PhD Student

Professor Audrey Grant is hiring two PhD students at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University (the specific department depends on the background of the student). These research opportunities are focused on applied approaches directed towards chronic pain development, conditions featuring chronic pain, and pain sensitivity. Chronic pain is defined based on the persistence of pain experience for over three months and represents a substantial public health burden with a prevalence of 20 % in the general population. Although the genetic basis of various pain conditions (including fibromyalgia, migraine, lower back pain) is not well understood, the development of chronic pain implicates both the nervous system and immunity, and may be related to psychiatric outcomes. The overall goal of our joint research interests is to identify the molecular basis for the transition from acute to chronic pain, body site specificity vs. widespreadness across pain conditions, and pain sensitivity.

Moreover, pain and discomfort in everyday life are often treated with over-the-counter (OTC) analgesic medications (pain killers), particularly in Western countries, making analgesic medication intake a key exogenous exposure impacting on pain experience. We also aim to use pharmacogenomics approaches to consider the role of genetic variation in analgesic efficacy.

Methodology employed includes classical and emerging statistical genomics analysis techniques including machine learning. We offer a stimulating research environment at the Alan Edwards Center for Pain Research, an internationally recognized pain research institute. We are located near the McGill Genome Center, offering opportunities for exchanges with McGill’s Genomics experts. High performance parallel computing infrastructure is available through our dedicated resource allocation from the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, allowing for efficient implementation of Big Data projects.