Welcome to the Vogel Group Website!

last updated on February 21st, 2013

We are a group of scientists in the Bellini Building, roaming about on the 2nd floor, or toiling at a bench, or working away in front of a computer or the confocal, or drinking an expresso. Yeah, a herd of nerds- that might be the best way to describe us. Most of us are biologists, some are programmers, some are inclined to biophysics or math. Most of us are a bit of everything.

We are looking for a graduate student

The Vogel and Francois labs seek to recruit a co-supervised biophysics graduate student at either the M.Sc. or PhD level, for the fall of 2013. The training environment is dynamic and interdisciplinary, with students originating from engineering and the natural and physical sciences, with wet lab, computational and office space in the Bellini pavilion of the McGill life science complex.

The successful candidate will contribute to a experimental biophysics research program with a significant theoretical component. Candidates must have a strong background in physics, and a basic background in cell biology. Training in biophysics or soft condensed matter physics is a plus.

Candidates can apply through the Department of Physics or the Department of Biology. Fellowship opportunities for exceptional canadian and international students are available through CDMC (http://www.cdmc-create.ca/en/).

To apply, send the following information to
jackie (dot) vogel (at) mcgill (dot) ca and
paulf (at) physics (dot) mcgill (dot) ca

1) letter of interest
2) CV
3) electronic transcripts
4) name and email address for three references familiar with the applicant's academic or research record.

Our Research Themes


Face reality- we can't know everything

Beck really nailed the concept that we make do with what we have, because we have to, in his song "Missing" (Guero)

"something always takes the place of missing pieces you can takeand put together even though you know there's something missing."

Yes, there is uncertainty. Luckily budding yeast provides a relatively simple system to study mitosis- a process for which we still have a great deal to learn. Yeast cells have a very economical cytoskeleton. One spindle microtubule is sufficient to segregate a sister chromatid during anaphase. One cytoplasmic microtubule can position the metaphase spindle with respect to the future plane of cell division. Simple system, plus facile genetics, facilitates high resolution analysis of mitosis.
We are most interested in:

  • How microtubules and their associated proteins contribute to the successful execution of mitosis; from spindle formation to the completion of anaphase
  • The control systems that govern microtubule function during the cell cycle
  • For relevant proteins- e.g. proteins that influence the dynamic properties of microtubules- the relationship between a protein's structure and its function

We use a few approaches for every problem, as one never seems to be enough:

  • Biochemistry, cell biology and molecular genetics
  • High resolution (spatial, temporal) confocal microscopy
  • Quantitative analysis of image data
  • Genome scale assays, functional analysis
  • Modeling and simulation

Latest Publication


Hotz, M. Leisner C, Chen D, Manatschal C, Weglieter T, Ouellet J, Lindstrom D, Gottschling D, Vogel J and Y Barral. The spindle pole component Nud1 and the Mitotic Exit Network specify spindle pole body inheritance during yeast metaphase. Cell, in press.

where to find us

We are located in rooms 269 (Jackie's office) and 273 (Vogel lab) of the:
Bellini Pavillion, Life Sciences Complex
McGill University
3649 Promenade Sir William Osler
Montreal QC H3G 0B1
Additional contact information is provided on the People page