Hi! My name is Valerie Schagen. I am a master’s student in the Gunawardena Lab.
I started my undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph, where I studied Plant Science, before transferring to Dalhousie University. I graduated from Dalhousie University with my Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2024. After graduating, I volunteered in the Gunawardena lab for several weeks, where I learned to maintain and propagate plant cultures, harvest plant material using sterile tissue culture techniques, media preparation, and autoclave operation. I then worked in the lab as a part-time Research Assistant for about a year, during which time I also oversaw chemical inventory and ordering, was in charge of lab equipment and use, and trained new students. I am also involved in many projects, including Aquatron tank maintenance, lace plant flower induction, callus induction, crude lace plant extraction, DNA extraction, microscopy (light, fluorescence, confocal, and TEM), and more. I continue to build my experience and competence with many of these projects during graduate school. I am currently awaiting my first publication, titled “Characterizing biotic contaminants in the lace plant tissue culture and developing a protocol for mitigation.”

My current research aims to identify the phytochemicals that are involved in regulating lace plant programmed cell death (PCD). Our lab has previously shown that crude lace plant leaf extracts have anti-cancer activity, but the exact compound responsible has not been identified. I am working towards identifying the compounds that are responsible for regulating PCD in lace plant leaves, and determining whether they also have anticancer properties. I will be working closely with the National Research Council Canada (NRC), working with the Natural Products and Analytical Technologies (NPAT) team in Halifax.

Outside of the lab, I am the part-time Administrative Assistant for the Atlantic Science Links Association (ASLA; http://www.atlanticsciencelinks.ca). ASLA is a science promotion organization that offers free resources and events for grade school science students and teachers. I am responsible for coordinating outreach activities, which involves a lot of communication, data organization, and coordination. In April 2025, we launched the Nova Scotia Women in STEM Network, bringing together professionals and post-secondary students in STEM to support and encourage self-identified girls to pursue STEM after high school (www.atlanticsciencelinks.ca/wsmn). Other initiatives include the Conference for Science Teachers (Dal News article), Science Contest for Students, and Speakers Bureau. I also built and launched a new ASLA website (www.atlanticsciencelinks.ca). If you are interested in learning more, or volunteering for ASLA, please contact us at asla@dal.ca!

In my free time, I volunteer at the Museum of Natural History, where I deliver presentations and other public programming to museum visitors, and help host field trips.

I also work as a fashion model. I have had the opportunity to shoot campaigns and walk runways in Toronto, New York City, and Paris. I love working with causes I care about, and I have gotten to partner with recycled fabric brands, local emerging artists, and charities.

Looking to the future, I aim to continue developing my research and science communication skills so I may better serve the community through science and outreach. I would like to continue exploring my interests in botany, molecular biology, phytochemistry, and natural products. I am passionately motivated to conduct and communicate science that contributes to solutions for challenges such as human health and food security.

Valerie Schagen, BSc
Email: valerie.schagen@dal.ca