This article is part of a series focusing on the grads of the ±«Óătv Class of 2025. Spring Convocation takes place May 30 and from June 9-19 in Halifax and Truro. Read all our profiles here in one place as they are published.
You never know what a change of scenery will do for you.
Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, James Kho attended high school in Kuwait and planned to pursue a career in medicine. While he figured he would follow his brother’s path and study in the United States, a counsellor with Halifax roots recommended ±«Óătv University. “I had never heard of Halifax,” he says, looking back, but took the plunge anyway.Â
Little did James realize that his arrival in 2010 for a Bachelor of Science would be the beginning of a nearly 15-year journey that will see him graduate this week with a PhD in Biology. Along the way, he has entrenched himself in the Department of Biology as a student, researcher, teacher, and colleague.
A passion for research
During his undergrad, James found himself driven to pursue research in genetics rather than follow his original plan of attending medical school. After graduating in 2014 with a BSc with Honours in Biology, he ventured to Mount Allison University later that year to begin a master’s degree.
He didn’t completely leave Halifax behind, though. As his master’s thesis on Lyme disease and ticks was co-supervised by Dal’s Dr. Tatiana Rossolimo, James didn’t need to spend much time in New Brunswick after completing his required coursework.
James's parents and brother attended his first Dal graduation in 2014.
“It probably felt like I never left Dal,” he says.
In 2017, he officially returned, joining Dr. Daniel Ruzzante’s lab as a PhD student, in the process shifting his research focus from land-based ticks to the population genetics of Atlantic herring. “The main chapters of my thesis focused on how increased ocean temperatures due to climate change affect herring at earlier life stages,” he explains, adding that he grew herring in Dal’s Aquatron as part of the work.
Making an impression
Over the years, James has made countless connections across the Department of Biology. “It’s the people,” he says when asked about his favourite part of Dal. “The biology department and the Faculty of Science in general is a very welcoming group, and I enjoy meeting new grad students, faculty, and staff.”
Those who have crossed paths with James have equally effusive things to say.
“He is the nicest guy and an outstanding teaching assistant,” says Dr. Ruzzante, James’s PhD supervisor. “He always has a positive attitude, even during difficult times.”Â
James joined Dr. Daniel Ruzzante’s lab as a PhD student in 2017.
“He brings positive vibes everywhere he is present,” says Dr. Rossolimo, who has known James for more than 10 years. “He is a scientist who is great at both research and teaching.”
Teaching represents a burgeoning area of expertise for James, who completed the Certificate in University Teaching and Learning and has served as a teaching support staff member since his undergraduate days. “I’ve been grateful to have a lot of teaching opportunities at Dal,” he says, adding that he’s hoping to co-teach an applied entomology course with Dr. Rossolimo.Â
The next chapter
While James says this Convocation has been “a long time coming,” with his parents and brother in town for the occasion, it won’t mark the end of an era.Â
He has joined the Community Eelgrass Restoration Initiative (CERI) in Dr. Derek Tittensor’s Future of Marine Ecosystems (FOME) Research Lab as a postdoctoral fellow, where he will build on the work of his doctoral thesis, again using the Aquatron to grow eelgrass and explore its resilience in changing ocean temperatures.
Seen right: James has often served as a teaching assistant for the SEASIDE Program’s Entomology course (BIOL 3327), which involves a field trip to Long Lake Provincial Park.
With research possibilities to explore and teaching skills to hone, there’s plenty of reasons for the now Dr. Kho to stick around Dal for at least a little while longer.