Faculty Sponsor List
The listing of faculty actively looking for a Summer 2026 research student are posted below. Additional names will be added daily so please check back regularly.
Students may approach other CBS faculty not listed on this page however please note not all faculty are looking for summer research assistants.
Human Health Sciences
Dr. Lori Ann Vallis
Project 1 – Training the brain for complex movements
Every day we complete complex tasks that require use to quickly adapt ongoing locomotor patterns to changes in our environment. Consider how you might cross a busy street with a friend. While conversing with your friend, you must also integrate changing visual and auditory information about your proximity to other pedestrians, vehicles and adjust your steps to make sure that you cross safely to the other side. Despite the fact that this is an everyday occurrence, there is controversy in the scientific literature over how our cognitive networks integrate attentional and sensory resources to complete these challenging tasks. My lab group is particularly interested in how brain networks integrate the attentional requirements for two tasks to successfully accomplish both tasks (e.g. step over an obstacle while responding accurately to a cognitive test). We are also curious about the effect of practice, and if motor patterns and cognitive task performance can be improved with training, across the lifespan. This fundamental research can further expand our knowledge in the biomechanics of obstacle avoidance and the neuroscience principle of multiple task integration in the brain.
Project 2 – Tracking 24 hour movement behaviours
Wearable sensors (e.g. Garmin, FitBit or Apple Watches) can be used derive free-living movement behaviours including physical activities, sleep and sedentary behaviours over a 24 hour period. This project will involve a secondary data analysis for accelerometers that were worn by parents and children enrolled in the Guelph Family Health Study (GFHS). Free-living data from participants in the GFHS were recorded using an accelerometer worn 7 days; 24 hours/day. You will work as part of the team to help explore different processing techniques for the objective analysis of 24-hour movement data. We are also interested in exploring possible connections between sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour. The long-term goal of the study is to promote the long-term health and development of young families enrolled in the study, thus the adoption of optimal data processing methods is critical for this longitudinal GFHS study.
Eligible Assistantships: CBS, Anne Dagg, Indigenous
Project 1 – Training the brain for complex movements
Every day we complete complex tasks that require use to quickly adapt ongoing locomotor patterns to changes in our environment. Consider how you might cross a busy street with a friend. While conversing with your friend, you must also integrate changing visual and auditory information about your proximity to other pedestrians, vehicles and adjust your steps to make sure that you cross safely to the other side. Despite the fact that this is an everyday occurrence, there is controversy in the scientific literature over how our cognitive networks integrate attentional and sensory resources to complete these challenging tasks. My lab group is particularly interested in how brain networks integrate the attentional requirements for two tasks to successfully accomplish both tasks (e.g. step over an obstacle while responding accurately to a cognitive test). We are also curious about the effect of practice, and if motor patterns and cognitive task performance can be improved with training, across the lifespan. This fundamental research can further expand our knowledge in the biomechanics of obstacle avoidance and the neuroscience principle of multiple task integration in the brain.
The goal of my research program is to understand and gain intimate knowledge regarding mechanisms associated with age-related alterations to muscle contractility across multiple scales of organization. We investigate the neural control of movement using various neuromuscular tools and techniques (e.g, brain, spinal cord, muscle stimulation, electromyography) and basic intrinsic muscle contractile properties at the cellular level. This work has significant relevance, including understanding the neural control of voluntary movement across the lifespan and generating new insight into the active and passive muscular contributions to force production / transmission of skeletal muscle. Utilizing the chronic adapted state of human senescence, we aim to identify mechanisms which regulate intrinsic contractile function and gain invaluable insight into the adaptive capacity of skeletal muscle and what limits function in the context of normal adult aging. Please see lab website on my faculty profile page for more information. Learn more about Dr. Geoffrey Power.
Eligible Assistantships: CBS, Anne Dagg, Indigenous
Integrative Biology
Hormonal regulation of water and ion transport in the rainbow trout intestine
The ability of euryhaline fishes like rainbow trout to survive in both freshwater (FW) and seawater (SW) partly relies on the flexibility of their intestines to regulate water and ion transport. While the different osmoregulatory roles of the intestine in FW versus SW are generally well understood, how these functions are regulated remains poorly known. We recently discovered that neuropeptides in the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system can decrease water and ion absorption throughout the intestine. Using region-specific intestinal sacs from FW- and SW-acclimated rainbow trout combined with pharmacological tools, this research project will identify the mechanisms by which the CRF system influences the rates of ion and water movement across the intestine, and whether the contributions of this hormonal system are region- and/or context-dependent. This research will directly advance our fundamental understanding of how hormones regulate water absorption across fish intestines, and how this process can be adapted in response to physiological challenges. This is a 16-week summer position that can take place between May 1 and Aug 31, 2026. To apply or learn more, please contact Dr. Nick Bernier (nbernier@uoguelph.ca).
Eligible Assistantships: CBS, Anne Daag, HART, Indigenous
Dr. Brian Husband
Research in the Husband lab explores the ecology, genetics and reproductive biology of plant populations with the goal of understanding fundamental processes affecting biodiversity, developing strategies for the restoration of species at risk, and mitigating interactions between agricultural and native ecosystems. This summer, the lab will have undergraduate research assistant positions available to work on 1) a field survey of the endangered American chestnut in Ontario and 2) variation in and hybridization between domestic and native apple diversity in several geographic regions in south-central Ontario. Applicants should be passionate about agricultural history, conservation biology, and field work. A valid driver’s license (G level) and comfort working in a range of field conditions is essential.
Eligible Assistantships: Indigenous, CBS, Anne Dagg, Morwick
Flying fingerprints: Using feathers to track bird migration and health
Want to help solve the mystery of where migratory birds spend the winter and how that affects their survival? This summer research assistantship offers a unique chance to work with one of the longest-running bird studies in North America: a 39-year study of Savannah Sparrows on Kent Island, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, led by the Norris Lab at the University of Guelph. Savannah Sparrows that breed on Kent Island migrate thousands of kilometres to their wintering grounds in the southern U.S. But as climate changes, where they spend the winter may also be shifting, and that could affect how healthy they are when they return to breed. This project uses tiny clues hidden in feathers to find out. Based on feathers collected over the past 20 years, the student will use stable isotope analysis to estimate where individual birds spent the winter and will measure feather growth bars (ptilochronology) to estimate each bird’s physical condition. Together, these tools allow us to link winter location with bird health and reproduction. Most work will take place in the Norris Lab at the University of Guelph, where the student will gain hands-on experience with lab techniques, data analysis, and asking research questions in migration ecology. In September, the student will also have the opportunity to join our 10-day field trip to Kent Island for our annual fall census, where the student will gain experience capturing and handling birds. This is a 13-week summer position that can occur between May 1 and Aug 31, 2026. To apply or learn more, please contact Dr. Ryan Norris (rnorris@uoguelph.ca). www.norrislab.ca
Eligible Assistantships: CBS, Anne Daag, Indigenous, Morwick
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Summer Research Assistantships in Cardiovascular Biology
The Dawson Lab studies the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying heart disease, focusing on how changes in cardiac muscle proteins lead to cardiomyopathy. Our research spans multiple biological scales, from the structure and function of individual proteins to whole-organism models of disease. Using a combination of biochemistry, cell biology, and animal models, we aim to understand how genetic mutations and environmental or lifestyle factors interact to influence heart function. Summer research assistants will join an active, collaborative lab environment and contribute to ongoing projects that link fundamental molecular mechanisms to clinically relevant cardiovascular disease.
Project 1 – Drug Effects on Cardiac Muscle Proteins
This project examines how emerging drugs targeting cardiac muscle proteins influence heart function at the molecular level. Students will work with purified cardiac proteins including myosin, actin, and troponin and use biochemical and fluorescence-based assays to measure how drug treatments alter contractile activity. The project focuses on understanding how these compounds modify protein behavior and how such changes relate to mechanisms of cardiomyopathy. Students will gain hands-on experience with protein purification, experimental design, data collection, and analysis while working closely with a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. This project is well suited for students interested in biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology, or biomedical research.
Project 2 – Lifestyle and Metabolic Influences on Heart Disease Using Zebrafish
The Shapiro lab develops and applies functional genomic tools for genetic manipulation of fungal pathogens, and uses these tools to study the biology, pathogenesis, and response to antifungal drugs. Projects include the development of novel CRISPR-based systems for genetic manipulation, and the study of genetic mutants (singly or large libraries) to identify the genetic factors the regulate the biology of fungal pathogens. With a focus on Candida yeasts, projects look at the genes and genetic interactions that underpin fungal infections, fungal interactions with hosts, and the evolution of resistance to antifungal drugs.
Eligible Assistantships: CBS, Anne Dagg, Indigenous
Bioinformatics and Immunology
This summer project will focus on analyzing existing bulk RNA-sequencing data from studies of bacterial meningitis to better understand immune responses in the brain during infection. The student will work with RNA-seq datasets to identify genes and immune pathways that change during infection using standard analysis tools such as DESeq2. Additional tasks will include organizing results, creating basic figures, and discussing findings with the research team. Most of the work will be computational and can be completed on a flexible schedule, with regular check-ins to review progress. This project is well suited for a student with a bioinformatics or computational background and an interest in immunology and host–pathogen interactions.
Eligible Assistantships: CBS, Anne Dagg, Indigenous
