Ryland T. Giebelhaus
About Ryland
I am currently a PhD Candidate in chemistry at the University of Alberta (UofA) in Dr. James Harynuk's group and The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC). I am primarily interested in using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to explore physiology. I am interested in combining bench top analysis with novel computational approaches to better use metabolomics to understand human interactions with our envrionment. Additionally, in April 2021 I was awarded the NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship - Masters (CGS-M), and in April 2023 I was awarded the CIHR CGS-D to support my doctoral work at the University of Alberta. In January 2024 I was awarded a Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement (CGS-MSFSS), which I used to travel to the University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, where I was a visiting scholar in the Analytical Chemistry laboratory headed by Dr. Jan Christensen.
Prior to starting my graduate work at UofA, I completed my undergrad, BSc (Hons.) at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan (UBC-O) campus in 2021. My interest in metabolomics was first sparked during my undergrad while researching in Dr. Susan Murch's plantSMART laboratory. I worked on targeted and untargeted LC-MS-based metabolomics approaches specifically for the analysis of phytohormones. In April 2020 I defended my Honors thesis in Chemistry at UBC-O. While at UBC-O I was awarded two NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) and an Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Undergraduate Research Award (URA). I was also the president of the Chemistry Course Union. During my tenure we hosted the 2019 Western Canadian Undergraduate Chemistry Conference (WCUCC) and received a national accolade from the Canadian Society of Chemistry (CSC).
In my spare time I enjoy hiking, cycling, camping, fishing, skiing, or playing a round of golf.
My goal after I obtain my PhD is to start an independent research career in academia where I can explore my own research interests in metabolomics and mentor early career researchers.