Jacqueline Seal
Computer Science Specialist
Math Minor
Victoria College
Jacqueline Seal combined a love of biology and programming to explore the intersection of computer science and life sciences. Originally enrolled in bioinformatics, she eventually gravitated toward computer science and mathematics, inspired by exceptional professors and hands-on experience. Through the Arts & Science Internship Program, she tackled real-world challenges ranging from antibody design in Germany to peptide therapeutics in Toronto.
Beyond academics, Seal supported first-year students as a math TA and embraced the University of Toronto’s (U of T) vibrant student life, from beekeeping to canoe portaging. After graduation, she’ll head to New York for an internship at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Biology.
This Q&A has been edited for clarity and length.
What inspired you to study computer science at U of T?
In high school, I discovered that I really enjoyed both my biology coursework and computer programming electives, and I was excited by U of T’s record of excellence in bioinformatics research, particularly the possibility of contributing to that research. I initially enrolled in both the bioinformatics and computational biology specialist (BOFO shoutout) and computer science major, but over time, I found myself gravitating more towards my pure CS and math classes. Throughout my degree, I’ve also been lucky to have had excellent computer science professors who have not only made the content approachable but also continually inspired me to do my best work.
You’re graduating with a CS specialist and math minor, and you also participated in the Arts & Science Internship Program (ASIP). Tell us more about how those areas of focus combined to shape your academic experience. How did you get involved outside of the classroom at U of T?
I’m incredibly grateful to have been part of ASIP — the two internships I completed through the program were some of the most formative experiences of my degree. The summer after my second year, I participated in the Rosetta Commons REU, working on computational antibody design at Leipzig University, and received plenty of support from ASIP staff. That opportunity led to a 16-month internship at ProteinQure in Toronto, where I helped advance computational methods for designing peptide therapeutics with non-canonical amino acids. Apart from that, one of the experiences I’ve valued most was working as a math department TA for two years. Not only was it incredibly rewarding to help first-year students navigate calculus, but being on the other side of the classroom has informed my approach to being a student myself.
What’s one piece of advice that you would give to incoming students?
Don’t worry too much about knowing *exactly* what you want to study in university or do after graduating. Take an elective course completely unrelated to your program of study, try out a bunch of clubs and see which ones feel the most fun and rewarding to you, and generally keep an open mind to the huge diversity of opportunities that U of T offers and to meeting the amazing variety of smart, kind people here. Some of my most memorable experiences at U of T were a product of stepping way outside my comfort zone and trying something new, whether it was dueling on the UC quad as Diablos in the Students' History Collective’s annual haunted campus tours, joining the archery and beekeeping clubs, or portaging a canoe 17km through downtown Toronto (twice) during the Davenportage.
What’s next for you?
I’ll be in New York City for an internship at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Biology, where I’ll be tackling interesting biomolecular design problems using computer science methods.