At the latest Industry and Career Exploration Panel and Networking Session, students heard directly from industry professionals working in vaccine production and biotech, not just about the roles themselves, but how to actually get there after completing their Microcredential or graduate training.

The panel led practical conversations around hiring trends, in demand skills, and what employers are really looking for right now. And during the post panel networking session, students continued those conversations one on one and started building connections with industry experts.

Thank you to our speakers and partners for sharing your time and insights:

• Cynthia Elias ()
• Naval Gandhi (QA Consultant)
• Anthony Amin ()
• ()
• ()

And thank you to the  and Co-op & Career Centre who helped bring this event together:

, J., , , ,

Looking forward to more opportunities like this.

LinkedIn post by 91ŃÇÉ« Markham Campus.

_{Photo of students interacting with industry professionals during the Industry and Career Exploration Panel and Networking Session}

Last week, our campus brought biotech employers together with students from the Master of Biotechnology Management (MBM), the Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology, and the Micro credential in Vaccine Production and Quality Assurance to share real world hiring perspectives and build connections.

Employers spoke candidly about what they look for in early career hires, the skills that help new graduates get up to speed quickly, and how internships connect to real projects across biotech and life sciences.

A heartfelt thank you to all the panelists who joined and shared their journeys: (Compound Creations), (), (), (), and ( Research Institute).

If you are hiring or planning ahead, preview the 2026 MBM Résumé Book (.pdf) and meet internship ready candidates.

Faculty members and , along with the Co op & Career Centre team, helped bring students and employers together for this session.

Heather Grebler, , , , .

LinkedIn post by 91ŃÇÉ« Markham Campus.

_{Photo of biotech employers interacting with students during the event}

Last week, our Master of Biotechnology Management and Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology Capstone Poster Event showed what’s possible when biotech leaders and graduate students collaborate — offering a glimpse into the future of learning: hands-on, connected, and driven by real-world challenges. Partners from more than 10 leading biotech organizations participated in a poster showcase and evaluations, providing actionable feedback and insights that bridged classroom innovation with industry expertise.

Thanks to for funding support that makes these experiences possible. And a huge shout-out to the amazing organizations already leading the way:

, , , , , , , , ,

Special shout-out to our partners at — which has hired several of our Biotech students in the past year — for providing your expertise and evaluating every poster at the event.

Partnerships like these help shape employer-ready talent and spark innovation across the biotech sector. If you’re a biotech organization looking to:

• Collaborate on applied research
• Share expertise through mentorship and guest lectures
• Recruit skilled talent through experiential learning
• Build visibility in 91ŃÇÉ« Region’s growing innovation hub

We’d love to connect. Let’s build the future of biotech together.

LinkedIn post by 91ŃÇÉ« Markham Campus.

_{Group photo of 91ŃÇÉ« biotechnology students at the Capstone Poster Event}

Are you interested in studying or conducting research in Europe? The Graduate Diploma in European Studies is taken in conjunction with a Master’s or Doctoral degree program at 91ŃÇÉ«. The diploma certifies that, in addition to having completed an advanced degree in a related discipline, a student has acquired special expertise about Europe.

Pursuing the Graduate Diploma in European Studies will present opportunities to develop expertise in an interdisciplinary field, exchange ideas with other students and professors across multiple disciplines, receive mentoring in academic research and professional skills from leading scholars, obtain hands-on experience through study, research or internships in Europe and present your work at national and international conferences and research colloquia.

“The involvement in the diploma allowed me to extend the global reach of my research. I cannot overstate my gratitude enough for the support and generous funding throughout the program.”
Wiktor, PhD graduate (2023)
Theatre and Performance Studies

“I specialize on a topic in French political philosophy. It was out of question that I wanted to spend some time in France to gain a cultural perspective first-hand and to experience French research universities. Funding from the diploma made this possible.”
Kiana, MA graduate (2023)
Political Science
recipient of the V.O. Stong Scholarship (2022)

Financial support is available for students pursuing the Graduate Diploma in European Studies. Scholarships and bursaries are also available to help students study a European language, conduct preliminary research in Europe, and attend a workshop or conference.

If you wish to apply for admission to the Graduate Diploma European Studies, please contact the Graduate Diploma Coordinator. Enrollment can occur at any time. Eligible candidates will be invited to meet with the Coordinator to discuss how the graduate diploma could best fit individual students’ programs. For more information, please contact: Micha Fiedlschuster (DAAD Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Politics), at esdiplom@yorku.ca.

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You might not know this, but the Graduate Program in English is home to a unique Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing open to all graduate students, regardless of faculty affiliation or area of study.

Focused on developing students’ writing skills, the Diploma includes workshop-based courses in poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction, and a Capstone Project completed under direct supervision from 91ŃÇÉ« Creative Writing faculty and established professional writers.

You also needn't enroll in the Diploma to apply to our poetry or prose workhops. These seminar-based courses afford students opportunities to supplement their academic work with creative practices, learn about literary culture, gain insight into the publishing industry, or simply experiment with language and storytelling in a supportive, encouraging, intellectually rigorous atmosphere.

For more information, please feel free to email Pasha Malla, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing, via email: pmalla@yorku.ca.

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Marie-Christine Leps was born and raised in MontrĂ©al, where she attended CEGEP and McGill University. In 1985, she completed her doctorate in comparative literature and began a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at 91ŃÇÉ«. She commenced teaching in 91ŃÇɫ’s Department of English in 1987 and devoted her career to the university, where she was an Associate Professor.

At 91ŃÇÉ«, in addition to her focus on literary theory, discourse analysis, and modernism/postmodernism, she contributed to the graduate programmes in English, Humanities, and Social and Political Thought. From 2011 to 2014, and again in 2015–16, she served as Director of Grad English, and worked vigorously on behalf of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

In 2012, Dr. Leps attended the Institute for World Literature at Harvard University (IWL), an experience that proved to be personally and professionally enriching (she served on its Advisory Board for several years). Since the 1990s, the field of World Literature has emerged as one of the most compelling ways in which literature departments have offset the globalization and homogenization of culture. The impact of World Literature studies on 91ŃÇɫ’s English Department has been significant. Dr. Leps developed a graduate Diploma in World Literature—the first in Canada—that enables MA and PhD candidates to study broadly and also do pilot projects leading to MA major research papers or doctoral dissertations. In the summer of 2014, the IWL invited her to showcase 91ŃÇɫ’s new Diploma program at the Institute (held in City University of Hong Kong). She served as the Coordinator of the Graduate Diploma in World Literature from its inception until the summer of 2022.

In October 2014, she co-organized a 91ŃÇÉ« symposium on “Trajectories in Comparative and World Literature” to launch both the Graduate Diploma in World Literature and the Graduate Diploma in Comparative Literature. A colloquium for graduate students followed two years later. In March 2022, she organized and hosted a colloquium, “World Fictions of Friendship in Critical Times,” showcasing the work of ten 91ŃÇÉ« graduate students and a faculty member.

Dr. Leps was the author of Apprehending the Criminal: The Production of Deviance in Nineteenth-Century Discourse (1992) and, in September 2022, the co-author (with Lesley Higgins) of Heterotopic World Fiction: Thinking Beyond Biopolitics with Woolf, Foucault, Ondaatje. She published numerous articles on discourse analysis, modernist and postmodernist fiction, and world literature, and was a gifted public speaker.

She is survived by her husband, Bruno Leps, and her daughter and son-in-law, Caroline and Callum Arnold Leps.

As per her request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. Donations to the Princess Margaret Research Fund would be appreciated.

^{Photos of Marie-Christine Lep}