Trainee Profile: Olivier Laflamme

Olivier Laflamme was attracted to Dalhousie by the research opportunities, his aligned interests and the reputations of the resident neuroscience researchers.

A part of Dr. Turgay Akai’s lab, Olivier is close to completing his PhD in neuroscience at Dalhousie. Olivier’s research involves finding sensory and motor information through specific neurons throughout the spinal cord and brain. Specifically, he examines the process of function on opposite sides of the body, called “crossed reflexes,”. This, for example, refers to motor responses in one leg responding to sensory stimulation in the opposite leg. The goal will be to find new therapeutic strategies for patients with spinal cord injury.

Olivier presented his and Dr. Akay’s work at the 2021 Atlantic Mobility Action Project conference. Olivier has also been a co-author on several publications, the most recent being in the Journal of Neurophysiology, which was published earlier this year.

“I love to travel, I would love to do it as much as I can,” said Olivier for work or for pleasure. Since travel plans have been put on hold due to the pandemic, Olivier spends free time playing soccer since he’s an avid sports fan. Another passion is that he is a history buff which demands a lot of reading. Olivier also spends a lot of time outdoors, whenever he can and loves snowy weather for snowshoeing and skiing. “I don’t get this kind of view in Quebec that I do in Halifax, and he enjoys the beautiful scenery here,” he said.

In the future, Olivier sees himself working in biotech or pharmaceutical companies, aiming for a career in industry.