GSA VP External

I am Niloufar Mirfallah, a third-year PhD student in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta. My research focuses on studying glycosylation in post-COVID-19 infection. As the President of the Chemistry Graduate Student Society (CGSS), I have strengthened my leadership skills while actively advocating for graduate students within the Faculty of Science and the Chemistry Department. Through this role, I have gained firsthand insight into the challenges graduate students face, including financial struggles, rising tuition costs, inadequate stipends and their impact on research, and the complexities of the international student admission process, as well as linguistic and cultural barriers.

I believe graduate students deserve strong representation beyond the university, ensuring their concerns are addressed at institutional, provincial, and national levels. As VP External, I will work to expand collaborations with external organizations, advocate for policies that improve student support, and push for initiatives that ease financial and academic burdens. My goal is to create meaningful change that enhances the graduate student experience and fosters a more supportive academic environment.