4th Year Honors Students

Every year 2-4 students conduct their honors thesis research in the zebrafish laboratory. Most of the research in my laboratory involves the use and manipulation of zebrafish embryos. In order for students to be successful in their project it is very important to have a good understanding of embryonic processes. The successful completion of BIO3147 - Developmental Biology is a prerequisite to conducting an honors research project in my laboratory.
Honors students must work a minimum of 15 hours per week in the laboratory and contribute to the normal daily/weeks laboratory chores in addition to conducting their research project.

Summer Research Students

Every summer 1-2 undergraduate students are hired to conduct research during the summer months (May 1 – August 31). In order to be considered for summer employment you will expected to successfully obtain a certain amount of your own external salary support. Sources of external salary support include NSERC Summer Fellowships, Human Resources Student Employment Programs or the University of Ottawa Work Study Program. These programs have specific eligibility requirements (academic excellence and/or financial need), and deadlines during the winter months. For example, the application deadline for NSERC Summer Fellowships is usually in January. If you are interested in working in my laboratory during the summer it is very important to contact me as soon as possible so that we can apply to these programs.

Graduate Students (M.Sc. and Ph.D.)

All potential graduate students must meet the minimum admission requirements for the Department of Biology and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the University of Ottawa. Please consult these web pages to find out information on tuition fees, application procedures, program requirements and funding opportunities.

The stipend for all graduate students at the Department of Biology is a minimum of $16,500. This stipend can be composed of teaching assistantships, external scholarships, and salaries paid from the operating funds of my research grant.

There are currently 6 graduate students conducting research in the zebrafish laboratory. Graduate student positions are extremely limited.

Canadian Citizens and landed immigrants

The University of Ottawa has some very nice incentives for students that have exceptional academic records. If you have an A- cumulative grade point average in your undergraduate courses you can qualify for a full tuition fee exemption. In addition, students that are successful in obtaining external scholarships such as NSERC can qualify for additional funds provided by the Department of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

I will be very happy to sponsor external scholarship applications to conduct graduate research in the zebrafish laboratory. If you would like to talk about submitting an NSERC or OGS application, please contact me by email. The deadline for most of these scholarships is fall (October) to start studies the following spring.

There are very few positions available for graduate students that do not possess external scholarship funding. Therefore, it is very important to submit applications to these programs to increase to your opportunities to study in the zebrafish laboratory. Students that do not have external scholarships will be considered on a very competitive basis.

If you would like to be considered for a graduate position, please contact me directly by email, phone or visiting my office. If you are contacting me by email, please include a copy of your CV or resume, an electronic copy of your transcripts (list of courses and grades), and a statement of why you would like to study in the zebrafish lab.

Foreign nationals

All foreign students wishing to conduct research in the zebrafish lab must possess scholarship support that will contribute to their salary stipend (minimun of $8000 CAD per year), pay medical insurance and pay tuition fees.

The tuition fees for foreign students is approximately $16,000 per year.

Students with exceptional grade point averages can obtain a scholarship from the University of Ottawa that will pay these tuition fees.

If you are uncertain if you meet the necessary requirements to be considered for a position in my laboratory, please do not hesitate to contact me by email.