Here is the profile of the 2023 recipient of our postdoctoral scholarship competition, Pauline Adjibade. This scholarship is made possible thanks to the Fonds de cancérologie from Fondation de l’Université Laval.
Pauline Adjibade has been passionate about science since a young age. After studying in preparatory classes for top engineering schools in physics and chemistry, she earned a degree in biotechnology from the Higher School of Biotechnology in Strasbourg (ESBS) in France. Her passion for research led her to undertake research internships in laboratories in different countries, including a stint at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, before moving to Quebec to further her education. Pauline completed a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology in the laboratory of Prof. Rachid Mazroui at Université Laval, during which she gained solid expertise in the regulation of RNA translation and stress granules in the context of chemoresistance, resulting in numerous impactful scientific contributions.
Pauline is also the author of numerous scientific communications at national and international conferences, where she has received presentation awards. During her Ph.D., she received several research scholarships for her academic excellence, including a research excellence scholarship in oncology (awarded by the Fonds de cancérologie de l’Université Laval) and the Louis-Poirier Ph.D. scholarship (awarded by the CHU de Québec Foundation). Her thesis earned her a place on the honor roll of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Université Laval for the quality of her work.
Armed with her extensive doctoral training in the RNA field and a specific interest in the emerging field of epitranscriptomics in chemoresistance, she conducted her first postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Imed Gallouzi at McGill University before continuing her work in Prof. Mazroui's laboratory at the CRC following the relocation of Dr. Gallouzi's laboratory to Saudi Arabia. She hopes that her research will lead to the identification of new mechanisms for regulating RNA expression through modifications, which could be targeted to reduce chemoresistance.
Pauline is actively involved in collaborations to share her knowledge with other research teams and to develop new expertise. Throughout her academic training, she was involved in student life as a student member of the cellular and molecular biology program committee at Laval University and as a site representative for the student committee cancer consortium. Additionally, she participated in several outreach events to promote science to the public. She is a member of the visibility committee of the RNA Canada consortium, which aims to build and support the Canadian RNA research community, promote its work, and develop information materials to make it understandable to the public. When not in the laboratory, Pauline enjoys spending her free time drawing, cross-stitching, or exploring the city. Approaching the end of her postdoctoral research, Pauline is preparing for the next step in her career, undoubtedly in fundamental research, to continue sharing her expertise acquired during her training and advancing our knowledge in oncology.