The objective of the program is to refine critical and scholarly skills in fields and areas of specialization and to prepare students for a career in a research and/or in a governmental, clinical, or industrial setting. Graduates are expected to have acquired autonomy in conducting research, in preparing scholarly publications, through a training that includes course work, research seminars, and independent research leading to a thesis.

Members of the Department are engaged in two main research fields: microbiology and host biology. Additional information is posted in the departmental website.

The programs operate within the general framework of the general regulations of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) of the University of Ottawa, which are posted on the FGPS website.

The professors included in the list below are members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. This means that they are authorized to supervise or co-supervise theses. A complete list of the faculty and staff members associated with the program can be found at http://www.med.uottawa.ca/grad/eng/departments.html

ALLAN, David, Cross-appointment

ALLEN, David, Associate Professor

ANGEL, Jonathan, Cross-appointment
HIV; immunology; cellular immunity

BROWN, Earl, Full Professor
Viruses: genetics; evolution; pathogenesis; Reovirus, Influenza; Hepatitis C; oncolytic viruses; pneumonia

CAMERON, William, Cross-appointment
Clinical epidemiology

DIAZ-MITOMA, Francisco, Full Professor
Development of vaccines for RNA viruses; pathogenesis of herpes viruses and hepatitis C

DIMOCK, Ken, Full Professor
Virus receptors, virus entry

FAIRHEAD, Todd, Cross-appointment

FARBER, Jeffrey, Adjunct Professor
Food safety; food microbiology; foodborne pathogens

FILION, Lionel, Associate Professor
Immunology of multiple sclerosis; antigen presentation; regulation; flow cytometry

FREEDMAN, Mark, Cross-appointment
Multiple sclerosis; neuroimmunology; Gamma Delta T cells; immune mediated CNS damage

KORNELUK, Robert, Cross-appointment
Modulation of programmed cell death (apoptosis) for therapeutic benefit in disease

KRISHNAN, Lakshmi, Adjunct Professor
Vaccine adjuvants; reproductive immunology; cellular immunology

KUMAR, Ashok, Cross-appointment
HIV; CD44; cytokines; IL-10; IL-12; TNF-alpha; monocytic cells; signal transduction

LANGLOIS, Marc-André, Assistant Professor

LEE, Jonathan, Associate Professor
Breast and ovarian cancer; oncogenes; apoptosis; actin; cytoskeleton

LEE, Seung-Hwan, Assistant Professor
Natural Killer Cell; Cytokines; Virus Infection; Immunoregulation

LI, Xuguang (Sean), Adjunct Professor
Genetically modified viral vectors for vaccine and gene delivery; mechanistic study of SARS viral assembly; pathogenesis of prion diseases

LIN, Min, Adjunct Professor
Bacterial pathogenesis; immunology

LOGAN, Susan, Adjunct Professor
Bacterial pathogenesis; prokaryotic protein glycosylation systems

MACFARLANE, Amanda, Adjunct Professor
Folic acid metabolism; Inflammation and cancer; Fetal origins of disease; Epigenetics

MAH, Thien-Fah, Assistant Professor
Understanding of the molecular mechanisms utilized by bacteria to increase their resistance to antimicrobial agents once they become part of a biofilm, Mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa; bacterial biofilms

MAKRIGIANNIS, Andrew, Assistant Professor

MATTISON, Kirsten, Adjunct Professor
Food borne hepatitis A virus and noroviruses; develop detection methods for isolating these viruses from food samples

NADIN-DAVIS, Susan, Adjunct Professor
Phylogenetic evaluation of collections of lysaviruses (rabies and rabies-related viruses); generation and use of novel monoclonal antibody panels for epitope analysis of viral proteins, development of sheep genotyping methods in support of scrapie control programmes; application of quantitative PCR methods to detect recombinant viruses in viruses in vaccine safety trials

PAGOTTO, Franco, Adjunct Professor
Bacterial pathogens ; Microbiological safety and control of fresh-cut produce ; Hazard identification and risk assessment in foods ; Molecular typing and genomic characterization of foodborne bacterial pathogens and foodborne viruses, Pathogenesis and virulence determinants of foodborne pathogens, molecular diagnostics using DNA microarray technology, and DNA chip technology for detection of genetically modified organisms and foods

PARKS, Robin, Cross-appointment
Development and characterization of adenoviral vectors deleted of all viral protein coding sequences for use in gene therapy; characterization of host immune responses to gene therapy vectors and foreign (therapeutic) proteins, investigating novel therapeutics for the treatment and correction of muscular dystrophies and cancer

PEZACKI, John P., Adjunct Professor
Biology and Virology Research

PICKETTS, David, Cross-appointment
Genetics diseases

RAMIREZ, Sandra, Adjunct Professor
Bacterial contamination in blood products; bacterial cell division and cell growth; cell division mechanisms of Staphylococcus epidermidis

SAD, Subash, Adjunct Professor
Cell immunology; T cell memory; lymphocyte biology; host-pathogen interactions

SANDHU, Jagdeep, Adjunct Professor
Cell biology; immunology; techniques - immunohistochemistry; confocal microscopy; cell culture; biochemistry; molecular biology

STEWART, Alexandre, Cross-appointment
Inherited cardiovascular disorders; genetic risk factors for Coronary Artery Disease

STINTZI, Alain, Associate Professor
Microbial genomics, campylobacter jejuni; iron acquisition and metabolism; and stress responses

STOJDL, David, Cross-appointment

TANHA, Jamshid, Adjunct Professor

TESSON, Frédérique, Cross-appointment
Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, genetic predictors of weight loss in obese women

WALLACE, Valerie, Cross-appointment
Retinal and optical nerve development; Sonic Hedgehog protein signaling

WANG, Lisheng
Cellules souches embryonnaires; médecine regénérative; cellules immunitaires

WOULFE, John, Cross-appointment
Neurodegenerative dementias; (Alzheimer's disease and non-Alzheimer's frontotemporal dementias); Parkinson's disease and the synucleinopathies; pathogenesis of certain neurodegenerative disorders

WRIGHT, Kathryn, Associate Professor
Viruses; pathogenesis; immunology

Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree with a specialization or a major (or equivalent) in biochemistry, biology, or microbiology with a minimum average of 75% (B+).
• Demonstrate a good academic performance in previous studies as shown by official transcripts, research reports, abstracts or any other documents demonstrating research skills.
• Provide at least two confidential letters of recommendation from professors who have known the applicant and are familiar with the student work.
• Provide a statement of purpose indicating the career goals and the interests in the proposed research area.
• Identify at least one professor member of the Department and of the FGPS who is willing and available to act as thesis supervisor.

In accordance with the University of Ottawa regulation, students have a right to produce their work, their thesis, and to answer examination questions in French or in English.

Collaborative Program in Bioinformatics at the Master's Level

The Departement of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology is a participating unit in the collaborative program in Bioinformatics at the master’s level. This program has been established for students wishing to include an interdisciplinary component in Bioinformatics as part of their degree in Microbiology and Immunology.

Students should indicate in their initial application for admission that they wish to be accepted into the collaborative program. To be accepted, the thesis director must be a member of the collaborative program. Students are normally informed about their acceptance into the collaborative program at the same time as being informed about their admission into the primary program. For further details, see the Bioinformatics program.

Collaborative Program in Pathology and Experimental Medicine at the Master's Level

The Departement of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology is a participating unit in the collaborative program in Pathology and Experimental Medicine at the master’s and doctoral levels. This program has been established for students wishing to include an interdisciplinary component in Pathology and Experimental Medicine as part of their degree in Microbiology and Immunology.

Students should indicate in their initial application for admission that they wish to be accepted into the collaborative program. To be accepted, the thesis director must be a member of the collaborative program. Students are normally informed about their acceptance into the collaborative program at the same time as being informed about their admission into the primary program. For further details, see the Pathology and Experimental Medicine program.

MSc in Microbiology and Immunology

• Successful completion of compulsory course MED8166 Professionalism and Professional Skills .
• Successful completion of the graduate course MIC5100.
• Successful completion of an additional 3-credit MIC graduate course.
• Completion of the seminar course (MIC5366), which involves the presentation of a seminar and regular attendance at the seminars presented by the Department.
• Presentation and defense of a thesis (MIC7999) based on original research carried out under the direct supervision of a faculty member of the Department.

Collaborative Program in Bioinformatics

• 3 compulsory credits in bioinformatics (BNF5106/BIO5106).
• Registration in the seminar course in bioinformatics (BNF6100), which involves a written report, the presentation of a seminar, and regular attendance at departmental seminars.
• Presentation and defence of a research thesis on a topic in bioinformatics based on original research carried out under the supervision of a faculty member participating in the bioinformatics collaborative program.
• The passing grade in all courses is B. Students who fail 6 credits, or whose research progress is deemed unsatisfactory are required to withdraw from the program.

Collaborative Program in Pathology and Experimental Medicine

• One course (3 credits) in the primary program.
• One Pathology and Experimental Medicine specialization course (3 credits).
• Successful completion of the Pathology and Experimental Medicine seminar course.
• Presentation and defence of a thesis on a topic in pathology and experimental medicine based on original research carried out under the supervision of a professor who is a member of the Pathology and Experimental Medicine collaborative program. At least one of the thesis examiners must be a member of the Pathology and Experimental Medicine collaborative program.
• The passing grade in all courses is C+. Students who fail two courses (equivalent to 6 credits) must withdraw from the program.

Transfer from Master’s to PhD Program

Outstanding students enrolled in the MSc program may be allowed to transfer to the PhD program without being required to write a master’s thesis. For additional information, please consult the “Admission” section of the PhD program.

Duration of the Program

Residence

Minimum Standards

Academic Unit Coordinates