healthy herd members.

Learn more: https://buff.ly/XplAVLf

Last week, CGPS hosted the annual InterD Symposium, featuring presentations from InterD graduate research teams, as well as several awards.

Congratulations to the students, supervisors, and advisors recognized at the event!

InterD Supervisor Awards:
- Lori Bradford (PhD) Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier 2 in Social and Cultural Decision Making in Engineering Design, Ron and Jane Graham School of Professional Development
- Cynthia R. Wallace (PhD) Associate Professor of English, Director of the Irene and Doug Schmeiser Centre for Faith, Reason, Peace, and Justice

InterD Advisor Awards:
- Simonne Horwitz, Associate Professor of History, College of Arts and Science, USask
- Ibironke Odumosu-Ayanu (PhD) Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies, College of Law, USask

Join the USask Interdisciplinary Studies community in celebrating graduate student research!

The annual InterD Symposium is being held on April 30, from 11AM to 2PM, in ARTS 256.

The USask community is invited to enjoy refreshments, presentations, and more. For more information, visit: https://buff.ly/yxhZL8b

Congratulations to all twelve finalists at the USask 3MT Finals.

Each competitor delivered an exceptional presentation, demonstrating the breadth, creativity, and impact of graduate research across the university. Thank you for sharing your work so clearly and confidently with our community.

We are pleased to congratulate the 2026 Three Minute Thesis award recipients:

First Place:
Cassidy Waldrep, Biology

Second Place:
Ela Caragao, Biological Engineering

Third Place:
Nickson Joseph, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology

People’s Choice Award:
Domenica Medina Sanchez, Animal and Poultry Science

Thank you to everyone who attended, supported, and voted. We look forward to celebrating graduate student research again next year.

College of Arts and Science - University of Saskatchewan
College of Medicine - University of Saskatchewan