Department of Biochemistry Retreat 2017
The Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto is a modern, research-intensive enterprise within the Faculty of Medicine. The Department was founded in 1907-08 and has a proud tradition of excellence in research and in teaching. Read a brief history of the department. Today, the Department boasts a large faculty (over 50 members and growing) whose research spans the breadth that is biochemistry today. There are a number of foci of research activity in the Department that include the University’s Medical Sciences Building, MaRS, the Research Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children, the Ontario Cancer Institute at Princess Margaret Hospital, the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mt. Sinai and other sites in the University of Toronto community.
“Biochemistry brings molecular science to life”
Biochemistry occupies a central place in the life sciences and encompasses traditional disciplines such as molecular biology and cell biology and newer areas such as bioinformatics. Our faculty members have active research programs in signal transduction and regulation, membranes and transport, proteomics and bioinformatics, molecular medicine, molecular cell biology, protein folding, gene expression and development, and biomolecular structure and function.
The Department has modern, fully-equipped laboratories and superb research facilities. Major equipment installations include an NMR suite, X-ray diffraction equipment, computer graphics, Biophysics suite (including CD, fluorometer, BiaCore, ITC, DSC, analytic ultracentrifuge, scanning UV-Vis , SEC-MALS), Molecular Interaction suite (Biacore, biolayer interferometry, microscale thermophoresis), confocal and electron microscopes including Cryo-EM, and mass spectrometry for protein identification.
The Department offers programs leading to M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees and attracts students from universities in Ontario, across Canada and around the world. These research-intensive programs are complemented by courses on selected topics in biochemistry. Biochemistry graduate students present their research in a dynamic weekly seminar series. Our Ph.D. graduates go on to successful post-doctoral fellowships and careers in research.
We offer a high quality undergraduate Specialist Program in Biochemistry. Students are impressed with the range and quality of courses that we offer. We are particularly proud of our laboratory courses, which expose students to a wide range of modern techniques.
The Biochemistry Department provides many opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved in research. The Research Opportunities Program (BCH299Y) allows second year students to participate in a faculty member’s research project. In their 4th year, biochemistry specialist students can conduct a research project (BCH473Y) under the guidance of any of our faculty. Many students take advantage of our summer student programme to gain valuable laboratory research experience plus summer Research Project Courses are available to our Specialists (BCH372Y and BCH472Y).
The City of Toronto provides a rich mosaic of neighborhoods and activities in a vibrant multi-cultural milieu. The St. George campus of the University is conveniently located in the heart of the city, close to the hospital research institutes, housing and other amenities.
If you are interested in undergraduate studies in biochemistry, considering graduate or post-doctoral training or interested in any aspect of biochemistry, please visit our Contact Us page.