Interested in joining Derda Lab?
Information for prospective Graduate Students (M.Sc. and Ph.D.)
Derda Lab has open Ph.D. and M.Sc. positions. We are looking for talented and motivated students with majors in chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, glycobiology, bioinformatics, data science, and machine learning. You have to be admitted or in the process of applying to the Graduate program before you can join our lab. Please review and complete the application (URL below) before sending any inquiries by email.
https://www.ualberta.ca/chemistry/graduate-program/how-to-apply
Information for graduate students:
- If you have already submitted your application to the Graduate program: Please contact ratmir ( at ) ualberta. ca and attach your submitted applications package to your e-mail. I will get back to you to schedule a meeting in person or via Skype.
- If you have not yet applied to the Graduate program: You have to be admitted to the Graduate program before you can join our lab. To facilitate our pre-admission communication, please fill out the graduate program application package available here: https://www.ualberta.ca/chemistry/graduate-program/how-to-apply
- To your email, please attach a completed admissions package with a Letter of Intent (LOI) that clearly describes a potential project in Derda Lab that you will be interested to work in. I encourage you to read our current publications to identify the area of research that might be of interest to you. If you already completed your application and require additional information for your LOI about our research group, please contact ratmir ( at ) ualberta. ca with specific questions highlighted in your LOI draft. I will be happy to share more information about our research group and research opportunities.
- You are not required to be a chemistry major to apply to the program or pursue research in our lab, but you have to have sufficient exposure to chemistry courses in your undergraduate degree.
- Unfortunately, I will not be able to reply to mass-emails that target multiple research group or do not specifically target Derda Group.
Information for Post-Doctoral fellows:
We have several open positions in Derda Lab for candidates who hold Ph.D. in chemical biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, or related fields and who are interested in pursuing post-doctoral work in genetically-encoded chemistry, reaction discovery, small-molecule genetic selection technology, and cancer biology. Please complete the PDF_application before sending the inquiry and attach the filled application to your email. Emails without the PDF_application will not be considered.
I will not be able to reply to mass emails that target multiple research groups. General inquiries about broadly-defined positions that are not tailored to research in Derda Lab will not be acknowledged.
- A research proposal, with figures, schemes and illustrations if possible, describing a project in Derda Lab that you would be interested to work in. I encourage you to read our research description and current publication list to identify the area of research that might be of interest to you.
- Names of the three referees who will write reference letters for you. One of the referees has to be your PhD supervisor.
- If you have already completed one post-dosctoral training and you are seeking a second postdoctoral training, you have to justify the need for a second post-doctoral training. Please arrange for you current supervisor to send a reference letter to ratmir ( at ) ualberta. ca directly. You application might not be considered without this letter.
- List of funding opportunities you will apply for to fund your postdoctoral position in Derda Lab. Please carefully consider the eligibility requirements and note that many of them are not available for second postdoctoral training.
- Career goal (what do you plan to do once you complete post-doctoral training in our group).
Information for Undergraduate students
We are looking for motivated undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing long-term research in our group, working on independent projects, and publishing your project in peer-reviewed journals as lead authors. We are less likely to accept students who are looking only for a short-term, 2-4 month summer rotation in our lab. In your initial inquiry, please specify clearly whether you are looking for a short-term or long-term opportunity.
Undergraduate researcher and summer researcher positions are available in Derda Lab for students with a major or specialization in chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, pharmacology, biophysics, bioinformatics, machine learning, and related areas. Please see below for more information:
- Before applying, please identify the funding opportunities that you will be eligible to apply for (AIHS, URI, NSERC USRA, other) to sustain your long-term research in the lab. If you plan to join Derda Lab to pursue Chem401-403, Bio400 and other research-for-credit courses, I still encourage you to identify the fellowships that will allow you to continue the research in the lab once the course is complete.
- From the research description and publication list, identify the area of research that is of interest to you and write a 0.5-page proposal describing a potential project that you would be interested to work on. While your future project in the lab might or might not be similar to the proposed project, this proposal will help me assess your writing skills, scientific background and overall motivation to do research in our lab.
- E-mail the proposal, your transcript, CV if you have one, and a brief description of your goals after completion of the B.Sc. degree. In your e-mail, indicate the time you will be available for one-on-one interview.