Jason Fernandes (PhD, McMaster University) is a Biologist Evaluator at Health Canada’s Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate (BRDD). During his graduate and postdoctoral work, he specialized in developing assays to characterize immune responses to vaccines, and in HIV infections. Pre-pandemic, he worked within BRDD’s Center for Biologics Evaluation as a chemistry and manufacturing control evaluator in the Viral Vaccines Division. Since March, he has been a part of BRDD’s COVID-19 Vaccines Quality Division, performing quality review for clinical trials and for authorizations under Canada’s COVID-19 Interim Order. He represents Health Canada on the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Assays and Cross-Cutting Issues in Diagnosis and Serology subgroup.