STARTING OUT - EDUCATING AND TRAINING TOP SCIENTISTS Leading young Canadian geneticist, Stephen Scherer, says he decided in Grade 12 that a career in genetics would be his future. With top grades and commitment through high school, the budding scientist launches with gusto into undergraduate and post graduate university work, and takes a newly minted post-doctoral degree after an average of eight years of post secondary education. Top post-graduate research students compete for funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), CGDN, disease foundations, universities, and other supportive organizations. LAUNCHING A CAREER The young scientist on a career path will typically seek post-doctoral research positions in laboratories of senior scientists, either at home or abroad. With experience and accomplishments, he or she may then win a tenure-track teaching or research position at a university or institute, or may decide to work for industry as a research scientist. Mentoring by senior scientists throughout these years is essential to the training of a young scientist and networking and collaborating with both seniors and peers is basic to career and research development. REALIZING THE DREAM With excellent science and funding support from private or government institutions the scientist may realize the dream of establishing and heading a laboratory team dedicated to his or her particular research projects. The ultimate prize for the senior scientist is to lead a research discovery which receives peer recognition and contributes to advancing knowledge in medical research. THE CGDN TRAINING PROGRAM We at CGDN take the best students into our laboratories and provide an enriched environment in multi-disciplinary training and mentoring which prepares our young scientists for leading research positions in universities and industry. OUR PROGRAMS Summer (undergraduate) students Our labs accept up to 20 per year Visiting scientists program CGDN inter-laboratory skills exchange Studentships & fellowships Graduate & post-doctoral positions in CGDN labs Scholars CGDN membership & priviledges for leading young scientists Annual scientific meeting Networking, workshops, mentoring between senior CGDN researchers and young scientists Bioinformatics workshops www.bioinformatics.ca Unique & leading-edge training opportunity in use of software to mine biological databases. Meet some of our researchers and read about their career choice. Dr. Stephen Scherer x - Senior Scientist Joanne Fox - Graduate Student Corinne Darmond-Zwaig - Core Facility Technician