established in 1981, the ottawa-carleton chemistry institute (occi) combines the research strengths of the university of ottawa and carleton university. the institute offers graduate programs leading to the master’s (msc) and doctoral (phd) degrees in chemistry.

research facilities are shared between the two campuses. students have access to the professors, courses and facilities at both universities; however, they must enroll at the “home university” of the thesis supervisor.

the institute is a participating unit in the collaborative program in chemical and environmental toxicology at the master’s and doctoral levels.

toxicology is the study of effects of toxic substances on living systems. these toxic substances can either be organic or inorganic, synthetic or natural materials. environmental toxicology further extends to aspects of chemical transport, fate, persistence and biological accumulation of toxic substances and their effects at the population and community levels. while individual researchers usually specialize in a particular area, toxicologists today must be able to appreciate significant research in other fields and therefore require an understanding of the basic principles of other disciplines.