 He received a BSc with honours in biochemistry from the University of Guelph, and the Chemical Institute of Canada prize for the top of class and President's Scholarship .He received a PhD in 1999 from the University of Alberta working in the laboratory of Dr. Grant McFadden investigating poxviral immunomodulatory proteins.His doctoral thesis focused on the enzymology and biological properties of the Myxoma virus encoded serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin), SERP-1.