Meet Shivam (they/them): a nonbinary scientist currently pursuing their PhD at BME. They grew up in Mississauga and come from a diverse background of community health, exercise physiology, and occupational health policy, along with doing their MSc work in epigenetics exploring aging and frailty. They love sharing and teaching folks about science and tech in accessible ways to cultivate health, wellness, and natural curiosity in their communities. When not in the lab or crocheting at home, they like to stay active by adventuring through the city in their bike.
PhD research topic
Shivam studies localized and targeted drug delivery for inflammatory bowel diseases and is developing materials that preferentially adhere to mucosa at inflamed sites over healthy mucosa. They will load their smart responsive delivery devices with different types of drugs to better treat inflammation in the gut with fewer adverse effects.
‘Them fatale’ shirt
Shivam studies localized and targeted drug delivery for inflammatory bowel diseases and is developing materials that preferentially adhere to mucosa at inflamed sites over healthy mucosa. They will load their smart responsive delivery devices with different types of drugs to better treat inflammation in the gut with fewer adverse effects.
Tiger tattoo
The tiger is the national animal of India, making this tattoo one of the few ways my ink connects me to my Punjabi heritage and tells my story as an immigrant. My aunt is also a wildlife photographer and this design was based off a photo of a really serene tiger she had taken on one of her trips to Kerala, something I admired because it contrasts their often aggressive representations.
Beret
I like playing with gender through clothing since fashion dictates our expression in such blatant ways. This beret was also purchased at the Toronto Queer Market held monthly at the 519 and designed by a local queer-trans artist!
Happy hearts tattoo
This was one of the first tattoos I had ever gotten some 6 odd years ago. It remains one of my favourites because it became a consistent fixation for some of my swimmers when I coached special Olympics, and was always a hit with my older clients when I worked as a kinesiologist. As one of my clients put it, “a happy heart to make my heart happy.”