Faculty, staff, students, and members of the community gathered on Tuesday, March 18 to celebrate the launch of UWinnipeg’s first ever doctoral program – the PhD in Bioscience and Policy.
Two students who plan to take the brand-new program spoke at the event. Hailey Langford (BSc 22) and Simon DePasquale (BSc 23) will be among the first students to start work on their PhDs at UWinnipeg in September of this year.
I am really excited about this PhD program because I get to continue research that I’m really passionate about.
Hailey Langford
“I don’t really think I realized how my experience here at UWinnipeg would shape my future,” said Langford. “With the mentorship and collaborative environment that this university fosters, along with the interdisciplinary component of this program, I know that I’m in the right place to really make a difference and to grow as a researcher and overall as a person.”
For her PhD, Langford will build on her Master of Science degree working on crucial diagnostic research for early detection of colorectal cancer.
“I am really excited about this PhD program because I get to continue research that I’m really passionate about,” she said. “The most motivating factor for me is interacting with patients – sharing my research with patients and the public. This really reminds me why I chose this path and motivates me to push forward.”
Learn more about Langford’s research in the video below.
DePasquale completed his BSc Honours in Biology at UWinnipeg in Spring 2023 and is currently finishing his MSc in Integrative Biology at Wilfrid Laurier University.
“Having just gone through my master’s program, working with a couple of PhD students, I know how important a PhD program is to a lab culture,” he said. “A PhD student is someone that master’s students and undergrads can go to and look for expertise.”
DePasquale has been studying marine movements, spawning habitats, and population genetics of Arctic fish in collaboration with Inuit researchers from the Kuglugtuk Hunters and Trappers Organization. He said he is looking forward to applying his skills to a PhD back at UWinnipeg.
“I’m super excited to come back here and work on Lake Winnipeg using acoustic telemetry, which is a technique that I learned throughout my master’s,” he said. “When I found out about this program it was a no-brainer for me to come back. I have been really successful at this university. It’s been a great place for me as a researcher and personally.”
DePasquale’s PhD research will be essential for management and conservation of commercially and recreationally important fish populations, worth tens of millions of dollars annually to the provincial economy.
Dr. Craig Willis, Chair of the new program, introduced the students and shared how the new PhD builds on existing strengths at UWinnipeg. “We already have students who have done amazing research that has made the world better,” he said. “They’ve gone on to terrific careers and continue to have a positive impact. Part of this is our focus on helping students understand the policy implications of their work so they can leverage results to benefit society.”
Simon DePasquale (L) and Hailey Langford (R) will begin the PhD program in September, 2025.
Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Kyle Devine, highlighted how the program will fill a unique need for publicly engaged scholars and researchers in STEM fields.
“From their research projects, students are going to mobilize bioscience discoveries to address big social issues, like climate change, sustainability, biomedicine, and human health,” he said. “This PhD program is going to ripple out into our international community for sure. But, it’s going to have its largest impact right here in Manitoba, where we have a vibrant, growing bioscience industry with more than 700 companies and organizations that generate approximately ten billion dollars in total revenue every year for Manitoba’s GDP.”
“I’m thrilled to see what these students are going to accomplish in this new PhD program, and to watch how our province and the wider world are really improved as a result of this program and its wonderful research.”
