Kalsha De Silva
PHD STUDENT, KINESIOLOGY
Embracing detours on the road to discovery
HEALTH
Kalsha De Silva
PHD STUDENT, KINESIOLOGY
Embracing detours on the road to discovery
Sometimes the path you least expect ends up being the perfect one for you. Kalsha De Silva, a PhD student in the Faculty of Health, knows a thing or two about that journey.
10 years ago, she never would have guessed that, today, she’d be conducting doctoral research on magic mushrooms in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at Waterloo.
As an aspiring physician, she always planned to go to medical school. That goal hasn’t changed — but, by following an alternate path to get there, Kalsha has transformed her purpose in powerful ways.
Exploring a passion for science
“I get excited when I think about my research and all the different questions I could ask and answer,” Kalsha says. “My friends joke that only a few people are able to laugh and smile when they think about science, and apparently I’m one of them.”
She first started exploring that passion during her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Waterloo, where hands-on learning experiences shaped her decision to pursue graduate studies. Perhaps the most important one, offering a sneak peek of her graduate career, was her undergraduate thesis research completed under the supervision of Professor Robin E. Duncan in the Lipid Enzyme Discovery Lab.
At the time, she was fascinated by the research performed in Professor Duncan’s lab, but her heart was set on medical school. That interest was driven by experiences she’d had during her undergraduate degree, volunteering at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener, as well as at a military hospital in Sri Lanka, the country where she was born and raised until the age of 7.
Learning about the hospital system in Sri Lanka and the struggles faced by the local community solidified her passion for helping others. Kalsha also credits her parents for their immense support and the strength they instilled in her to pursue her academic goals.
“They are my pillars,” she says. “They raised me up to dream the impossible.”
Fascinated by the “what-ifs”
Fast-forward four years and Kalsha now holds a Master of Science Degree in Kinesiology and is working on her PhD with Professor Duncan, who also supervised her master’s research.
During that time, she was nominated for and won the Faculty of Health Teaching Assistant Award, successfully defended her thesis in the midst of the pandemic and was a host at the Faculty of Health Fall 2020 convocation. She decided to pursue her PhD to keep exploring all the “what ifs” — this time in a new research area.
Staying at Waterloo wasn’t a hard choice thanks to the strong student community in Kinesiology and Health Sciences, the personal one-on-one connections she formed with professors during her undergrad and master’s, and especially the support of her supervisor, Professor Duncan, who is “such an advocate for women in STEM.”
“The University of Waterloo has given me a lot of opportunities, but what I most treasure are the people that I’ve met and who have helped me along the way,” Kalsha says. “Waterloo is where I call home, where I met my loving partner and incredible group of friends, and where I’ve made a lot of beautiful memories. Too many to count.”
Advocating for women in STEM
Kalsha’s doctoral research investigates the impact on brain function and behaviour of psilocybin, the active ingredient in the hallucinogenic drug known as magic mushrooms. It’s a topic she says “everyone seems to be interested in. I wonder why!”
She’s grateful to have the time and funding to ask questions — an opportunity she acknowledges not everyone gets. And, while the research excites her, she’s equally interested in how she can create the same kinds of opportunities for others in science, especially women and minority communities.
“My mission is to keep inspiring people like me. As an immigrant to Canada, I want to empower other women in STEM that are embarking on a similar journey, whether that’s South Asian women or other women of colour.”
She’s already doing that through mentoring and supporting other students on campus, including co-supervising undergraduate thesis research and instructing a fourth-year course. She’s also involved in the Kinesiology Graduate Student Association and a judge for the annual Waterloo Wellington Science Fair.
While she still has her sights set on becoming a physician one day, she doesn’t have any regrets about her journey so far.
Exploring a passion for science
“I get excited when I think about my research and all the different questions I could ask and answer,” Kalsha says. “My friends joke that only a few people are able to laugh and smile when they think about science, and apparently I’m one of them.”
She first started exploring that passion during her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Waterloo, where hands-on learning experiences shaped her decision to pursue graduate studies. Perhaps the most important one, offering a sneak peek of her graduate career, was her undergraduate thesis research completed under the supervision of Professor Robin E. Duncan in the Lipid Enzyme Discovery Lab.
At the time, she was fascinated by the research performed in Professor Duncan’s lab, but her heart was set on medical school. That interest was driven by experiences she’d had during her undergraduate degree, volunteering at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener, as well as at a military hospital in Sri Lanka, the country where she was born and raised until the age of 7.
Learning about the hospital system in Sri Lanka and the struggles faced by the local community solidified her passion for helping others. Kalsha also credits her parents for their immense support and the strength they instilled in her to pursue her academic goals.
“They are my pillars,” she says. “They raised me up to dream the impossible.”
Fascinated by the “what-ifs”
Fast-forward four years and Kalsha now holds a Master of Science Degree in Kinesiology and is working on her PhD with Professor Duncan, who also supervised her master’s research.
During that time, she was nominated for and won the Faculty of Health Teaching Assistant Award, successfully defended her thesis in the midst of the pandemic and was a host at the Faculty of Health Fall 2020 convocation. She decided to pursue her PhD to keep exploring all the “what ifs” — this time in a new research area.
Staying at Waterloo wasn’t a hard choice thanks to the strong student community in Kinesiology and Health Sciences, the personal one-on-one connections she formed with professors during her undergrad and master’s, and especially the support of her supervisor, Professor Duncan, who is “such an advocate for women in STEM.”
“The University of Waterloo has given me a lot of opportunities, but what I most treasure are the people that I’ve met and who have helped me along the way,” Kalsha says. “Waterloo is where I call home, where I met my loving partner and incredible group of friends, and where I’ve made a lot of beautiful memories. Too many to count.”
Advocating for women in STEM
Kalsha’s doctoral research investigates the impact on brain function and behaviour of psilocybin, the active ingredient in the hallucinogenic drug known as magic mushrooms. It’s a topic she says “everyone seems to be interested in. I wonder why!”
She’s grateful to have the time and funding to ask questions — an opportunity she acknowledges not everyone gets. And, while the research excites her, she’s equally interested in how she can create the same kinds of opportunities for others in science, especially women and minority communities.
“My mission is to keep inspiring people like me. As an immigrant to Canada, I want to empower other women in STEM that are embarking on a similar journey, whether that’s South Asian women or other women of colour.”
She’s already doing that through mentoring and supporting other students on campus, including co-supervising undergraduate thesis research and instructing a fourth-year course. She’s also involved in the Kinesiology Graduate Student Association and a judge for the annual Waterloo Wellington Science Fair.
While she still has her sights set on becoming a physician one day, she doesn’t have any regrets about her journey so far.
“I wouldn't change it for the world because of all the experiences that I’ve gotten. Life happens in very unexpected ways.”