He earned his B.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (1990) and a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences (1997) – both from McMaster University. Following the completion of his Ph.D. he worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Madison, Wisconsin and then as a Research Associate at the University of Western Ontario. His area of research expertise is the molecular biology of eukaryotic viruses, in particular, the mechanisms viruses use to circumvent host defenses. Using a previously unexploited group of DNA viruses, the laboratory is hoping to provide greater insight into the function of cellular anti-viral responses. Since coming to Trent University in 2003, he has served on a number of committee’s including the Biosafety committee, departmental curriculum committee, and senate budget committee.