Network Strategic Lead – Dr. Lauren Mercier
Lauren received her PhD in synthetic chemistry from the University of Calgary in 2011. During her doctoral studies, she was awarded a JSPS-NSERC Summer Program Fellowship and worked at the University of Nagoya, Japan. Lauren then accepted a one year postdoctoral position at the Université Laval studying polymers for solar cells. In 2013, she was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue solar cell research at the University of Ulm, Germany. Growing homesick for Alberta, Lauren settled in Edmonton in 2014 and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta where she synthesized novel value-added products from agricultural wastes.
Working at the BCN as the Network Strategic Lead, Lauren will provide strategic input, develop multidisciplinary collaborations and carry out extension activities to bring value to the Alberta bioeconomy.
Click here to connect with Lauren on LinkedIn and to learn more about her.
Administrative Assistant – Lequyen Jeanne Nguyen
Lequyen recently graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) with a Bachelor of Business Administration as well as a Hospitality Management Diploma. She is equipped with a rounded skill set including office administration, data entry, file management, membership and marketing. Her work experience includes being an Administrative Assistant for RS Line Contracting Ltd., a Brand Ambassador for Brand Momentum and Mosaic Sales Solutions, and an Office Support for the Cerebral Palsy Association.
By joining the BCN, Lequyen hopes to improve her business administration and communication skills through interactions with academia, government and industry. In addition to providing administrative support to the BCN core, she will also be involved in event planning and logistics.
Click here to connect with Lequyen on LinkedIn and to learn more about her.
Departures from the BCN
We would like to thank Kelly Maher and Ali Powers for their dedication and service to the BCN, and to congratulate them on their new appointments at NAIT and BioAlberta, respectively. With over 7 years of combined experience at the BCN, their insight, expertise and dynamism will be missed dearly. However, we are extremely happy that collaborations between the BCN, NAIT, and BioAlberta still give us the opportunity to work with these superb individuals.