Why Choose Medical Biophysics?

As a prospective graduate student, we know you want to find the program that will be the best fit for you and your research interests. You may ask yourself, ‘why should I choose the Department of Medical Biophysics for my graduate studies?’.

Below are some key program highlights that we believe make Medical Biophysics (MBP) a perfect option for students interested in medical research.

All MBP students receive guaranteed funding.

All MBP Graduate students receive a guaranteed minimum annual research stipend to help cover the cost of their tuition and living expenses. For 2023/24, the minimum yearly funding is $37,339 for MSc, and $40,159 for PhD students. In addition, students can apply for scholarships, granted through U of T or outside organizations (CHIR, NSERC), which can add to their base funding.

For more information on student stipends, please visit the Program Fees and Stipend page.

For more information on scholarships offered to MBP students, please visit the Awards and Scholarships page.

MBP students find their supervisors through lab rotations.

In MBP, graduate students are not required to secure a research supervisor when they apply to the program. Instead, most incoming students participate in lab rotations in three different labs to assist them in finding their permanent supervisor. These rotations take place throughout the first semester of the program and typically last about 3 weeks each. Lab rotations allow new students to experience several different research perspectives and methodologies, helping them find the best fit for their research interests.

Our award-winning faculty are constantly making new discoveries. You could be part of a ground-breaking research team.

The Department is home to over 120 scientists who are constantly publishing leading-edge research.

Notable discoveries made in our department include:

Identification of the T cell receptor (Dr. T.W. Mak)
Discovery of the hematopoietic stem cell (Dr. E.A. McCulloch and Dr. J. Till)
Identification of p53 as a tumour suppressor (Dr. S. Benchimol)
Identification of SAP kinase pathway (Dr. J. Woodgett)
Discovery of several important angiogenesis regulators (Dr. D. Dumont)
Gravity cell separator (Dr. R.G. Miller and Dr. R.A. Phillips)
Metronomic and anti-angiogenic therapy (Dr. R. Kerbel)
Invention of the ultrasound biomicroscope (Dr. S. Foster)
Development of the electron spectroscopic analyzer (Dr. P. Ottensmeyer)
Development of digital mammography (Dr. M. Yaffe)
Cone beam CT for image guided radiotherapy (Dr. D. Jaffray)
Development of microbubble ultrasound contrast imaging (Dr. P. N. Burns)
Development of MRI guided focused ultrasound treatments (Dr. K. Hynynen)
Invention of high throughput, multi-subject MR Imaging (Dr. M. Henkelman)
Development of photodynamic therapy (Dr. B. Wilson)

Explore research currently being conducted in the Department through our MBP faculty profiles.

We explore a diverse range of research themes and welcome students from any branch of the biological or physical sciences.

The Department is engaged in a wide-variety of medical research aimed at solving the problems of medicine.

Our main research themes include:

Because the research being conducted by our faculty is so diverse, we welcome applications from graduates with backgrounds in any of the biological or physical sciences, including; biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer sciences, engineering, genetics, immunology, medicine, physics and any other related sciences.

Learn more about our research themes.

MBP students work in hospital research institutes.

Because our faculty work exclusively in hospital research institute labs, MBP graduate students are granted access to the state-of-the-art research infrastructure available in some of Canada's top hospitals.

Primary research sites include:

Please visit our Research Facilities page for more information.

Incoming students participate in a mentorship program with an upper-year student.

The Medical Biophysics Graduate Student Association (MBPGSA) is a student-run organization that plans various academic, social, philanthropic and career development initiatives throughout the year. They also assist with student transition into the graduate program by running a new student mentorship program. As such, newly-admitted MBP students are matched with upper-year graduate students who act as a point of contact and a guide as the program begins.

Please visit the MBPGSA website for more information on the organization and how they represent the students in the program.