Dr. Grace Cole

Postdoctoral Fellow 

Karsan Lab

For National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW), we spoke with several Centre for Blood Research (CBR) Postdoctoral Fellows and Research Associates, to highlight their work, celebrate their accomplishments, and share their stories. 

Dr. Grace Cole (they/she) is investigating the process of blood cell formation. In doing so, they hope to discover a method to produce blood cells in the lab for patients that need them. 

Tell me about your research. 

My project involves the regulation of blood cell formation. Blood cells are formed in the arteries during embryonic development, through a process called endothelial to hematopoietic transition. Researching this process can help us understand how we can produce blood cells in the lab setting, which could help us generate new blood cells for patients – say, for those who need a stem cell transplant, but can’t find a suitable donor. 

Many people who struggle to get a donor or stem cell transplant are of mixed ethnicities, or are underrepresented in donor registries. If we can produce a protocol that could generate blood cells for these populations, it would remove a lot of inequities. That’s another reason I’m really passionate about this project. 

What do you love about science? 

I’ve always loved trying to understand how things work, and that’s really what science is all about. More specifically, I love science and health research because I’ve always been interested in healthcare. Combining those two things – understanding of how things work, and health research – will hopefully allow me to contribute knowledge that will help improve people’s lives. 

What sparked your interest in science? 

I’ve always been very good at the sciences, which comes from natural interest – I did well in sciences, maths and technology in school. I did well in biology in particular, and liked understanding how the human body worked. It’s fairly safe to say I was awful at all of the arts subjects, so maybe that helped me pursue what I did in life! 

My first degree was actually in pharmacy, not a hard science, as I was interested in being a healthcare professional. I learned about a very big research program while I was in school, and figured that doing health research is also a really good way to help people. That’s when I went back to pursue a PhD. 

What are your favourite things to do outside of the lab? 

I’m really into fitness and love the outdoors! My main sport is rowing, but I also jog along the seawall, snowshoe, hike, and weightlift. I enjoy reading, and have 2 cats that take up a lot of my free time! 

Tell me about any awards you’ve received or any accomplishments you’re proud of. 

I received a 2021 Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) Research Trainee award, which is my biggest accomplishment and has given me 3 years of funding for my project. 

During my PhD, I was at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, which was funded by Prostate Cancer UK. I also had a postdoc that was funded for a year by the Medical Research Council of Northern Ireland. 

Thank you for speaking with us, Grace! Learn more about National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW), which recognizes the significant contributions that postdoctoral scholars make to research and discovery.