Join - MONAGHAN LAB

join OUR GROUP

Our lab offers an excellent training environment in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, plant biology, and genetics.

The Biology Department is well established with exciting research programs in plant biology.
Located on the shores of Lake Ontario, Kingston is a historic and vibrant city close to Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.
We will help you to secure external funding such as NSERC, OGS, Mitacs and others (trainees have secured over $450,000 in scholarships so far).
International experiences are encouraged through collaborative projects.
We have regular one-on-one meetings in addition to weekly lab meeting and journal club.

Individual development plans ensure you focus on your desired career path.
Support for career-enhancing activities such as presenting at conferences.

Annual research-intensive retreat at the Queen's Biological Research Station in the winter.
Annual team-building retreat at Elbow Lake in the summer.

We are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and encourage those from under-represented groups in STEM to join our growing team. We believe that science is for everyone for matter their race, nationality, sexuality, or economic status. If you are interested in working together to create an inclusive space for everyone interested in plant molecular biology, please reach out!

Inquiries should be addressed to Dr. Jacqueline Monaghan. Please include your CV and a genuine letter of motivation in your email.

We take a highly collaborative approach to research and support trainees working internationally. Here are some photos taken by trainees while working in collaborator labs:

UNDERGRADUATE

Part-time and work-study employment - We welcome inquires from students interested in working ~5h/week to help with routine tasks as an introduction to bench science. Sorry, we do not accept volunteers.

Co-op placements - We welcome inquires from students requiring work placement experience for their degree programs at other institutions.

BIOL537/541 Honours Thesis - Earn 12 credits towards your BIOL major while you conduct a hypothesis-driven project over the fall and winter terms.

BIOL538/539/540 Research Mentorship - Earn credits towards your BIOL/BCHM/LSCI major while you conduct research over the fall (539; 3 credits), winter (538; 3 credits), or both semesters (540; 6 credits).

SWEP - Paid full-time summer work. Applications are typically due in February each year.

NSERC USRA - Highly competitive national scholarships enabling full-time summer work. Applications are due to the Dept of Biology in the winter semester each year.

ASPB SURF - Highly competitive society scholarship enabling full-time summer work. Applications are due to ASPB in March of each year.

Graduate

Inquires from potential MSc and PhD students are always welcome. Please look here for more information about our program. Students typically start in Sept or Jan, but other start times are possible. Be sure to include a motivation statement and CV in your email.

Scholarship opportunities - There are several scholarship options allowing students to focus on research with a reduction in TAships. Application deadlines vary throughout the year. Incoming students who are awarded an NSERC CGS receive a $5,000 top-up.

NSERC Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement - Supplemental funding of $6,000 to allow international collaborations for students holding NSERC-CGS. Applications are due to Queen's University in September of each year. So far, two students from our lab have been successful with this program enabling 3 month-long stays at the Sainsbury Laboratory in England (2017) and the University of Freiburg in Germany (2019).

Mitacs Globalink - The Mitacs Globalink Research Award (GRA) supports research collaborations between Canada and select partner organizations and eligible countries and regions. Under the joint supervision of a home and host professor, successful senior undergraduate students, graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows will receive a $6,000 research award to conduct a 12- to 24-week research project in the other country. Awards are offered in partnership with Mitacs’s Canadian academic partners (and, in some cases, with Mitacs’s international partners) and are subject to available funding. So far, three students from our lab have been successful with this program, enabling a 3 month-long say at the University of Freiburg in Germany (2023); a 3 month-long stay at the University of Iowa in the USA (2024); and a 4 month-long stay at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry in Halle Germany (2024).

Visiting graduate students - We are happy to host motivated students from other countries through various scholarship programs such as the Emerging Leaders of America, Mitacs, DAAD, or others.

Scholarship opportunities for non-Canadian nationals/residents may be available from other sources.

Postdoctoral

Inquiries from potential postdoctoral scholars are always welcome, however internal funding is not guaranteed. Be sure to include a motivation statement and CV in your email.

Although competitive, applying for external fellowships is encouraged (be sure to confirm eligibility).

Banting postdoctoral fellowship applications – due internally in June, selected to be endorsed by Queen’s by July, full applications due to NSERC in October, and announced in March.

NSERC postdoctoral fellowship applications – due on October and announced in March.

Queen’s postdoctoral fund applications – due in January for spring decisions.

EMBO long-term fellowships – due in August for fall interviews and winter decisions.

MSCA global fellowships – due in September for winter decisions.

+several others from the CSC, NSF, Mitacs, etc