Malak Abu Shakra

Doctoral Student

I grew up in Israel, but I am originally Palestinian. Before starting the Ph.D. program in the field of molecular neuroscience, I earned a Bachelor's degree in psychology from Jordan University. I am fortunate to have undertaken graduate level studies at McGill University, and even more so to have been permitted to join CVL. This has been a tremendously exciting and rich experience for me; being exposed to new cultures and meeting new people is so amazing, and the environment in this lab is giving me the opportunity to grow into a confident, independent thinker. All of the lab members have made me feel at home since day one. My dream is to complete my Ph.D. at McGill and return to Israel to serve my people and community, and to be a role model for others, as an Arab woman with exceptional research skills.

My area of interest involves characterizing the expressional profile of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans as it relates to the development of the visual critical period.