St. George UTM UTSC All Faculty Mounir G. AbouHaidar Professor Molecular biology of plant and human viruses. Mechanisms of resistance and development of "transgenic" plants resistant to viruses. James Anderson Professor Emeritus I am interested in the processes that shape the structure of fungal populations including sexual and somatic recognition, reproduction, mutation and recombination. Ina Anreiter Assistant Professor We study gene-regulatory processes underlying behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster. We are interested in undertanding the roles that genetics, epigenetics, epitrancriptomics, and the environment play in regulating behaviour, plasticity, and individual differences. Maithe Arruda-Carvalho Assistant Professor Our lab uses a systems level approach to explore the relationship between the maturation of sensitive brain circuits, the emergence of complex behaviour, and stress sensitivity in mice. Thomas Berleth Professor The Arabidopsis embryo represents a simple, reproducible cellular pattern comprised of few basic tissues and prototypes of leaf- and root-like organs. These structures are generated in a suite of highly reproducible stages that imply tight control of orientation and frequency of cell division as well as cell morphology and differentiation. Katharina Braeutigam Assistant Professor Our lab is interested in the intricate relationships between epigenome, genome, and phenotype in plants. We focus on stress responses, climate change-related adjustments, and developmental transitions combining high-throughput genome scans & bioinformatics with cell & molecular biology and modern phenotyping. Ashley E. Bruce Professor Our goal is to understand how morphogenesis and embryonic tissue patterning are linked. We use cellular, molecular and embryological techniques to study these questions in the zebrafish embryo. Leslie T. Buck Professor We use a comparative neurobiological/physiological/molecular approach to understand how animals survive environmental extremes, in particular how painted turtles and goldfish survive without oxygen for weeks. John Calarco Assistant Professor We study how mRNA processing and post-transcriptional gene regulation influences the development, differentiation, and function of the nervous system Belinda S.W. Chang Professor Recreating the evolution of visual proteins in the laboratory; next generation sequencing and computational studies of visual proteins from animals in unusual habitats; mutagenesis studies of visual pigment structure/function Hai-Ying (Mary) Cheng Full Professor Dinesh Christendat Professor Structural biology approaches to understand the functional divergence and regulation of metabolic proteins in plants and microbes John R. Coleman Professor Emeritus Laura Corbit Assistant Professor Mark Currie Assistant Professor We seek to understand the mechanisms that govern genome organization, epigenetic gene regulation, and genome stability in health and disease. We combine structural biology, biochemistry, and cellular model systems. Sherwin S. Desser Professor Emeritus Darrell Desveaux Professor Systems biology of plant-microbe interactions. We investigate how pathogens cause disease and how plants defend themselves Elizabeth A. Edwards Professor Ingo Ensminger Associate Professor We study plant-environment interactions and the impact of climate change on plants from molecular to leaf, species and ecosystem level. Our research focuses on (i) developing tools for monitoring photosynthesis and for high-throughput phenotyping using remote sensing and drones, and (ii) on examining the mechanisms that contribute to adaptation and acclimation of trees to warmer and drier climate. Ted Erclik Assistant Professor Our lab’s goal is to understand how complex neural circuits develop from an initial population of stem cells. As a model system, we use the Drosophila optic lobe, which is the visual processing center of the fruit fly brain. George S. Espie Professor Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez Associate Professor Guillaume Filion Assistant Professor Kathlyn Gan Assistant Professor Our lab studies molecular pathways that regulate human synapse formation and function and harnesses them to restore synaptic connectivity in the aging brain. Christopher Garside Associate Professor, Teaching Stream I am interested in finding ways to increase student engagement with lecture and laboratory materials by providing students with transferrable concepts and skills. Sonia Gazzarrini Professor Robert Gerlai Professor Penney Gilbert Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair, Endogenous Repair Dorothea Godt Professor Emerita Analysis of molecular networks that drive cell shape changes, cell migration, and cell and tissue architecture during animal development Eliana Gonzales-Vigil Assistant Professor Daphne Goring Professor My overall research interests are to understand how plant cells communicate through signal transduction pathways to regulate plant reproduction in the Brassicaceae family (Arabidopsis and related species). David S. Guttman Professor Comparative, evolutionary and functional genomics. Evolution of host specificity and virulence in pathogenic bacteria. Microbiome studies of human and plant diseases. Christina Guzzo Assistant Professor Tony J.C. Harris Professor We study how molecular circuits control and coordinate cell polarity, adhesion, cytoskeletal and membrane trafficking machinery to build and re-shape cells during animal development. Rene E. Harrison Professor Clare Hasenkampf Professor Emerita Michele Heath Professor Emerita Johan Hellebust Professor Emeritus Verna Higgins Professor Emerita Melissa M. Holmes Professor Rutsuko Ito Associate Professor Voula Kanelis Associate Professor Junchul Kim Assistant Professor Linda M. Kohn Professor Emerita Minoru Koyama Assistant Professor We investigate the neural circuit mechanisms of behavioural development using power combinations of cutting-edge physiology, optics, genetics, and behavioural analyses in developing zebrafish. Angela B. Lange Professor Ellen W. Larsen Professor Emerita Joel Levine Professor Qian Lin Assistant Professor How does the brain produce adaptive, flexible behavior? We want to understand the neural mechanisms of decision making by combining whole-brain imaging in behaving zebrafish and computational tools. Baohua Liu Assistant Professor We study the structure, function and plasticity of the circuits in mammalian visual system using the combination of functional imaging, electrophysiology, optogenetics, circuit tracing and behavioural analysis. David A. Lovejoy Professor Integrated molecular and organismal neuroendocrinology on the actions of stress on metabolism, reproduction and behaviour Nathan R. Lovejoy Professor Shelley Lumba Assistant Professor Our goal is to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying dormancy and germination in both non-parasitic and parasitic plants. We apply systems biology approaches to generate signalling networks during seed germination. Loren Martin Assistant Professor Andrew C. Mason Professor & Chair Emma Master Professor The aim of my research is to create breakthrough biotechnologies that customize nature’s most abundant structural biopolymers for use in sustainable materials Yoshio Masui Professor Emeritus Peter McCourt Professor The laboratory is focused on how hormones regulate developmental responses in higher plants. In particular, we use functional and chemical genomics approaches to dissect abscisic acid (ABA) and strigolactone signaling. Heather McFarlane Assistant Professor We ask and answer questions about the fundamental mechanisms by which plants sense their environment through the cell wall and how plants adjust their growth in response to these signals. Patrick O. McGowan Associate Professor David R. McMillen Associate Professor Josh Milstein Associate Professor Jennifer A. Mitchell Professor We study how stem cells maintain the ability to self-renew and differentiate to specialised cells. Our focus is on finding the on/off instructions in DNA that regulate genes required for stem cell function. Douglas Ashley Monks Associate Professor Alan M. Moses Professor DNA and protein sequences that control gene regulation. Population genetics and molecular evolution of regulatory networks. Development of computational and statistical methods for analysis of large biological datasets. Adam Mott Assistant Professor Eiji Nambara Professor My research team investigates molecular mechanisms by which plants regulate plant hormone metabolism. Joanne E. Nash Associate Professor Rob W. Ness Assistant Professor Melody J. Neumann Associate Professor, Teaching Stream My primary research interest is the scholarly and scientific analysis of teaching practices to improve student learning in cell and molecular biology. Alex Nguyen Ba Assistant Professor Our lab is working to understand how genetic changes lead to differences in traits and how this impacts evolution. This is important as a quarter of individuals are carriers of a gene variant that can cause disease. Despite genetic screening efforts, it is still not possible for scientists to identify which variants are pathogenic and which are benign. Our lab uses synthetic biology, robotics, and high-throughput technologies to pave the way for an atlas of disease causing mutations. We also frame these findings in an evolutionary synthesis to guide us towards acquiring an understanding of our evolutionary history. Danton H. O’Day Professor Emeritus Ian Orchard Professor Emeritus Xue Pan Assistant Professor Our research interests revolve around plant lipid synthesis, modification and signaling with the goal of developing innovative engineering strategies to enhance crop productivity, bio-oil yield and quality. John H. Peever Professor Our research is focused on identifying the brain circuits that control sleep and wakefulness, and how breakdown in these circuits contribute to disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and narcolepsy Michael A. Phillips Associate Professor Regulation and control of plant terpenoid biosynthesis. We use mass spectrometry, isotopic labeling, and synthetic biology to study terpenoid metabolism in Arabidopsis and medically important plant species. Sergey V. Plotnikov Assistant Professor We are interested in understanding the mechanisms utilized by mammalian cells to sense and transduce physical inputs from the microenvironment and how cell migration is guided by the mechanical cues. Cosima Porteus Assistant Professor The focus of our laboratory is to understand how fish sense, interact with and respond to their environment, linking environmental changes or challenges to whole animal physiology, behaviour and ecology. Jessica Pressey Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream Cellular mechanisms underlying inhibitory GABAergic synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system Nicholas J. Provart Professor & Chair Bioinformatic tools and analyses for hypothesis generation in plant biology. Wet-lab validation of hypotheses generated using such tools Satyaki Rajavasireddy Assistant Professor We study the genetics and epigenetics of seed development. Michael Reber Associate Professor Stephen Reid Associate Professor Arbora Resulaj Assistant Professor Ho-Sung Rhee Assistant Professor We study epigenetic regulation of neural development and disease using mouse stem cell differentiation systems and high-resolution genomic approaches. C. Daniel Riggs Associate Professor Emeritus Maurice Ringuette Associate Professor Patricia Romans Professor Emerita Robert Rozeske Assistant Professor We study how spatial representations guide defensive behaviour using a systems neuroscience approach. Arneet Saltzman Assistant Professor Understanding chromatin regulation during development using C. elegans as a model system. Ritu Sarpal Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream Adriano Senatore Associate Professor In the Senatore lab, we study the molecular biology, electrophysiology, protein complexing, and evolution of i) voltage-gated calcium channels, ii) ionotropic glutamate receptors, and iii) degenerin/ENaC sodium channels gated by protons and neuropeptides. As research subjects, we study several marine invertebrates with a focus on Trichoplax adhaerens, a free behaving animal that lacks synapses and a nervous system but possesses most genes required for neural and synaptic signaling. Maxwell Shafer Assistant Professor Decoding the genomic and cellular mechanisms of sleep evolution using comparative approaches across vertebrate species, including functional genomics, bioinformatics, cell & molecular biology, neurobiology, and evolution. J. J. Berry Smith Professor Emeritus Marla B. Sokolowski Professor Richard Stephenson Associate Professor Bryan Stewart Professor Gopal Subramaniam Senior Scientist Kaori Takehara-Nishiuchi Associate Professor Ulrich Tepass Professor We study the mechanisms of cell polarity and cell adhesion of epithelial cells during animal development. Our work is relevant for several human diseases, in particular cancer and blindness. Mauricio Terebiznik Associate Professor Tod Thiele Assistant Professor We investigate how neural circuits produce behaviour using systems neuroscience approaches. Bebhinn Treanor Associate Professor Vincent Tropepe Professor and Vice Dean, Research We study the molecular and cellular basis of neurogenesis in the brain and retina during development and in the context of regeneration Greg C. Vanlerberghe Professor Susannah L. Varmuza Professor Emerita Brandon Walters Assistant Professor Kenneth C. Welch Associate Professor J. Timothy Westwood Associate Professor Emeritus Rudolf Winklbauer Professor We study the molecular and cellular mechanisms and the tissue mechanical basis of vertebrate gastrulation. Melanie A. Woodin Professor & Dean Understanding the functioning of inhibitory synapses, both at the cellular level and within neuronal circuits. Kenneth Yip Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream My teaching focus is on evidence-based strategies to improve student success within the biological sciences. Our laboratory interests include cancer, fibrosis, and COPA syndrome. Keiko Yoshioka Professor Signal transduction of stress responses in plants with an emphasis on immunity; environmental effects on pathogen resistance; signal transduction networks in abiotic and biotic stress responses; production of stress resistant plants. Rongmin Zhao Associate Professor Mei Zhen Professor Iva Zovkic Assistant Professor
