Quebec government fellowship

Laval University
Quebec, Canada

Our laboratory is eager to receive application from highly motivated scientists with an excellent record to apply to a Quebec government fellowship available for non-Canadian candidates to study in a Quebec- based laboratory. Doctoral fellowships are available. Furthermore, internships are available for a visit to our laboratory (3000$can/ month, up to 4 months) during graduate studies in another laboratory. Pre-selection by the host university and our laboratory is mandatory.

Candidates from all over the world are invited to apply. Additionally, specific fellowships are available for candidates from Mexico, Brazil, China and Wallonie.

We are in the Department of Biology at Laval University, located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Our laboratory is part of the Institute of Integrative and Systems Biology (IBIS). We study the underlying molecular and hormonal causes of variation in behaviour in vertebrates. We are interested in personality with an emphasis on the stress response and correlation among behaviours, as well as in reproductive tactics. We are also interested by the effects of the environment on development of behaviour, such as environmental enrichment in captive animals, maternal/paternal and social group effects, and endocrine disrupters. We therefore have a strong interest for phenotypic plasticity, along with the effects of genetic variation. We favour an integrative approach by linking data from the same individual: neuropeptides, neurotransmitters and their receptors (quantitative Real-Time PCR, microarrays, in situ hybridization, HPLC), hormones (EIA, HPLC), physiology and behaviour. Our model system is the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, a small fish studied in behavioural biology, which can be kept easily in the lab and whose genome is sequenced.

Laval University is one of the ten main Canadian universities. Quebec City is dynamic with all the advantages of a large city while still allowing for very easy access to wilderness and very reasonable cost of living. The chosen candidates that are successful at obtaining a fellowship will be part of the Institute of Integrative and Systems Biology. They will have access to core genomics and molecular biology facilities, lab meetings and Institute-wide group meetings, journal clubs and weekly seminars at the Institute and in the Biology Department. Several ecological genomics laboratories are part of the Institute and the Biology department, allowing for enriched interactions with members of the other laboratories working in this field.

DEADLINES: Our laboratory must receive applications before July 23, 2010. We will then proceed to select candidates that will be able to apply to the University pre-selection committee with a deadline of August 9th 2010. Candidates selected by the university will then be allowed to apply to the general competition in Fall 2010, with results given in April 2011. Start date can be between May and December 2011.

For more information about the program and opportunities contact:
Nadia.Aubin-Horth@bio.ulaval.ca