If you’re interested in joining the lab as an undergraduate, grad student or postdoc, please read below for how to reach out to me at tess.grainger@uoguelph.ca.

PROSPECTIVE GRADUATE STUDENTS

Graduate students in the lab are given the freedom and support to to develop their own research questions within the lab’s research themes. Graduate students are mostly recruited in the fall (September-November) to start the following September, but strong applications will be considered at any time. Students interested in doing an MSc or a PhD in the lab should email Tess with a brief statement outlining your research experience and your interest in the lab, and attach your CV (or resume) and your unofficial transcripts. For funding reasons, only domestic MSc applications are currently being considered (Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents).

Funding information

Full-time graduate students are guaranteed a minimum stipend (annual salary). In addition to conducting research and completing some coursework, grad students in Integrative Biology at Guelph normally work for one semester per year as a teaching assistant as part of their stipend. The minimum stipend in Integrative Biology is about $24k per year for MSc students and $28k per year for PhD students (information here). Graduate students are also required to pay tuition totalling roughly $10k per year (information here – note that this is for Canadian students and the situation is a bit different for international students). To help offset the rapidly rising cost of living, I will pay graduate students in my lab above these minimums: master’s students in the lab will be paid at least $30,000 per year (i.e., a minimum of $20,000 in take-home money after tuition) and PhD students will be paid at least $32,000 per year (i.e., a minimum of $22,000 in take-home money after tuition). I will also work with students to apply for internal and external scholarships to raise this further (scholarships are listed here). Great news: NSERC recently raised MSc scholarships to $27k/year and PhD scholarships to $40k/year, so students receiving these awards will be paid at this level or higher.

Note: there are a number of scholarship available to graduate students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Colour (some of which are listed here). I encourage applicants who are eligible for these awards to highlight this when they reach out to me.

Important dates

December 1st: deadline to apply for an NSERC CGS-M Master’s Scholarship. It is often possible to apply for this in the year before starting (with my help).

Mid-October: deadline to apply for NSERC PGS-D and CGS-D PhD Scholarships (note that Guelph’s internal deadline is at the end of September). You can apply for this in the year before starting, but you can also apply the year you start.

PROSPECTIVE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Ways to do research as an undergraduate:

NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)and Undergraduate Research Assistantships: (URAs): 16 week full time paid summer independent research programs. These are advertised on the Experience Guelph jobs portalin January, we hire in February, and they are a full-time position from May to August. UPDATE (December 2025): No positions currently open.

4th year thesis project (a.k.a Honours project – IBIO 4521 and 4522. Worth 2.0 credits total). Thesis projects involve conducting a literature review, designing an experiment, submitting a research proposal, analyzing data, and presenting findings in a poster presentation and a publication-quality final report. UPDATE (December 2025): No positions currently open.

One semester or two semester independent research projects for course credit: Undergrads at Guelph can do one semester research project (IBIO 4500 – can be in either fall or winter. Worth 1.0 credit) or a two semester research project (IBIO 4500 (fall) plus IBIO 4510 (winter). Worth 2.0 credits total). UPDATE (December 2025): No positions currently open.

Work Study program: paid, part-time research work (usually about 10 hours per week). Can occur in any semester, and I will likely have at least one Work Study position advertised in all fall and winter semesters. All work study positions in the lab will be advertised on the Experience Guelph jobs portal. UPDATE (December 2025): No positions currently open.

Co-op positions: Unfortunately the lab does not have funding to hire co-op students for the foreseeable future.

Note: there are several scholarship available to help undergraduate students who identify as Black or Indigenous get involved in research at Guelph (e.g., NSERC USRA+ awards for Black and Indiginous studentsand Indiginous Undergraduate Research Awards). I encourage applicants who are eligible for these awards to highlight this when they reach out to me.

PROSPECTIVE POSTDOCS

I am always open to hearing from potential postdocs! If you’re interested, please send me an email outlining your research background and interests, potential project ideas, and any postdoc funding that you are eligible for (e.g., NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, Banting, Liber Ero). Please attach your CV!

Note: There is an institutional postdoctoral fellowship at Guelph for Indigenous Scholars. I encourage applicants who are eligible for this grant to highlight this when they reach out to me.

Important dates:

Mid-October: Deadline to apply for NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (note that Guelph’s internal deadline is earlier).

Early July: Deadline to submit Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship letter of intent to apply to Guelph.