Information for all applicants:

Our laboratory has a set of professional expectations which are followed by everyone (including Dr. Wenzel). Feel free to give them a read prior to filling out this form. You may also be interested in reading our laboratory’s values. Kindly keep in mind that we are constantly updating our expectations based on discussions with laboratory members; evolving workplace environments; and the latest suggestions from Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and teaching workshops.

Exchange programs: Our lab also participates in various exchange programs, including the International Society of Neurochemistry’s CAEN programs and Mitacs internships.

Information for graduate school applicants:

Please note that final acceptance into a graduate program is at the discretion of the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (CGPS). While we can support your application, you must meet the minimum CGPS requirements.

Our graduate students are primarily put through the Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology (BMI) program, which has more rigorous admission requirements than the CGPS. The BMI Graduate Program Handbook has all the requirements and expectations to join, stay in, and complete your degree. Notably, the BMI program has mandatory Teaching Assistant requirements to help you develop a broader range of skills. If you have an MD, are in an MD program, or hold a research scholarship, you may be able to conduct research in our laboratory through the Health Science graduate program, which does not have a Teaching Assistant requirement.

Student visa information for international graduate school applicants: You can find the requirements for a Canadian student visa here. Please note that the Government of Canada has increased the amount of money needed in a bank account for a student visa as of January 1st, 2024, and that the amount needed depends on whether you are traveling by yourself or a family.

Information for resident doctors and medical students: Our laboratory has multiple ongoing clinical research projects in Psychiatry and Pediatrics, and several projects that are in the planning stages. If you are looking for a research project for medical school or your residency program, please do not hesitate to reach out and we can talk about options. Broadly, clinical projects are qualitative studies or retrospective case studies involving patient advocacy, and they are aimed to improve health care and quality of life. If interested, we can then reach out to the Department of Psychiatry or Pediatrics to get approval from your research coordinator. Resident doctors and medical students can also participate in laboratory work, if interested. Medical students could consider any of our projects for a Dean’s Summer Project.

Information for undergraduates at the University of Saskatchewan: Our laboratory takes applications for paid summer studentships between December and March every year. These studentships include Undergraduate Summer Research Awards (USRAs), Stem Cell Network studentships, Mitacs Indigenous Research Awards and more. Many of these awards are competitive and have varying eligibility criteria, but are commonly 12-15 weeks in length. Throughout the year, we will also carefully consider volunteer (unpaid internship) applications upon request to help bolster student’s competitiveness for future studentships, scholarships and programs; we strive to give these volunteers paid research positions in the summer. It is also possible that undergraduates can get six elective (M6) course credit for these internships. We offer these opportunities in response to Dr. Wenzel’s personal academic journey; Dr. Wenzel was not competitive for studentships, and the volunteer experience was critical for obtaining an academic reference letter for graduate school.

Honor’s project opportunities: If you are a BMI or Interdisciplinary Biomedical undergraduate student, Dr. Wenzel can support a project for the BMIS 489 Honor’s course. If you are an APP undergraduate student (i.e., CPPS or NEUR), Dr. Wenzel can support a project for the CPPS 432 or NEUR 432 Honor’s course; however, currently you will need to be co-supervised by a professor associated with APP, such as Dr. Ana Paula Mendes-Silva or Dr. Darrell Mousseau.

Current paid opportunities in our laboratory to conduct research:

• Master’s student (M.Sc.)
• Doctoral student (Ph.D.)
• Postdoctoral fellow
• Honor’s student (B.Sc. Honor’s)
• Summer, Winter or Fall studentship (any B.Sc student)

If applying in the lab, please describe your career or educational aspirations. This may include, but is not limited to: 1) becoming a physician, dentist, veterinarian, or academic professor, 2) working in the science industry as a professional scientist, 3) enrolling in an Honor’s course, 4) becoming an air traffic controller (yes, someone who worked with us wanted to go into aviation), 5) becoming a professional science communicator, or 6) describing the reason to learn specific laboratory skills like LC-MS, microscopy, or bioinformatics. I have had people in my laboratory with many different life goals, and this information helps me get you where you want to go in life.