Biography

I am a PhD candidate in the Maurice Lab at McGill University studying the active role of bacteriophages in the infant gut microbiome. To do so, I use a variety of single-cell techniques combined with viral and bacterial metagenomics. I also manage our lab’s HPC-hosted Galaxy server and Nanopore sequencing platform.

As a side project I developed OnePetri, a mobile application which accelerates plaque-counting assays!

Interests

  • Infant gut microbiota
  • Bacteriophage-bacteria interactions
  • Microbial ecology

Education

  • PhD in Microbiology & Immunology, 2026

    McGill University

  • BSc in Microbiology & Immunology (Honours), 2020

    McGill University

Skills

Anaerobic
Microbiology

Flow cytometry & bacterial culturing

Metagenomics

Bacterial & viral metagenomics

Bioinformatics

Development of custom scripts &
HPC deployment

Recent Publications

Michael Shamash, Sinha A, Maurice CF (2024). Improving gut virome comparisons using predicted phage host information. bioRxiv.

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Michael Shamash, Kapoor S, Maurice CF (2024). Optimization of an improved, time-saving, and scalable, protocol for the extraction of DNA from diverse viromes. bioRxiv.

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Pidgeon R, Mitchell S, Michael Shamash, Suleiman L, Dridi L, Maurice CF, Castagner B (2024). The dietary ellagitannin metabolite urolithin A is produced by a molybdenum-dependent dehydroxylase encoded by prevalent human gut Enterocloster spp.. bioRxiv.

PDF DOI

Sinha A, Li Y, Khan Mirzaei M, Michael Shamash, Samadfam R, King IL, Maurice CF (2022). Transplantation of bacteriophages from ulcerative colitis patients shifts the gut bacteriome and exacerbates severity of DSS-colitis. Microbiome.

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Sutcliffe SG, Michael Shamash (2022). Inducing prophages in gut bacteria with common oral medications — Behind the paper. Capsid & Tail.

Project Read

See all publications

Relevant Experience

 
 
 
 
 

Teaching Assistant

McGill University

Sep 2020 – Present
Teaching assistant for undergraduate SEA-PHAGES phage discovery & genome annotation courses (MIMM 390 / MIMM 391)
 
 
 
 
 

Union Representative

Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM)

Sep 2020 – Mar 2022
Union delegate representing teaching assistants employed in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology
 
 
 
 
 

Private Tutor

McGill University

Sep 2018 – Dec 2018
Tutored students in Physical Chemistry (CHEM 203)
 
 
 
 
 

Private Tutor

Marianopolis College

Aug 2016 – Jan 2017
Tutored students in General Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I

Awards

Travel Award

Oxford Nanopore Technologies 2024
For travel to the Viruses of Microbes 2024 meeting in Cairns, Australia

Excellence Award

Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science (QCBS) 2024
For travel to the Viruses of Microbes 2024 meeting in Cairns, Australia

Travel Award

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 2024
Award offered by the Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) for travel to the Viruses of Microbes 2024 meeting in Cairns, Australia

Learner Award for Teaching Innovation

McGill University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences 2023
Issued by the office of the Vice-Dean Education, the goal of these awards is to recognize innovative teaching strategies that are learning- and learner-focused

Excellence Award

Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science (QCBS) 2023
For travel to the 25th Biennial Evergreen International Phage Meeting in Olympia, United States

Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarship to Honor Nelson Mandela (CGS-D)

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 2023 – 2026

DIALOGUE Grant

Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQS/FRQNT/FRQSC) 2023

Gairdner Quebec Science Programs Grant

Gairdner Foundation & FRQS - Fonds de Recherche du Québec: Santé 2023

Doctoral Training Scholarship

FRQS - Fonds de Recherche du Québec: Santé 2022 – 2026

Doctoral Research Scholarship

FRQNT - Fonds de recherche du Québec: Nature et technologies 2022 – 2026

Poster Presentation Award - 1st Place

McGill University, Department of Microbiology & Immunology 2022

Publication Award - Prix Relève étoile Louis-Berlinguet

FRQNT - Fonds de recherche du Québec: Nature et technologies 2021
Publication award for article entitled ‘Phages in the infant gut: a framework for virome development during early life’

IBD Scholarship

AbbVie & Crohn’s and Colitis Canada 2021
Recognizing post-secondary students living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) who demonstrate academic aspiration, community involvement, and strive to sustain an optimal level of wellness.

Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master’s (CGS-M)

NSERC - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 2020 – 2021

Master’s Research Scholarship

FRQNT - Fonds de recherche du Québec: Nature et technologies 2020 – 2022

E.G.D. Murray Prize in Microbiology

McGill University, Faculty of Science 2020
Established by friends, students, and colleagues of the late Professor E.G.D. Murray to perpetuate his name at McGill. Awarded to a graduating student achieving high academic merit in the Honours program in Microbiology and Immunology.

Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)

NSERC - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council 2019

Undergraduate Research Award (SURA)

McGill University, Faculty of Science 2019

Projects

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All Ongoing Previous

Development of the infant gut virome

Studying the active role of bacteriophages in the infant gut microbiome in health and malnutrition.

Xenobiotics as inducers of active prophages

Studied the effects of xenobiotics on inducing putatively active prophages in gut bacteria. This project served as the basis for my Honours thesis.

Bacteriophage tail fibers and host range

Studied bacteriophage tail fibre genetics, morphogenesis, and host range.

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