Dr. Shaiya Robinson is proud to call McMaster home. In 2017, she completed her Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology in the Department of Biology. Her doctoral thesis was centered around a protein called Kaiso and the role it played during differentiation processes in healthy and diseased intestinal tissues. After her Ph.D., she pursued her postdoctoral fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children, where she studied how probiotics influence intestinal epithelial differentiation.
In addition to her enthusiasm about gut biology, Dr. Robinson is equally as passionate about community and equity. Indeed, Dr. Robinson has participated in initiatives including McMaster’s Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) committee, McMaster Children and Youth University (MCYU), Manulife Kids’ Science and Lotus STEMM. The common theme among her various community roles has been to encourage female-identifying and visible minority groups to pursue and remain in STEM fields by exposing them to the wonders of science!
Dr. Robinson’s motivation to pursue teaching as a career was inspired by her own undergraduate experiences. Wanting to become the type of professor she wished she had during undergrad, Dr. Robinson began her teaching journey first as a sessional instructor at McMaster University. Now an assistant professor, Dr. Robinson is currently with the School of Interdisciplinary Science, where she has taught courses in genetics and neuroscience.
