Step student making a difference in cancer research

Dr. Ahmadi using team building skills to develop important biotechnology devices

After completing his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Tehran, then working at a car manufacturing company, the loss of a close family member to cancer changed his goals for the future. He set his sights on biotechnology at the University of British Columbia. Ahmadi initially thought this meant a career destined for academia, but since attending eight Mitacs Step workshops he says “My eyes were opened to the opportunities outside of academia and I started to think about my career differently.”

When asked what the impact of the Step workshops has been on his working life, he cannot stop singing praise. He speaks with enthusiasm about the workshops which he took on project management, team-building and professional networking, saying that they helped him to learn more about Canadian business culture and how to communicate in ways that help any team or project regardless of the setting.

Having learned about the Relationship Awareness Theory through Mitacs Step, Dr. Ahmadi used it as a framework for building a strong and appreciative team culture within the Microsystems and Nanotechnology group at UBC. By understanding how to best leverage each persons’ strengths, the team members learned to support one another in order to achieve their team’s goals. Together, the team is inching closer to developing an electrical device which can grow living cells into tissues to aid cancer therapies and pharmaceutical discoveries.

 Ahmadi urges other graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to take part in as many Mitacs Step workshops as they can. “It’s an obvious choice,” he says, “at some point PhD graduates have to work outside of academia- Mitacs workshops provide the skills needed for work [in industry].”

Mitacs wishes Dr. Ahmadi and his team the best of luck in their continued research success!

Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia for their support of the STEP workshops in this story. Across Canada, the STEP program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec,  the Government of Saskatchewan and Research Manitoba.

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca

Mitacs Team

Mitacs’s website content is created by people throughout our organization, united in their passion for innovation and eager to share their perspectives with others in the innovation ecosystem. 

More posts by this author Contact Me