Our Team
Our Experts
Meet Our Team
The Team
Lori Burrows, Principal Investigator
Professor Lori Burrows is a microbiologist, Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and international expert on the structure, function, and regulation of type IV pili (T4P). She has published over 120 peer reviewed papers, reviews, and book chapters. She is the Associate Director of McMaster University’s Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Diseases Research and serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Bacteriology (ASM), the Journal of Biochemistry (ASBMB), and ACS Infectious Diseases. Dr. Burrows is the Canadian Research Chair in Microbe-Surface Interactions.
Hanjeong Harvey, Lab Manager
Hanjeong has been the Burrows lab manager since 2006. She holds a MSc degree in Microbiology and is responsible for daily operations of the lab, safety, and training of new lab members. She helps with most of the projects in the lab in addition to working on isolation of type IV pilus-specific bacteriophages as research tools and potential therapeutics for antibiotic resistant bacteria. In 2018 she was awarded the Michael Kamin Hart Staff Award from the Michael G. DeGroote Institute of Infectious Disease Research in recognition of her ongoing commitment to excellence in research, training, and community.
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS AND GRADUATE STUDENTS
Nathan Roberge, Post-doctoral fellow
Nathan joined the Burrows lab in 2022 after completing his MSc in Biochemistry at Queen’s University. He completed his PhD in 2026 at the Burrows lab. His research is focused on characterizing the regulatory components and bacteriophage-encoded inhibitors of the type 4 pilus extension machinery. His research is currently funded by a NSERC CGS-D award. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, painting, and cooking.
Ikram Qaderi, PhD Candidate
Ikram joined the Burrows lab in 2020 as a GlycoNet summer student before beginning his senior thesis in the fall. After completing his BHSc in the BDC program, he continued his research in the lab as an MSc student and transferred to the PhD program in 2023. He previously held an NSERC CGS-M award and his current research is funded by an NSERC doctoral scholarship. Ikram’s work explores how bacteria defend themselves against bacteriophages that use pili as receptors and how these phages have evolved strategies to overcome these defence mechanisms.
