Biology

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Facilities are available in the Department of Biology for students proceeding to the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees.

Enquiries: 905 525-9140 Ext. 23546
E-mail: biolgrad@mcmaster.ca
Website: http://www.biology.mcmaster.ca/

Faculty/Fall 2023

Professors

André Bédard, B.Sc. (Montreal), Ph.D. (McGill)
Ben Bolker, B.Sc. (Yale), Ph.D. (Cambridge), Joint Appointment with Mathematics and Statistics
Robin Cameron, B.Sc. (Waterloo), Ph.D. (McGill) 
Ana R. Campos, B.A., M.Sc. (Rio de Janeiro), Ph.D. (Brandeis) / Director, School of Interdisciplinary Science
Patricia Chow-Fraser, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Waterloo), Ph.D. (Toronto) 
Juliet M. Daniel, B.Sc. (Queen’s), Ph.D. (British Columbia)
Susan A. Dudley, B.Sc., M.Sc. (McGill), Ph.D. (Chicago)
Jonathan Dushoff, B.A. (Pennsylvania), Ph.D. (Princeton)
Ian M. Dworkin, B.Sc. (Trent), Ph.D. (Toronto) 
Marie Elliot, B.Sc., Ph.D. (Alberta) / Chair
Ben Evans, B.Sc. (Tufts), M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D. (Columbia)
Turlough M. Finan, M.Sc. (National), Ph.D. (Guelph) 
G. Brian Golding, B.Sc. (Dalhousie), Ph.D. (Alberta)
Bhagwati P. Gupta, B.Sc. (Banaras Hindu University, India), M.Sc. (Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India), Ph.D. (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India) / Associate Dean, (Graduate Studies)
Suleiman A. Igdoura, B.Sc. (Victoria), M.Sc. (Western), Ph.D. (McGill)
J. Roger Jacobs, B.Sc. (Calgary), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto)
Karen Kidd, B.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Alberta), Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair In Environment and Health
Jurek Kolasa, M.Sc., Ph.D. (Poznan)
Grant McClelland, B.Sc. (Ottawa), Ph.D. (British Columbia)
Carmel Mothersill, B.Sc. (Dublin), Ph.D. (Dublin) / Tier I Canada Research Chair
Michael J. O’Donnell, B.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto)
James S. Quinn, B.Sc. (Queen’s) M.Sc., (Brock), Ph.D. (Oklahoma)
Herbert E. Schellhorn, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (N. Carolina State)
Colin Seymour, Ph.D. (Dublin, Ireland)
Rama S. Singh, B.Sc. (Agra), M.Sc. (Kanpur), Ph.D. (California)
Elizabeth A. Weretilnyk, B.Sc., Ph.D. (Alberta)
Joanna Y. Wilson, B.Sc. (McMaster), M.Sc. (Victoria), Ph.D. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology) / University Scholar
Jianping Xu, B.Sc. (Jiangxi Agricultural University), M.Sc. (Nanjing Agricultural University), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto) 
Xu-Dong Zhu, B.Sc. (Nanjing), M.Sc. (Regina), Ph.D. (Toronto)

Associate Professors

Rosa da Silva, B.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto) / Associate Chair (Undergraduate)
Lovaye Kajiura, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Graham R. Scott, B.Sc. (McMaster), M.Sc., Ph.D. (British Columbia) / Tier II Canada Research Chair / University Scholar
Jonathon Stone, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto) / Director, Origins Institute

Assistant Professors

Rebecca Batstone, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Memorial), Ph.D. (Toronto) 

Associate Members

Sigal Balshine, B.Sc. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Cambridge) / Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour
Kim Dej, B.Sc. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Maryland) / School of Interdisciplinary Science
Reuven Dukas, Ph.D. (North Carolina) / Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour
David J.D. Earn, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Cambridge) / Mathematics and Statistics
Margaret Fahnestock, B.Sc. (Stanford), Ph.D. (Berkeley) / Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences
Deda Gillespie, B.Sc. (Yale), Ph.D. (California) / Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour
Chad Harvey, B.Sc. (Guelph), MS (Auburn), Ph.D. (Madison) / School of Interdisciplinary Science
Paul Higgs, B.A., Ph.D. (Cambridge, U.K.) / Physics and Astronomy
Wolfgang Kunze, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. (University of Melbourne, Australia) / Psychiatry
Ram Mishra, B.Sc. (Udaipur University, India), M.Sc. (Louisiana State University Medical Centre), Ph.D. (Memorial University) / Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurorsciences
Hendrik N. Poinar, B.Sc., M.Sc. (California Polytechnic State University), Ph.D. (Ludwig Maximillians University, Munich) /Anthropology
Jonathan Pruitt, B.A. (University of South Florida), Ph.D. (University of Tennessee) / Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour
Elyanne Ratcliffe, B.Sc. , Medical Program (McMaster), Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Parts I and II, Residency, University of Toronto / Pediatrics
Angela Scott, B.Sc., (Saskatchewan), B.A., (Saskatchewan), Ph.D. (Saskatchewan) / Pathology and Molecular Medicine 
Michael Waddington, B.Sc. (McMaster), M.Sc., Ph.D. (York University) / School of Geography and Earth Sciences
Eva S. Werstiuk, B.Sc., Ph.D. (London, U.K.) / Medicine

Adjunct Members

Doug Boreham B.Sc. (Laurentian), Ph.D. (Ottawa)  Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury
Carol Bucking  B.Sc. (McMaster), Ph.D. (McMaster) York University
Tao Dong  B.Sc (Shandong), Ph.D. (McMaster) University of Calgary
Tom Edge, B.Sc. (Guelph), M.Sc. (Ottawa), Ph.D. (Carleton) / National Water Research Institute-Environment Canada
Erik Emilson  B.Sc. (Guelph), M.Sc. (Laurentian), Ph.D. (Laurentian) Great Lakes Forestry Center
David Galbraith, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Queen’s) / Royal Botanical Gardens
Patricia Gillis, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Waterloo) / National Water Research Institute-Environment Canada
Jon Midwood  B.Sc. (McMaster), Ph.D. (McMaster) Fisheries and Oceans
Kelly Munkittrick  B.Sc. (Guelph), M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D (Waterloo)
Ethan Paschos, M.Sc. (Munich, Germany), Ph.D. (Munich, Germany) / Mohawk College 
James Pringle, M.Sc. (New Hampshire), Ph.D. (Tennessee) / Royal Botanical Gardens
Glen VanDerKraak, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Manitoba), Ph.D. (British Columbia)/ University of Guelph
Ze-Chun Yuan, B.Sc. (Henan, China), M.Sc. (McMaster), Ph.D. (McMaster) / London Research and Development Center

Professors Emeriti

Richard A. Morton, M.S., Ph.D. (Chicago)
Colin A. Nurse, B.E.Sc. (Western), Ph.D. (Harvard)
Andrew J. Rainbow, B.Sc.(Manchester), M.Sc. (London), Ph.D. (McMaster)
C. David Rollo, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (British Columbia)
Christopher M. Wood, B.Sc., M.Sc. (British Columbia), Ph.D. (East Anglia), F.R.S.C.

Facilities for Research

In addition to general research facilities in Biology, the Department has available: facilities for use of radio-isotopes, tissue culture laboratories, molecular and cellular laboratories, physiology laboratories, constant temperature rooms, growth chambers, a research greenhouse, an aquatic facility, and animal rooms. The laboratories are equipped with advanced instrumentation, including analytical and preparative ultracentrifuges, confocal microscopes, interference and fluorescence microscopes, radio-isotope counting facilities, a microspectrophotometer, recording spectrophotometer, micromanipulator, real-time PCR, proteomics and metabolomics tools, etc.  The MOBIX Molecular Biology Facility or MOBIX lab, located in Health Sciences Complex, provides several essential services in molecular biology including DNA sequencing and oligonucleotide synthesis.  Research opportunities are augmented by the Computing and Information Services, a 200 curie Caesium-137 gamma source, collaboration with the National Water Research Institute (Canada Centre for Inland Waters), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (London Research and Development Center), and by the Royal Botanical Gardens whose 1880 acres of varied lands and water areas adjoin the McMaster University campus.

A detailed description of the research and recent publications of each faculty member is available on our website (see above). 

Programs

• Biology, M.Sc.

• Biology, Ph.D

• Biology Courses

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