Jonathan Kimmelman
Kimmelman received a Friedrich Bessel-Humboldt Fellowship (2014), and was elected as a Hastings Center Fellow (2018), and was elected to the Humanities Division of the Royal Society of Canada (2025). He has been a commentator in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, Globe and Mail, and BBC World Service. He also has served in an advisory capacity for the World Medical Association, FDA, the World Health Organization and the Canadian Institute of Health Research. Kimmelman formerly chaired the ethics and public policy committee of the International Society of Stem Cell Research, where he led revisions of the society’s ethics guidelines for stem cell research and clinical translation. He has served as a member on four National Academy of Medicine Committees – including one advising NASA on Health Standards for Long Duration and Exploration Spaceflights. He is a deputy editor at Clinical Trials.
When not writing grants or responding to referee comments, Kimmelman can be found roaming industrial ruins, chopping out mortices with earnest resolve, or listening to new music.
Benjamin “Murph” Carlisle
Benjamin Carlisle earned his MA and PhD in the Biomedical Ethics Unit of McGill University. His master’s thesis was a critique of phase IV drug studies, and his doctoral thesis was an analysis of the moral efficiency of clinical trials in anti-cancer drug development. Prior to coming to McGill, he studied philosophy and medical science at the University of Western Ontario. Murph’s side-interests include gardening, fiddle music and sewing.
Selin Bicer
Selin recently graduated from McGill with a B.Sc. in Anatomy and Cell Biology. Before joining STREAM, she worked in various steps of the drug development pipeline, from mice to men. Currently she is focused on a project exploring the differences and difficulties in developing anti-cancer drugs for children as they compare to developing those for adults. In her free time, she enjoys Russian literature, Scandinavian cinema and Sephardic music.
Nicolas Diaz de Leon
Nicolas Diaz de Leon is currently finishing up their master’s degree in medical sociology while conducting their thesis research at STREAM. Prior to landing in McGill’s Sociology program, Nico received an undergraduate degree in neuroscience and philosophy, informing their interdisciplinary trajectory towards science and technology studies. In STREAM, Nico is working alongside Dr. Kimmelman and Dr. Carpier, conducting a qualitative research project on the interface of science and ethics in the neuro-oncology clinical trial context. Specifically, they are interested in the social, cultural, and cognitive forces at play during early phase trial development.
Chuyuan (Eric) Niu
Chuyuan (Eric) Niu is an undergraduate student in Biochemistry at McGill University. He joined the STREAM lab as a student research assistant. His current work focuses on evaluating “long-tail benefit” in clinical trials, examining the frequency with which a subset of patients experience exceptional survival outcomes beyond median estimates, which may inform decision-making, informed consent, and assessments of risk and benefit in clinical trials.
Jenna Johnston
Jenna Johnston is a master’s student in bioethics and philosophy at McGill University. She currently works as the lab coordinator for STREAM. Before joining STREAM, she received an undergraduate degree in philosophy and international studies. Jenna is currently researching ethical perspectives on platform trials.
Ellen Chen
Ellen is an undergraduate student studying Neuroscience at McGill University. She works as a student research assistant at STREAM, focusing on negative results in phase 3 neurology drug trials. In particular, she is looking into the frequency with which researchers cite optimization versus drug pharmacology issues as the driver of their negative results, with the aim of improving how negative results are interpreted and used.
Willemien (Wimmy) Miller
Wimmy holds a M.Sc. in Microbiology & Immunology and a B.Sc. in Interdepartmental Honours Immunology from McGill University, where she studied the impact of the microbiome on the immune system. She is currently applying her knowledge of mice and microscopes through a different lens, and is focused on understanding the trajectory of preclinical research and how researchers study clinical interventions before clinical trials. Outside of the lab, Wimmy loves to make ceramic sculptures, ride horses, and go camping.