Tracy Lynskey, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Vancouver, Canada Area

County Galway, Ireland

•Optimised the surgical extraction of zebrafish heart and skin tissue and processed the tissue for analysis by transmission electron microscopy. Provided in depth analysis of mutant versus wildtype samples using stereology of photomicrographs and statistical analysis of findings using GraphPad Prism•Examined differential gene expression of RNA-seq data (mutant versus wildtype) using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software to obtain novel pathways potentially dysregulated in ARVC•Strengthened my technical writing skills by preparation of a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal•Strengthened my communication skills by presenting my research at the 2019 human biology building seminar series at NUI Galway (invited speaker)

County Galway, Ireland

•Awarded a prestigious Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship from the Irish Research Council to undertake my research (222 scholarships awarded out of 1,051 eligible applicants)•Characterized the sa12692 plakoglobin mutant as a novel zebrafish model of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC); a leading cause of sudden cardiac death for which no effective treatment options exist•Laboratory skills acquired: CRISPR genome editing, TALEN genome editing, molecular cloning, aseptic technique, tissue sectioning, transmission electron microscopy, stereology, zebrafish fin clipping and gDNA extraction, RNA isolation, DNA electrophoresis, qPCR, high resolution melt analysis, 3-RACE, SDS-PAGE, western blotting, whole transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq)•Our facilities had no lab assistants or postdoctoral researchers meaning that I worked independently throughout the project which allowed me to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills e.g. solely responsible for the introduction of CRISPR, 'spiked' HRMA, 3'RACE and RNA-seq to the Grealy Lab•Strengthened my communication skills by presenting at national and international conferences as well as biannual departmental research events (1st prize poster presentation at the international Joint Dutch-German Vascular Biology Meeting 2018 and 2nd prize oral presentation at the NUI Galway, College of Medicine Postgraduate Research Day 2018)•Granted the European Society for Fish Models in Biology and Medicine Fellowship in 2018 for the recognition of promising research•Obtained teaching experience and leadership skills through BSc and MSc student project supervision and by working as a lab demonstrator for four years•Key role in maintenance of the zebrafish animal facility which required exceptional organisational skills

County Galway, Ireland

•For my final year project I investigated the effects of direct microinjection of the cannabinoid1(CB1) receptor agonist ACEA into the lateral periaqueductal grey on formalin-evoked c-Fos expression in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord of Sprague-Dawley and Wistar-Kyoto rats•Techniques acquired: Tissue sectioning, c-Fos immunohistochemistry, DAB staining, microscopy, image analysis, statistical analysis, technical writing and presentation skills

County Galway, Ireland

•Awarded a prestigious Wellcome Trust Vacation Scholarship to conduct research in 3rd year of my undergraduate degree•Investigated the role of DNA methylation in toll-like receptor expression•Techniques acquired: Mammalian cell culture, aseptic technique, RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, qPCR, MTT assays, statistical analysis and report writing•Awarded a bursary from the British Pharmacology Society to present a poster of my work at the ‘Pharmacology 2013’ conference in London in December 2013

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Pharmacology/Biochemistry, (Awarded Phd Following A Successful Viva With No Corrections Required To Thesis)

Characterized a novel zebrafish model of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) under the supervision of Dr Maura Grealy

Bachelor Of Biomedical Science (Bs), Pharmacology, 1.1 (81.48%), Gpa: 4.0

Biomedical Science graduate (majored in Pharmacology). I achieved the highest overall grade in both my degree and major in NUI Galway.