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- Biochemistry Admission Requirements and Application Procedures
- Biochemistry Faculty
- Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis) (45 credits)
- Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis): Bioinformatics (45 credits)
- Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis): Chemical Biology (47 credits)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry: Bioinformatics
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry: Chemical Biology
Biochemistry
Location
Location
- Department of Biochemistry
- McIntyre Medical Sciences Building
- 3655 Promenade Sir-William-Osler
- Montreal QC H3G 1Y6
- Canada
- Christine Laberge: Student Affairs Officer/Graduate Program Coordinator
- Telephone: 514-398-2423
- Email: christine.laberge [at] mcgill.ca
- Website: www.mcgill.ca/biochemistry
About Biochemistry
About Biochemistry
The Department of Biochemistry offers M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs, which emphasize laboratory research. Our research interests include:
- molecular and cell biology;
- the regulation of gene and protein expression;
- signal transduction;
- protein structure and function;
- membrane biology;
- cell death and differentiation;
- embryonic development;
- neurobiology;
- bioinformatics;
- cancer.
Specialized graduate training programs in Chemical Biology, Human Systems Biology (Bioinformatics), Cancer Research/Oncology, and are available. Laboratories are located in the new Bellini Life Sciences Building and Goodman Cancer Research Centre, and the renovated McIntyre Medical Sciences Building, together comprising one of the best-equipped research facilities in Canada. The outstanding quality of our research has been recognized by recent awards including a Gairdner Award, two Killam Prizes, and eight Canada Research Chairs.
Funding
Master's students receive a minimum stipend of $20,000 annually; doctoral students receive $22,000. The Department is committed to helping graduate students secure adequate funding for their research. All students are financially supported either by their supervisor or through fellowships or scholarships. Prospective students are urged to make every effort to secure their own funding. Applications may be made for a variety of fellowships administered by the University or by various federal, provincial, or private agencies. For more information on fellowships and awards, see the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.
Departmental Seminars
Visiting scientists and senior doctoral students present their research findings to the Department at a regular seminar series throughout the academic year. All graduate students are required to attend the regular seminars and additional special lectures, and are encouraged to attend scientific conferences and symposia.
| Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis) (45 credits) |
|---|
|
The M.Sc. in Biochemistry introduces students to laboratory-based research at an advanced level. The M.Sc. program offers core courses in advanced biochemistry topics, but focuses on laboratory research. The program provides sophisticated training in the technical as well as theoretical aspects of biochemistry, at one of the leading Biochemistry departments in Canada. The M.Sc. program is an excellent preparation for skilled positions in the biomedical sciences, in industry or the public sector, or for superior research in a Ph.D. program. |
| Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis): Bioinformatics (45 credits) |
|
Bioinformatics research lies at the intersection of biological/medical sciences and mathematics/computer science/engineering. The intention of the Bioinformatics option is to train students to become researchers in this interdisciplinary field. This includes the development of strategies for experimental design, the construction of tools to analyze datasets, the application of modelling techniques, the creation of tools for manipulating bioinformatics data, the integration of biological databases, and the use of algorithms and statistics. Students successfully completing the Bioinformatics option at the M.Sc. level will be fluent in the concepts, language, approaches, and limitations of the field. The option consists of a number of interdisciplinary courses and a seminar designed to bring students from many backgrounds together and to provide a thorough overview of research in this field. |
| Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis): Chemical Biology (47 credits) |
|
The Chemical Biology Thematic Group is engaged in a diverse range of research topics, which span structural biology, enzymology, nucleic acid research, signalling pathways, single molecule biophysics, and biophysical chemistry of living tissues. Among the themes that unite the research being performed in this group is the attempt to learn new chemistry and physics from biological systems. We have projects relating to pharmaceutically relevant enzymes such as those involved in drug metabolism and antibiotic resistance; development of therapeutic agents in the control of inflammation, cancer, and viral infections; the chemical biology of NO; quantification of bioenergetic markers of metabolism; self-assembly mechanisms of the HIV-1 virion capsid; liposome microarray systems to address membrane protein dynamics and recognition; studies on reactive oxygen species translocation across the aqueous/lipid membrane interface; Ï㽶ÊÓƵi/antisense technologies; dynamic combinatorial chemistry; protein dynamics and function; mechanistic aspects involved in cellular adhesion and transport in membrane and zeolite channels; and cutting-edge microscopes used to examine transport, motility, and reactivity in cells. The Chemical Biology graduate option is centred on the pursuit of an original research project under the direction of one or more mentors. The program is supported by Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through its Strategic Training Initiatives program. The program of training incorporates several important features, including a diverse curriculum and programs of seminars, workshops, and discussion groups designed to provide students with a well-rounded exposure to both the chemical and biological aspects of the discipline. The M.Sc. option provides a foundation in the concepts and approaches of Chemical Biology. |
| Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry |
|
The Ph.D. in Biochemistry trains students in laboratory-based research at the highest level. The Ph.D. program is streamlined to emphasize independent research, and the many areas of biochemistry studied in our Department offer a wide choice of specialties. Students gain in-depth expertise in biochemistry and the biomedical sciences, with the opportunity to carry out research projects at a world-class level and build collaborations with other leading research groups. Graduates of the Ph.D. program are outstandingly prepared for leadership careers in the basic health sciences in industry, the public sector, or academia. |
| Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry: Bioinformatics |
|
Bioinformatics research lies at the intersection of biological/medical sciences and mathematics/computer science/engineering. The intention of the Bioinformatics option is to train students to become researchers in this interdisciplinary field. This includes the development of strategies for experimental design, the construction of tools to analyze datasets, the application of modelling techniques, the creation of tools for manipulating Bioinformatics data, the integration of biological databases, and the use of algorithms and statistics. Students successfully completing the Bioinformatics option at the Ph.D. level will be fluent in the concepts, language, approaches, and limitations of the field, and have the capability of developing an independent Bioinformatics research program. The option consists of a number of interdisciplinary courses and a seminar designed to bring students from many backgrounds together and to provide a thorough overview of research in this field. |
| Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry: Chemical Biology |
|
The Chemical Biology Thematic Group is engaged in a diverse range of research topics which span structural biology, enzymology, nucleic acid research, signalling pathways, single molecule biophysics, and biophysical chemistry of living tissues. Among the themes which unite the research being performed in this group is trying to learn new chemistry and physics from biological systems. We have projects relating to pharmaceutically relevant enzymes such as those involved in drug metabolism and antibiotic resistance; development of therapeutic agents in the control of inflammation, cancer and viral infections; the chemical biology of NO; quantification of bioenergetic markers of metabolism; self-assembly mechanisms of the HIV-1 virion capsid; liposome microarray systems to address membrane protein dynamics and recognition; studies on reactive oxygen species translocation across the aqueous/lipid membrane interface; Ï㽶ÊÓƵi/antisense technologies; dynamic combinatorial chemistry; protein dynamics and function; mechanistic aspects involved in cellular adhesion and transport in membrane and zeolite channels; and cutting-edge microscopes used to examine transport, motility, and reactivity in cells. The Chemical Biology graduate option is centred on the pursuit of an original research project under the direction of one or more mentors. The program is supported by Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through its Strategic Training Initiatives program. The program of training incorporates several important features, including a diverse curriculum and programs of seminars, workshops, and discussion groups designed to provide students with a well-rounded exposure to both the chemical and biological aspects of the discipline. The Ph.D. option provides advanced training in Chemical Biology based on independent research. Financial support for students in the program is available from a variety of sources, including competitively awarded CIHR-funded Chemical Biology Scholarship awards. |
Biochemistry Admission Requirements and Application Procedures
Biochemistry Admission Requirements and Application Procedures
Admission Requirements
Admission Requirements
Admission is based on the candidate’s academic record, letters of recommendation, curriculum vitae, and personal statement. A minimum grade point average of 3.2/4.0 (B+) is required. Once a student has submitted all the required documents, the applicant’s file will be reviewed by the Graduate Admission Committee. Files that do not meet the minimum requirement will not be considered. Applicants must also be accepted by a research supervisor who is a faculty member or associate member of the Department of Biochemistry. Recommendation for admission will be made once the applicant has secured a supervisor and adequate financial support. Financial support should be in the form of a stipend from the supervisor's research grant or a fellowship held by the student.
Master's Program
Candidates for the M.Sc. degree must hold a B.Sc. degree or its equivalent in Biochemistry or in related disciplines (e.g., biology, chemistry, physiology, microbiology).
Doctoral Program
Candidates who have completed their M.Sc. degree may be admitted directly to the Ph.D. program. Candidates who are admitted to the M.Sc. program and who are interested in the Ph.D. may transfer into the Ph.D. program after successfully completing the transfer seminar (BIOC 701) and all course requirements. The M.Sc. thesis requirement is then waived.
International Applicants
Applicants to graduate studies whose mother tongue is not English and who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a recognized foreign institution where English is the language of instruction or from a recognized Canadian institution (anglophone or francophone), must submit the following:
-
(Test of English as a Foreign Language): The CBT is no longer being offered. CBT results will no longer be accepted as ETS no longer reports these results.
N.B. an institutional version of the TOEFL is not acceptable.
Minimum acceptable scores are: IBT (Internet-Based Test): 86 overall, no less than 20 in each of the four component scores.
PBT (Paper-Based Test): 567
or
: (International English Language Testing System): a band score of 6.5 or greater (Academic module)
- International students who have received their degree outside North America should submit scores: The GRE is not required but is recommended for international students. The Biochemistry subject test is now part of the Biology test. The most important sub-score is "Cellular and Molecular Biology", followed by "Evolution"; "Organismal Biology and Ecology" is less important.
For additional information, please consult the department's website.
Admission Requirements – Bioinformatics or Chemical Biology Option
As for the regular graduate programs of the Biochemistry Department, acceptance into the Bioinformatics or Chemical Biology option consists of two steps:
- Preliminary approval by the Department's Graduate Admission Committee based on the student's transcript, references, and other documents submitted with the application. The criteria for assessment at this level are the same as for the regular graduate programs of the Department.
- Acceptance by a Bioinformatics or Chemical Biology research director. The director must propose a research project for the student that provides training in the methods and philosophy of Chemical Biology. Project proposals are assessed by the Bioinformatics or Chemical Biology Program Committee.
Application Procedures
Application Procedures
McGill’s online application form for graduate program candidates is available at www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply.
See University Regulations & Resources > Graduate > Graduate Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Application Procedures > Application Procedures for detailed application procedures. Information for prospective students is also available on the Department of Biochemistry's website.
All applicants are advised to contact potential research supervisors during or before the application process since supervisor acceptance is required. Information about the research interests of faculty members can be found at www.mcgill.ca/biochemistry/research and www.mcgill.ca/biochemistry/about-us/department/faculty-members.
Application Dates and Deadlines
Application Dates and Deadlines
Application opening dates are set by Enrolment Services in consultation with Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS), while application deadlines are set by the Department of Biochemistry and may be revised at any time. Applicants must verify all deadlines and documentation requirements well in advance on the appropriate McGill departmental website; please consult the list at www.mcgill.ca/gps/contact/graduate-program.
| Ìý | Application Opening Dates | Application Deadlines | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ìý | All Applicants | Non-Canadian citizens (incl. Special, Visiting & Exchange) | Canadian citizens/Perm. residents of Canada (incl. Special, Visiting & Exchange) | Current McGill Students (any citizenship) |
| Fall Term: | Sept. 15 | April 20 | June 15 | June 15 |
| Winter Term: | Feb. 15 | Sept. 1 | Nov. 1 | Nov. 1 |
| Summer Term: | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Admission to graduate studies is competitive; accordingly, late and/or incomplete applications are considered only as time and space permit.
Biochemistry Faculty
Biochemistry Faculty
| Chair |
|---|
| Albert Berghuis |
| Emeritus Professors |
| Rhoda Blostein; B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.(McG.), F.R.S.C. |
| Philip E. Branton; B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.(Tor.), F.R.S.C. (Gilman Cheney Professor of Biochemistry) |
| Peter E. Braun; B.Sc., M.Sc.(Br. Col.), Ph.D.(Calif., Berk.) |
| Robert E. MacKenzie; B.Sc.(McG.), M.N.S., Ph.D.(Cornell) |
| Walter E. Mushynski; B.Sc., Ph.D.(McG.) |
| John R. Silvius; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Alta.) |
| Clifford P. Stanners; B.Sc.(McM.), M.A., Ph.D.(Tor.) |
| Maria Zannis-Hadjopoulos; B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.(McG.) (joint appt. with Oncology and Medicine) |
| Professors |
| Nicole Beauchemin; B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.(Montr.) (joint appt. with Oncology and Medicine) |
| Albert Berghuis; B.Sc., M.Sc.(Groningen), Ph.D.(Br. Col.) |
| Maxime Bouchard; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Laval) |
| Josée Dostie; B.Sc.(Sher.), Ph.D.(McG.) (CIHR New Investigators Award; Chercheure-boursière du FRSQ) |
| Thomas Duchaine; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Montr.) (Chercheur-boursier du FRSQ) |
| Imed Gallouzi; Maitrise, D.E.A., Ph.D.(Montp.) |
| Kalle Gehring; B.A.(Brown), M.Sc.(Mich.), Ph.D.(Calif., Berk.) (Chercheur National du FRSQ) |
| Vincent Giguère; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Laval) (joint appt. with Oncology and Medicine) |
| Philippe Gros; B.Sc., M.Sc.(Montr.), Ph.D.(McG.), F.R.S.C. (James McGill Professor) |
| Alba Guarné; B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.(Barcelona) |
| Roderick R. McInnes; B.Sc., M.D.(Dal.), Ph.D.(McG.) |
| William Muller; B.Sc., Ph.D.(McG.) (Canada Research Chair in Molecular Oncology) |
| Bhushan Nagar; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Tor.) |
| Alain Nepveu; B.Sc., M.Sc.(Montr.), Ph.D.(Sher.) (James McGill Professor) (joint appt. with Oncology and Medicine) |
| Morag Park; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Glas.), F.R.S.C. (Diane and Sal Guerrera Chair in Cancer Genetics) (James McGill Professor) (joint appt. with Oncology and Medicine) |
| Arnim Pause; B.Sc., M.Sc.(Konstanz), Ph.D.(McG.) |
| Jerry Pelletier; B.Sc., Ph.D.(McG.) (James McGill Professor) |
| Nahum Sonenberg; M.Sc., Ph.D.(Weizmann Inst.), F.R.S.C., F.R.S. (James McGill Professor) (Gilman Cheney Chair in Biochemistry) |
| David Y. Thomas; B.Sc.(Brist.), M.Sc., Ph.D.(UCL; UK), F.R.S.C. (Canada Research Chair in Molecular Genetics) |
| Michel L. Tremblay; B.Sc., M.Sc.(Sher.), Ph.D.(McM.), F.R.S.C. (Jeanne and Jean-Louis Levesque Chair in Cancer Research) |
| Associate Professors |
| Sidong Huang; B.A.(Boston), Ph.D.(Calif. San Francisco) (Canada Research Chair in Functional Genomics) |
| Martin Schmeing; B.Sc.(McG.), Ph.D.(Yale) (Canada Research Chair in Macromolecular Machines) |
| Jose G. Teodoro; B.Sc.(UWO), Ph.D.(McG.) (CIHR New Investigators Award; Chercheur-boursier du FRSQ) |
| Jason C. Young; B.Sc.(Tor.), Ph.D.(McM.) |
| Assistant Professors |
| Uri David Akavia; B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.(Tel Aviv) |
| Natasha C. Chang; B.Sc., M.Sc.(McG.) |
| Maxime Denis; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Montr.) |
| Lawrence Kazak; Ph.D.(Camb.) |
| William Pastor; Ph.D.(Harv.) |
| Maria Vera Ugalde; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Navarra) |
| Ian Watson; B.Sc., Ph.D.(Tor.) (Canada Research Chair in Functional Genomics of Melanoma) |
| Associate Members |
| Gary Brouhard (Dept. of Biology) |
| Marc Fabian (Dept. of Oncology) |
| Robert S. Kiss (Dept. of Medicine) |
| Gergely Lukacs (Dept. of Physiology) |
| Luke McCaffrey (Dept. of Oncology) |
| Janusz Rak (Dept. of Medicine) |
| Stéphane Richard (Depts. of Medicine and Oncology) |
| Selena M. Sagan (Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology) |
| Reza Salavati (Inst. of Parasitology) |
| Erwin Schurr (Ctr. for Host Resistance, MGH) |
| Peter Siegel (Goodman Cancer Ctr., Dept. of Medicine) |
| Ivan Topisirovic (Dept. of Oncology) |
| Youla S. Tsantrizos (Dept. of Chemistry) |
| Bernard Turcotte (Dept. of Medicine) |
| Josie Ursini-Siegel (Dept. of Oncology) |
| Simon Wing (Dept. of Medicine) |
| Xiang-Jiao Yang (Goodman Cancer Ctr., Dept. of Medicine) |
| Adjunct Professors |
| Jacques Drouin; B.Sc., D.Sc.(Laval) (IRCM) |
| Enrico Purisima; B.Sc.(Ateneo de Manila), M.Sc., Ph.D.(Cornell) (NRC/BRI) |
| Julie St-Pierre; B.Sc., M.Sc.(Laval), Ph.D.(Trin. Coll., Cambridge) (Ott.) |
Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis) (45 credits)
For more information, see Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis) (45 credits).
Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis): Bioinformatics (45 credits)
For more information, see Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis): Bioinformatics (45 credits).
Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis): Chemical Biology (47 credits)
For more information, see Master of Science (M.Sc.) Biochemistry (Thesis): Chemical Biology (47 credits).
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry
For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry: Bioinformatics
For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry: Bioinformatics.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry: Chemical Biology
For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Biochemistry: Chemical Biology.
