Graduate Student (PhD)

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute invites applications for a PhD graduate student in the Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine. The role focuses on endothelial biology, liver sinusoidal endothelium, and translating discoveries into cell-based therapies.

Candidates should have strong mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, and flow cytometry experience, plus excellent communication skills and a track record of academic excellence.

Qualifications

• Experience in mammalian cell culture.
• Experience in molecular biology (RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry).
• Experience in quantitative cell biology (flow cytometry, FACS, microscopy).
• Experience with animal models (mice).
• Excellence at the academic level and in research.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Join a research team focusing on liver sinusoidal endothelial cells and organ-specific endothelial functions.
• Work on projects generating stem cell-derived LSEC therapies for Hemophilia A or related liver disease mechanisms.
• Apply CRISPR-Cas9 and lentiviral approaches with supporting molecular and computational analyses.

Skills

Cell culture

Molecular biology

Flow cytometry

Animal models

Academic excellence

Communication skills

Education

PhD student

Tools

CRISPR-Cas9

Lentiviral vectors

Single-cell RNA-seq

Immunofluorescence

Electron microscopy

Job description

Graduate Student (PhD)

Category: Clinical Research Program: Regenerative Medicine Dr. Blair Gage Posted: October 19, 2026 Submission Deadline: December 19, 2026

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital – one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals. We are proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. With more than 2,200 scientists, clinician investigators, trainees and staff, and total revenues of more than $120 million, we are one of the foremost Canadian hospital-based research institutes. Our research spans more than a hundred different diseases, conditions, and specialties with an overall focus on translating discoveries and knowledge into better health.

We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD student in the Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine to join our research team at the OHRI. Our research focuses on understanding what makes endothelial cells functionally specialized for each organ in the body. We specifically focus on the liver and its liver sinusoidal endothelium as this knowledge will help build new cell-based therapies and therapeutics for liver disease, and hemophilia A. The Gage lab’s research extensively uses mammalian cell culture of human pluripotent stem cells to model early human development and create endothelial progenitors that we transplant in animal models where they functionally mature. Using CRISPR-Cas9, lentiviral gene vectors and functional genetics, we can directly link genes to disease related functions. These links are validated with many molecular and computational techniques including (single-cell ATAC+RNA-seq, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, ELISA, ligand binding assays, flow cytometry, magnetic and fluorescence-based cell sorting, etc.).

This position is related to a project of either generating an allogeneic universal stem cell-based LSEC therapy for Hemophilia A or exploring the signals that regulate liver sinusoidal endothelial cell functions in health and disease.

Basic Requirements

• Experience in mammalian cell culture (cell lines or preferably human pluripotent stem cells)
• Experience in Molecular Biology (RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry)
• Experience in quantitative Cell Biology (Flow cytometry, FACS, microscopy)
• Experience with animal models (mice).
• Excellence at the academic level and in research
• Excellent written and oral communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with bioinformatics analysis (programing in R: analysis of bulk RNAseq or single-cell RNAseq)
• Experience working with lentivirus
• Eligibility for CIHR/NSERC graduate student scholarship applications (Canadian citizens or Permeant residents)

This is a full-time contract for a PhD graduate student.
Stipend: Minimum Biweekly Stipend for PhD $1,079.504

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is committed to building and sustaining a welcoming and supportive culture that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion for trainees, researchers, and staff. We are devoted to identifying and removing barriers that limit equitable access to opportunities within our organization. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute strongly supports initiatives that encourage the participation of all groups, in particular the four groups defined in the Employment Equity Act (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities).

We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only those invited for an interview will be contacted. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is an equal-opportunity employer. Upon request, accommodations due to a disability are available throughout the selection process.