Zoë McManus

Zoë McManus
Home Institute: Western University
Supervisor:  Dr. Brian Cox

Hi! My name is Zoë and I’m a 3rd-year medical biophysics student at the University of Western Ontario. As a number’s person with an interest in medicine, I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of physics and biology. For the past few years, I’ve been involved in a project with Western’s Oncology Physics Lab to construct a ‘lung-on-a-chip’ to study the factors that affect cancer metastasis.  I’m originally from Ottawa, where I grew up with my two sisters and my older brother, Gabriel, who has an autism spectrum disorder. I was inspired by him to get involved in volunteer work with people with developmental disabilities, which is something I have been doing since high school.  Outside of school and volunteer work, you can find me reading, knitting, or baking for my friends. 

Project title: Computational evaluation of maternal biomarkers of preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. 

This summer, I will be working with Dr. Brian Cox on a project analyzing the relationship between biomarkers of maternal serum and pregnancy outcomes like preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. I’m looking forward to improving my skills in data analysis and modelling over the course of the project, in addition to improving my understanding of the factors that impact maternal health. 

I was drawn to the Amgen program as an opportunity to branch out into an area of research that is new to me. I’m looking forward to exploring a different segment of the world of biomedical research and developing new skills along the way. I hope that this experience will help me make a more informed decision about my future in research.