Phillips Lab Team

Kelly Larkin-Kaiser, PhD

Dr. Kelly Larkin-Kaiser is currently a Research Scientist and the RESTORE Network Research Manager. She is an Adjunct Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary. Dr. Larkin-Kaiser holds a PhD from the University of Florida in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology and completed her Postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary in the Faculty of Kinesiology. Her training focused on investigating the functional and phenotypic neuromuscular adaptations that occur in response to injury, aging, and disease in both pre-clinical and clinical models. Dr. Larkin-Kaiser continues to be passionate about research endeavors centred around studying and implementing novel neurorehabilitation technology that ultimately improves patient care.

Lindsay Holt, BSc

Lindsay is the Clinical Research Coordinator for the RESTORE Network. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Neuroscience from the University of Lethbridge, where she has worked extensively in varied research departments including Health Sciences, Neuroscience, and Psychology. Since relocating to Calgary, Lindsay has had further experience working in clinical research at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She is elated to join the Spinal Cord Injury team and Phillips Lab as she continues to pursue her passions in clinical research surrounding the nervous systems and neurological health concerns.

Gregor Kuntze, PhD

Gregor is a Research Associate with the RESTORE Network and the Phillips Lab. He received his PhD in Biomechanics and Physiology from Loughborough University in England. Since joining the University of Calgary, his research has focused on the biomechanical consequences of joint injury, joint pathology, and neuromotor impairment in both paediatric and adult populations. He is passionate about biomechanics and data science to reveal clinically meaningful insights and positively influence the lives of youth and adults affected by injury and disability.

Marcus Tso, MSc

Marcus is currently a Research Assistant at the RESTORE Network. He completed his Bachelor of Health Sciences degree at the University of Calgary with a research thesis investigating physiological changes during skin inflammation with a focus on the lymphatics system. Marcus completed a Master of Science Degree at the University of Calgary under Dr. Aaron Phillips' supervision. His graduate thesis focused on the closed-loop electrical and optogenetic stimulation of spinal cord neurons in order to modulate blood pressure. Marcus is now working with the Phillips Lab to support multiple ongoing projects at the RESTORE Network. He is driven to pursue a career in medicine and is passionate in working in a multidisciplinary team on biomedical technology that could one day change the way patients are managed.

Jordan Squair, PhD, MD Student

Jordan is a translational neurophysiologist with specific interest in understanding sympathetic-cardiovascular control. He has gained experience and training using both preclinical and clinical models of research to translate his findings directly into the human reality. Jordan also deploys a number of computational approaches to better understand data and harness large data-sets. Recipient of the Banting Fellowship, Killam Fellowship, and Alberta Innovates Fellowship.

Anthony Incognito, PhD

Anthony is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Calgary with Dr. Aaron Phillips. Prior to joining the Phillips Lab, he completed his PhD at the University of Guelph and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Calgary with Dr. Richard Wilson and Dr. Keith Sharkey. His research focuses on understanding how the baroreflexes and chemoreflexes work to maintain blood pressure and blood chemical status within optimal levels, and how these reflexes can become impaired in disease states. The end goal is to develop new clinical therapies aimed at restoring autonomic reflex function in hopes to improve functional outcomes and quality of life in affected patients. Recipient of Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Jordan Lee, PhD

Jordan completed his PhD at the University of Guelph, studying how the sympathetic nervous system regulates cardiovascular function during exercise in humans. His research in the Phillips lab will use preclinical animal models to investigate whether spinal cord stimulation can cause neuroplasticity and repair of sympathetic neurocircuitry controlling blood pressure following spinal cord injury. In the clinical setting, Jordan will also investigate whether long-term spinal cord stimulation can restore sympathetic control of blood pressure in people with spinal cord injury.
Recipient of Libin Fellowship and Brain Create Fellowship

Elaine Soriano, BSc

Elaine's immediate research interest is to develop neurotechnological solutions for autonomic dysfunction following spinal cord injury. She is currently involved in international collaborative clinical projects taking place in the USA and the UK. In addition to her involvement in clinical studies, Elaine also executes preclinical experiments that involve understanding the mechanisms of epidural stimulation and harnessing this knowledge to develop next-generation neuroprosthetic. HBI BRAIN CREATE Graduate Trainee. Recipient of the Libin Scholarship, Mitacs Globalink and Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship.

Donovan Smith, MSc

Donovan completed his BSc (Hons) in Biomechanics at the University of Calgary in 2019, where his research project helped develop a computer model of rabbit tibiae that could predict failure under mechanical loading. During his BSc, he developed a keen interest in neuroscience, and chose to pursue his MSc in Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Calgary. For his thesis, Donovan examined ipsilesional arm impairments in subacute stroke survivors, quantifying motor impairments and the factors that influenced them. After defending his thesis in January 2022, he started his PhD in Clinical Neuroscience in the Phillips Lab. Donovan is currently involved with both the preclinical and clinical aspects of the lab, with the overarching theme of his work being the restoration of blood pressure stability following spinal cord injury through novel technologies. Recipient of NSERC Brain CREATE - PhD Funding

Julien Rimok, BEng, MSc

Julien is passionate about finding ways to improve the well-being for people with spinal cord injuries. Coming from a background in engineering, neuroscience, and data science, he hopes to combine knowledge from these fields to develop novel technologies, which make use of brain computer interfaces, to help those with spinal cord injuries regain autonomy in their daily lives. Recipient of the Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship

Ryan Miller, MSc

Ryan is a graduate of the Sensorimotor Neuroscience specialization (MSc) from the University of Calgary. In the Sensorimotor Neuroscience Lab, his research focused on how the nervous system adapts to unpredictable environments. Ryan used state of the art robotics technology, augmented reality, electrophysiological and metabolic measuring systems throughout his projects. He is now a doctoral researcher at the Phillips Lab. The goal of Ryan's current work is to develop technologies that restore blood pressure responses and motor function in individuals living with spinal cord injury. Recipient of SCNIP, NSERC, CGS-m, AGES, Kertland Family Doctoral, and NSERC-CREATE Brain Create scholarships, as wel as Biomedical Engineering Excellence Award.

Arjun Shyam, BSc

Prior to pursuing the BME Graduate Program at the University of Calgary, Arjun graduated with a BS degree in Biomedical Engineering from San José State University (SJSU). As part of his undergraduate capstone project, he optimized the design of a paper microfluidic device for the colorimetric assay of serum creatinine. During his senior year at SJSU, he moonlighted as an intern at a medical device startup called Simple HealthKit (SHK). Arjun is eager to collaborate with his peers and mentors at the Phillips Lab and develop disruptive medical devices that enhance the quality of life for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries. Recipient of the HBI Brain CREATE Graduate Award.

Haskirat (Kira) Grewal, BSc, BA

Kira is currently pursuing her Master’s in Neuroscience in the Phillips Lab after having completed her combined degree program (CMMB & Sociology) in the spring of 2021. Her research interests lie in understanding how epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord can control blood pressure. The Phillips Lab has developed a new medical therapy known as the “neuroprosthetic baroreflex” which stabilizes blood pressure in people with spinal cord injury. Kira is part of the clinical trial which is focused on validating the safety, concept, and feasibility of this new device. As an aspiring clinician-scientist, she is excited to start her research journey and gain translational research experience.

Rafael Sanguinetti

Rafael is a fourth year Biomedical Sciences student in the Bachelor of Health Sciences program at the University of Calgary. Rafael joined the Phillips Lab in October 2019 as a volunteer research assistant, and has since gained a strong passion for neuroscience, cardiovascular science, and clinical research. Rafael has undertaken three summer studentship projects with the Phillips Lab and is currently completing his honours thesis. His current research explores how optogenetics can be used to understand blood pressure regulation following a spinal cord injury. Through his time at the Phillips Lab, Rafael has gained extensive research skills and opportunities to participate in multidisciplinary work. Two-time recipient of the O’Brien Centre Summer Studentship Award.

Holly Hnatiuk

Holly is currently a fourth-year Neuroscience student at the University of Calgary. Through her studies, she has gained a passion for neurotechnology and spinal cord injury research, and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to explore these interests in the Phillips Lab. As a summer student, Holly has had the opportunity to assist in preclinical experiments investigating the effects of orthostatic challenge on neuron activation within the spinal cord. Holly is currently completing her undergraduate honors thesis. She has greatly enjoyed working with and learning from the members of the Phillips Lab.

Tyler Lam

Tyler is majoring in Software Engineering with a specialization in Biomedical Engineering. Through his studies, he's been granted the unique opportunity of learning about the interdisciplinary connections between software development and biomedical research, and he looks forward to further pursuing opportunities in these fields in the future. Throughout his time in the Phillips Lab, he's been able to learn about and develop neurovascular coupling data analysis tools using MATLAB and R. Tyler is truly thrilled to have the chance to work on these projects alongside other highly qualified mentors and students in the Phillips Lab.

Omar Hassan

Omar is a first year undergraduate student in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary. His interest in finding treatments for patients facing neurological injuries compelled him to join the Phillips Lab. He strives to further his understanding of cardiovascular physiology, neuroscience, and research methods. In the Phillips Lab this summer, Omar is investigating the autonomic circuits involved in blood pressure control, to help discover treatments for spinal cord injury. Omar is grateful for the opportunity to work with the skilled and dedicated Phillips Lab team.