WILKIE LAB
Looking for New Graduate Graduate Students for Spring & Fall 2025
Lampreys are ancient, jawless fishes that diverged from the main vertebrate lineage over 400 million years ago. All lampreys begin life as filter-feeding larvae before they undergo metamorphosis into juvenile lampreys that have a sucker-like oral disc. Some species, such as the sea lamprey, are parasitic and feed on the blood of fishes. The invasion of the Great Lakes by sea lamprey in the early 20th century contributed to the collapse of many important fisheries. Populations are now controlled using chemicals called lampricides and dams that block their migration. The Wilkie Lab at Wilfrid Laurier University is hiring at least four students (2 MSc, 2 PhD) to study sea lamprey physiology and their control in the Great Lakes.
Graduate Projects: (i) The effects of warming temperatures due to climate change on sea lamprey physiology and lampricide effectiveness; (ii) how native, non-parasitic lamprey species respond to lampricides; (iii) how metabolism and gill function change during the lamprey’s life cycle.
Students will perform field collections of larval lampreys and conduct their studies in Laurier’s fully equipped biology labs and aquatic facilities. Methods and skills to be learned will be project dependent and may include molecular biology (e.g. mRNA expression, protein quantification), immunohistochemistry to study tissue structure and function, biochemical assays of energy stores and metabolites, and respirometry to measure whole animal metabolic rate.
Qualifications: Interested students should have training in the biological sciences or other related disciplines, preferably with research experience obtained by completing a MSc thesis, B.Sc. undergraduate research project, or volunteer work. A minimum B average is required for admittance to either MSc or PhD programs. Demonstrated skills in writing and data organization and analyses are an asset.
Preferred Starting date: May or September 2025 (flexible).
Financial support: The minimum level of financial support will be $ 26,500/year for M.Sc. Students & $ 30,500/year for Ph.D. students including a full teaching assistantship & university scholarship.
Applications: Interested applicants should contact:
• Dr. Michael Wilkie, Dept. Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University. Email: mwilkie@wlu.ca
Please briefly describe your training, why you wish to pursue graduate studies, and provide a copy of your university transcript (unofficial transcript is acceptable), plus an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV). Review of applications will begin in January 2025 and continue through spring.
We seek to further build a diverse, inclusive and supportive team of researchers and trainees at WLU, and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. We especially welcome applications from qualified members of equity-deserving groups including women, Indigenous persons, and members of other historically-excluded and under-represented groups including, but not limited to, racialized, LGBTQIA2S+, and/or disabled students. Candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcome to contact Equity & Accessibility at equity@wlu.ca.
Posted December 2024.