Join the team!

The Microbiome Engineering Lab is looking to recruit bright, motivated, and enthusiastic researchers to join in Fall 2023 as undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. Applicants from broad disciplines, such as Chemical, Biological, or Environmental Engineering, or Biochemistry, Microbiology or Chemistry or a related field are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have a strong interest in both experimental and computational research at the interface of engineering and biology. Those interested should contact Chris directly by email (chris.lawson[at]utoronto.ca) with the information noted below.

Postdoctoral Applicants

We are looking for 1 postdoctoral fellow to join our lab in Fall 2022. Please submit your CV, a brief statement (1 page max) of past and future research interests, and the names and contact information for 3 references. In your statement, please describe the research and training objectives you wish to pursue in our lab and how they align with your career goals.

Graduate Student Applicants

We are looking for up to 3 graduate students (PhD or MASc) to join our lab in Fall 2022. Graduate students with a strong interest in bioengineering, industrial & environmental biotechnology, systems & synthetic biology, microbial ecology and other related disciplines are encouraged to apply to the Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry graduate studies program. Please follow the link here for further details on how to apply. Please contact Chris in advance if you intend to apply and are interested in joining our lab.

Undergraduate Applicants

We encourage motivated undergraduates who are interested in completing thesis or summer research projects in our lab to contact Chris directly via email. Interested students should submit a list of current and planned course work and a 1-2 paragraph statement on why you would like to work in our lab.

My Mentoring Philosophy

Much of my time and effort is dedicated to the mentoring of students and postdocs. As a professor, it is my job to help you gain the necessary technical competencies, soft skills, and experiences that will help you achieve your personal goals in our lab and when you leave. I will help you set research, training, and career goals, tailor course work to your desired skills and interests, provide opportunities to build oral and written communication abilities, and become an independent problem solver and critical thinker through research projects that address societies most pressing problems with innovative biotechnologies. We will meet regularly to discuss progress towards your personal goals and adapt to changes that may arise as your progress through your research in the lab.

As a member of our research team, I expect you to be a highly motivated and independent individual that takes initiative and ownership in developing their research projects and collaborations. Our lab is part of BioZone – the Centre for Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering at UofT – and members will have the opportunity to participate in large-team collaborative research projects within BioZone and with other academic and industrial research partners. We place the highest priority on best practices for “team science” including open communication, accountability, mutual respect, learning and working together, and having fun.   

A detailed description of my expectations of graduate students and postdocs and what they can expect from me can be found here.