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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Sean Forrester
PhD

Associate Professor

Associate Dean

Biology

Faculty of Science

Teaching undergraduate courses in Cell Biology and Pharmacology and research focused on the study of neurotransmitter receptors in parasitic nematodes.

Contact information

Science Building - Room 4018
North Oshawa
2000 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5

905.721.8668 ext. 2937

sean.forrester@ontariotechu.ca


Research topics

  • Neurochemistry
  • Molecular Pharmacology
  • Chemical Biology
  • Molecular Simulations
  • Genetics

Background

Dr. Forrester has been studying parasitic organisms for over two decades and his current research focuses on the search of new drug targets to combat tropical diseases. He graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia, and in 1997 he earned his Master of Science in Biology and Parasitology at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. During his doctoral studies at McGill University’s Institute of Parasitology, Dr. Forrester completed five years of indepth research into parasitic organisms which was followed by a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Forrester began his teaching and research career at Ontario Tech in 2004 as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Science. In 2007 he held the position of Graduate Program director of the Applied Bioscience Graduate Program, and in 2009 he was appointed associate professor and associate dean of Graduate Studies, a position he held until 2011. In 2012, he was named Undergraduate Program director of Biological Sciences at Ontario Tech. He is currently Associate Dean in the Faculty of Science.

Education

  • BSc Cape Breton University 1995
  • MSc Lakehead University 1997
  • PhD McGill University 2003

Courses taught

  • Cell Biology (BIOL2030)
  • Principles of Pharmacology and Toxicology (BIOL3020)
  • Essentials of Biology (BIOL1841)
  • Advanced Cell and Molecular Biology (APBS6100)