Career Opportunities

Research Interests: Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms, Genetic Diseases, Calcium signaling, Cardiac arrhythmia, Electrical signaling, Electrophysiology, Epilepsy, Ion channels, Structural Biology

Potential project areas:

1) Muscle excitation-contraction coupling: How does an electrical signal in a muscle cell get transmitted into contraction? We investigate the membrane proteins involved in this process (L-type calcium channels, Ryanodine Receptors), as well as the various proteins that modulate these channels. Projects include solving crystal and cryo-EM structures of these channels in complex with the additional proteins. Functional experiments (e.g. electrophysiology) are used to test the hypotheses originating from these structures. 2) Channelopathies Ion channels are responsible for electrical signals in excitable cells. Mutations in the ion channel genes can lead to severe and often fatal disorders, including cardiac arrhythmias, epilepsy, ataxias, chronic pain and much more. We investigate the primary disease mechanisms by mapping disease mutations on the 3D structures, comparing structures of wild-type and disease mutant proteins, and functional experiments. Together these provide very detailed insights in the disease process. Current projects include congenital cardiac arrhythmias (CPVT, LongQT, Brugada Syndromes) and epilepsy (Dravet Syndrome)

Research Interests: Cystic Fibrosis, Epidemiology, Respiratory System, Proteomics, Immune Mediators: Cytokines and Chemokines, biomarker discovery and development, clinical epidemiology, health care economics, medication adherence

Potential project areas:

Cystic Fibrosis blood biomarker research and development - proteomics and transcriptomics Health outcomes research using the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry - clinical epidemiology

Research Interests: Water, Hydrological Cycle and Reservoirs, Drinking Water, Fresh Water, Information, Hydroelectricity, Ice and Snow, Control of water systems, Droughts, Experimental hydrology, Floods, Hydrological Prediction, Hydrology, Information theory, Mountain hydrology, Sensors, Uncertainty, Water resources management

Potential project areas:

Projects regarding new measurement techniques for catchment hydrology
Projects working on uncertainty analysis / quantification for hydrological prediction
Projects on optimal monitoring network layout / optimal expermental design
Projects on applications of information theory in hydrology and water resources

Research Interests: Glycobiology, Carbohydrates, Tumor immunology, Functional genomics, CRISPR screening, Glycomics, Biochemistry, Molecular Genetics, Cell Biology, Cancer

Potential project areas:

Dr. Wisnovsky's lab studies the cell surface glycome, a dense network of sugar molecules that coats the surface of every living cell. The glycome plays a fundamental role in regulating the activity of our immune system, helping immune cells to distinguish normal, healthy cells from abnormal cells and invading pathogens. In diseases like cancer, the structure of the cell-surface glycome becomes profoundly altered, allowing tumour cells to escape immune detection. Dr. Wisnovsky's group applies cutting-edge CRISPR genomic screening technologies to better understand the complex genetic mechanisms that regulate these changes in cellular glycosylation. The overarching goal of his research is to identify druggable pathways that can be targeted to modulate the cell-surface glycome, generating new therapeutic options for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease.

Research Interests: Geophysics, Inverse theory, Data science, Machine learning, Electromagnetics, Carbon sequestration , Groundwater , Environmental geophysics, Resource exploration

Research Interests: Rhetoric, Black Studies, Digital Media, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Critical Pedagogies, Race and Racism

Research Interests: Administrative health data, Complex Trait Genetics, Electronic health records, Epidemiology, Genetic epidemiology, Genetics of Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases, Machine learning, Mental Health and Psychopathology in Children and Youth, Precision health, Statistical genetics

Potential project areas:

The last decade has seen an unprecedented explosion of data. In medicine, data are increasingly being generated and linked across electronic health records, administrative databases, and biobanked samples. These resources hold tremendous promise for improving human health and achieving precision medicine, which will only be realized by thoughtful study designs and innovative analyses.

My lab uses novel computational methods grounded in genetic epidemiology and statistical genetics to capitalize on today’s big data resources. We aim to understand how genetic and epigenetic differences between people contribute to variation in disease susceptibility, response to treatment, and recovery. A primary goal of our research is to reduce the suffering associated with psychiatric disorders, many of which first manifest in childhood and adolescence. We conduct studies in large population datasets, with a major interest in electronic health records and biobanks, and we work at the intersection of genetics, epidemiology, statistics, bioinformatics, and computer science.

Research Interests: Bacteria, Bacteriophages, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics, Gut microbiota, Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Research Interests: Brain mechanisms of human perception, attention, and behaviour in experimental & everyday situations

Research Interests: Nutrition and Cancer, Breast Cancer, Hepatic Diseases, Gene Regulation and Expression, Epigenetics, Cancer epigenetics, Nutritional epigenomics

Potential project areas:

Epigenetics refers to the molecular events controlling gene expression that are independent of changes in the underlying DNA sequence. These events include DNA methylation, covalent histone modifications, and non-coding RNA-related mechanisms. Epigenetic modifications of DNA, namely DNA methylation, have been shown to contribute to the etiology of chronic diseases with cancer at the forefront. DNA methylation is dynamic and serves as an adaptive mechanism to a wide variety of environmental factors including diet.

My laboratory is focused on addressing the following scientific questions:

1) Do dietary bioactive compounds act through epigenetic mechanisms to prevent cancer and exert beneficial effects in adjuvant therapy?
Our hypothesis is that dietary polyphenols (e.g., resveratrol, pterostilbene, piceatannol, and coffee polyphenols) impact DNA methylation patterns and thereby gene transcription via modulation of expression and activity of epigenetic enzymes such as TETs and DNMTs. Changes in these enzymes, alter the occupancy of specific protein complexes in gene regulatory regions which determines chromatin structure and as a result gene transcription. Through this mode of action, polyphenols reverse cancer-specific patterns of DNA methylation; they lead to the activation of methylation-silenced tumour suppressor genes and concomitant suppression of demethylation-activated oncogenes and prometastatic genes. We are also exploring if epigenetic mechanisms regulated by polyphenols can sensitize cancer cells to traditional anti-cancer therapeutics.

2) Do dietary bioactive compounds reverse epigenetic aberrations underlying initiation of inflammation and inflammation-driven cancer?
Existing evidence suggests that at sites of inflammation the release of reactive oxygen species causes DNA damage that induces re-localization of epigenetic proteins and results in DNA methylation changes of associated genes during tumorigenesis. We hypothesize that bioactive compounds can prevent cancer development by targeting those changes in the DNA methylation patterns.

3) Do changes in epigenetic marks reflect dietary exposure to bioactive compounds?
We hypothesize that exposure to dietary polyphenols may leave stable marks in human body by inducing changes in DNA methylation patterns. Such molecular markers in easily accessible specimens are needed and should reflect long-term exposures. This will deliver quantitative tools for measuring the intake of bioactive food components in clinical and epidemiological studies.

Current Projects:
1) Epigenetic regulation of the NOTCH oncogenic pathway in response to polyphenols from blueberries and grapes (stilbenoids: pterostilbene, piceatannol, resveratrol).

2) Epigenetic mechanisms of polyphenols in prevention of inflammation in a mouse model of colitis and colon cancer.

3) Epigenetic biomarkers of exposure to dietary bioactive compounds.

Please find more information at:
http://epigenetics.wixsite.com/stefanskalab