GENERAL INFORMATION
Dear prospective student or postdoc: thanks for your interest in our research and in joining our team!
I encourage prospective students and postdocs with strong backgrounds to apply to our lab by sending the following information via email to me: (i) a CV; and (ii) a cover letter with a statement of research interests and relevant background experience. In your cover letter, it would be most helpful if you could outline how your research interests overlap with our lab’s and describe what you would be interested in working on if you came to Concordia University. Being able to provide some of your own funding will be an advantage to joining our lab. Below I provide some information about working in my lab and some potential funding sources. Benefits of working in my lab include well developed research programs in multiple regions, field work in beautiful places (e.g. northern Quebec; Cape Race, Newfoundland), the potential for collaboration with an excellent group of people in Concordia’s Department of Biology and with governmental or Indigenous research partners, and excellent molecular and aquatic wet lab facilities. Concordia is an emerging, integrative university, Montreal is an amazing culturally-diverse city (ranked one of the best places in the world to attend university by students themselves), and there are plenty of fantastic things to see and do in and outside of town!
Student training in my lab. Providing effective mentoring to graduate students is a critical component of my research program. I want to help students discover their research and career interests so that they can mature into strong independent scientists and conservation leaders, and obtain the necessary skills to be competitive for jobs in academia, government, non-governmental organizations and environmental consulting firms (e.g. outstanding critical-thinking, quantitative, time management, oral and written skills, and resourcefulness). To do so, I invest a substantial amount of time and energy to help students develop research projects, plan experiments and statistical analyses, write and revise manuscripts, present conference or outreach presentations/posters, and develop their own mentoring skills. I work very hard to provide my lab members with a supportive research environment and the resources and opportunities for them to succeed.
Expectations of students in my lab. Graduate school is a fun and highly rewarding experience that involves a lot of hard work. I expect my students to be fully committed to their research, to be curious, motivated and hard-working, and to take ownership of their thesis and opportunities provided to them. I also expect my students to contribute to the development of a productive, supportive, and collaborative research group at Concordia University.
Information of funding/scholarships
Concordia University has a rich number of funding opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs. Check here to determine if you are eligible: LINK
Although having a scholarship is not a pre-requisite for joining our lab*, students joining my lab are expected to apply to and be competitive for scholarships from NSERC, FQRNT or other external funding sources. Students applying with a minimum GPA of 3.7/4.3 (or 3.5/4) will also be eligible for internal Concordia scholarships.
Applications for NSERC graduate scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships are usually due in the early fall, for start dates in the following May, September or January. *For international students, having some form of external funding will often be essential to help offset the high tuition fees for such students
Postdoctoral fellowship information
- Horizon postdoctoral fellowships at Concordia University LINK
- NSERC postdoctoral fellowships LINK
- FQRNT postdoctoral fellowship LINK
- Liber Ero fellowships LINK
Undergraduate thesis projects (BIOL490) – Our lab aims to provide highly motivated undergraduate students at Concordia University with regular opportunities to undertake BIOL490 thesis projects each academic year. Projects vary in subject and scope, and typically undergraduate students will be working under the guidance of a mentor graduate student within the lab along with Dr. Fraser. Students should have a minimum overall GPA of 3.5-3.6 to apply. Please contact Dr. Fraser by email if you have any questions and are interested in joining the lab.