ICG is a Dalhousie University Institute comprised of researchers and trainees in four faculties: Medicine, Science, Computer Science and Agriculture. Research carried out by ICG scientists includes:
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comparative genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics

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microbial diversity

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environmental and medical microbiomics

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development of bioinformatic and statistical tools

We are committed to training the next generation of scientists in a collaborative, equitable and inclusive environment.
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ICG builds upon the past success of its predecessor, the Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics (CGEB), which was established in 2008. As of April 2025, ICG is comprised of 32 Members, 3 Adjunct Members, 1 ICG Research Associate, 1 ICG Research Scientist, 2 Honorary Members, and approximately 14 staff and 130 trainees.

News

Dr. Finlay Maguire elected to the Royal Society of Canada College of the New Scholars, Scholars, and Scientists.

ICG Member Andrew Roger has been awarded a 2025 Distinguished Research Professorship, Dalhousie University

ICG Member, Dr. Joseph Bielawski, has been awarded a Faculty of Science Killam Professorship (July 1, 2025)

Congratulations to ICG Member Dr. W. Ford Doolittle for being appointed Companion of the Order of Canada.

The MicroScape Program — a partnership between the ICG and The Discovery Centre — was featured on CTV News.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Gray-Doolittle Awards for Research Excellence – Lucie Gallot-Lavallee (Senior category, Postdoc) and Julia Packer (Junior category, Undergraduate).

ICG welcomes Dr. Zoë Migicovsky, Assistant Professor & Tier II Canada Research Chair, Acadia University, now an ICG Adjunct Member (2025)

Congratulations to ICG member, Dr. W. Ford Doolittle, who received a Genome Canada – Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the Canadian Genomics Impact Awards Reception, Halifax, Feb. 5, 2025

Congratulations to ICG member, Dr. W. Ford Doolittle, who was awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medal, presented at Dalhousie University, February 2025

Congratulations to ICG Member Dr. W. Ford Doolittle on publication of his new book “Darwinizing Gaia” in December 2024

Congratulations to ICG Member, Dr. Nikhil Thomas, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, recipient of the Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision, a 2024 Dalhousie Legacy Award.

ICG Member, Dr. Finlay Maguire, awarded Emerging Professional at the 2024 Discovery Awards, Halifax, November 14, 2024

ICG LaRoche lab (Biology) has identified a microbe — T. haligoni — found in the Bedford Basin near Halifax that could help scientists better understand the health of the ocean.

ICG member Joseph Bielawski awarded the 2024 Dr. Anne Marie Ryan Community Growth Award which recognizes commitment to education, learning, and outreach at Dalhousie.

ICG member Michael Gray received an honorary degree from Dalhousie at the Spring Convocation (2024)

ICG Director John Archibald receives the 2024 Canadian Science Publishing Senior Investigator Award by the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences (CSMB)

Congratulations to ICG trainees Sari Matar, Landon Getz, and Brent Robicheau, winners of the 2024 Gray-Doolittle Awards for Research Excellence.

ICG Member Finlay Maguire receives Dalhousie President’s Research Excellence Award – Emerging Investigator (2023)

Activities

Upcoming ICG all-lab monthly meeting

Thursday, November 13, 2025, 9:30 AM, in Theatre A (Tupper). Presenter:  Dr. Nik Thomas, Microbiology & Immunology. Title: TBA

Upcoming ICG Seminar

FRIDAY, October 31, 2025, 11:00 AM, in Biology 5th floor lounge. Presenter:  Dr. Jesse McNichol, St. Francis Xavier University. Title:  “‘Omics-Driven Marine Microbial...

ICG all-lab monthly meeting

Thursday, October 16, 2025, 9:30 AM, in Biology 5th floor lounge. Presenter:  Dr. Toby Kenney, Department of Mathematics & Statistics. Title:  TBA

ICG all-lab monthly meeting

Thursday, June 26th, 2025, 9:30 AM, in Theatre C, Tupper Medical Building. Presenter:  Morgan Langille's lab (Pharmacology). Title: "Profiling non-gut cancer associated...

ICG Seminar

Thursday, May 15, 2025, 9:30 AM, location - Theatre A (Tupper Building). Presenter:  Dr. Angela McLaughlin, University of Guelph. Title - Phylogeographic inference of...

ICG Seminar

Thursday, May 29th, 2025, 10:00 AM, in Theatre “A” (Tupper Building). Presenter:  Dr. Zoe Migicovsky (Acadia University).  Title: A Genomics Strategy for Apple...

ICG all-lab monthly meeting

Thursday, May 22, 2025, 9:30 AM, in Biology 5th floor lounge. Presenter:  Julie LaRoche’s  lab (Biology).

ICG all-lab monthly meeting

Thursday, April 17, 2025, 9:30 AM, in Theatre “C" (Tupper Building). Presenters: Senior Scientist Dr. Brett Duguay and PI Craig McCormick (Microbiol. Immunol.).  Title:...

ICG all-lab monthly meeting

Thursday, March 13, 2025, 9:30 AM, in Biology 5th floor lounge. Presenter:  Erin Bertrand’s lab (Biology).  Title: Two talks - "New views on vitamin B12 production and...

ICG all-lab monthly meeting

Thursday, January 23, 2025. 9:30 am, Biology 5th floor lounge (5055). Presenters:  MOSOM Program Undergraduates:  Peyton O'Regan, Rafiah Mir, and Joshua Paris Title:...

ICG / Biochem./ Microbiol. Immunol. co-sponsored seminar 

Tuesday, October 1, 2024, 4:00 PM, Theatre A - Tupper Building. Dr. Noor Youssef (Harvard Medical School). Title:  “Future-proofing vaccines with generative AI...

Select Recent ICG Publications

Argenta, N., Clark, K.F. (2025) Shell bacterial community dynamics suggest that Americal lobster impoundment shell disease is caused by a dysbiosis.  J. Invertebr. Pathol. 211: 108355.

Barra, J., Lieski, C.R., Phonchareon, P., Portales-Cervantes, L., Gaston, D., Karakach, T.K., Haidl, I.D., Marshall, J.S. (2025) IL-5 enhances human mast cell survival and interferon responses to viral infection.  J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 155: 1968-1980.

Blais, C., Colp, M.J., Sarre, L.A., de Mendoza, A., Archibald, J.M. (2025) Epigenetic silencing and gehnome dynamics determine the fate of giant virus endogenizations in Acanthamoeba.  BMC Biol. 23: 171.

  Duguay, B.A., Tooley, T.H., Pringle, E.S., Rohde, J.R., McCormick, C. (2025) A yeast-based reverse genetics system to generate HCoV-0C43 reporter viruses encoding an eighth subgenomic RNA.  J. Virol. 99: 301671-24.

Hsu, T.Y., Nzabarushimana, E., Wong, D., Luo, C., Beiko, R.G., Langille, M., Huttenhower, C., Long, H.N, Franzosa, E.A. (2025) Profiling lateral gene transfer events in the human microbiome using WAAFLE.  Nature Microbiol. 10: 94-111.

Kho, J., McCracken, G.R., McDermid, J.L., Ruzzante, D.E. (2025) Life history implications of kinship structure in an Atlantic herring aggregation.  Canadian J. Fisheries Aquatic Sci., 16 April. 

Mutshinda, C.M., Finkel, Z.V., Irwin, A.J. (2025) Large regionally variable shifts in diatom and dinoflagellate biomass in the North Atlantic over six decades. PLoS One 20: e0323675.

Williamson, K., Eme, L., Baños, H., McCarthy, C., Susko, E., Kamikawa, R., Orr, R., Munoz-Gomez, S., Minh, B., Simpson, A., Roger, A.J. (2025) A robustly rooted tree of eukaryotes reveals their excavate ancestry. Nature 640: 974-981.