Join Our Team

We are a team of highly-motivated, enthusiastic, creative, skilled, and hardworking scientists. If these are your traits too, there may be opportunities to join our team.

Prospective graduate students, postdocs, undergraduate students, and visiting scholars should send a cover letter, CV or résumé, and transcript (unofficial) to Prof. Algar. The cover letter should address, at minimum, why our group is of interest to you; how your past training, skills, and experience will be an asset to our research program; and how training in our group will help with the achievement of your career goals. Further information can be found below. Only qualified applicants will be contacted.

Training Background

Prospective students and postdocs should generally have some level of training in chemistry or biochemistry; however, training in biomedical engineering, materials science & engineering, and molecular biology is also of interest. Computer science training may also be an asset. Chemistry laboratory training or a close equivalent, either through a degree program or practical work experience (e.g. co-op or USRA terms), is required.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

We recruit team members on the basis of merit and are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome interest from underrepresented groups in STEM (e.g. visible and racialized minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities) and all persons with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities.

We also recognize that persons with non-traditional academic histories and career paths have the potential to be excellent researchers. Interested persons may also refer to life and work experience beyond academic settings in describing their favourable attributes and skills. Flexible work schedules are a potential option for qualified persons with parental or other caregiver responsibilities.

Prospective Graduate Students

Due to the different cycles of grant competitions, the fluid nature of student graduation dates, and opportunities for graduate fellowships (e.g. NSERC CGS-M/D, UBC 4YF, MITACS Accelerate), we do not generally advertise a specific number of open graduate student positions. Interested persons should contact Prof. Algar but, ultimately, must also apply for graduate studies in the Department of Chemistry at UBC (Prof. Algar is not able to unilaterally grant admission to the program).

Prospective Postdoctoral Researchers

If no positions are currently advertised on this page, then it is usually expected that postdoctoral researchers will be able to fund themselves through a fellowship.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents should apply for NSERC, CIHR, MSFHR, and/or MITACS Accelerate PDF fellowships. International students should apply for any applicable fellowships funded by their home country.

Exceptional candidates (Canadian citizens/permanent residents and international applicants) should consider applying for the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship. Note that these awards are extremely competitive. Prof. Algar is only able support one application per year for each program. He may need to review draft fellowship applications before deciding whether to support a candidate or not.

Prospective Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for paid summer research fellowships through the UBC Chemistry SURS and NSERC USRA programs, as well as the Work-Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards. There are also opportunities for honours thesis and other research through the CHEM 449, CHEM 445A/B/C RLE, and CHEM 448 courses.

Although fellowship and honours thesis students are usually given priority, students may also enquire about volunteer opportunities that may be available.

Prospective Visiting Scholars

We host visiting research students most summers. These students have included many Masters-level research placements from Europe (via the VIRS Go Global program) and international undergraduates via the MITACS Globalink program. NSERC USRA students from across Canada are also welcome.

Visiting professors have also been hosted in our research group. Please contact Prof. Algar if you are interested in spending a research sabbatical with our team.

Note: International visiting scholars may be subject to Covid-19 restrictions and precautions.