Established in 1984, the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Biology (OCIB) 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 Biology.

Research facilities are shared between the two campuses. Students have access to the professors, courses and facilities at both universities.

The Institute is a participating unit in the collaborative programs in Bioinformatics (at the master’s level), in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology (at the master’s and doctoral levels), in Environmental Sustainability (at the master's level) in Bioinformatics, and in Science, Society and Policy (at the master’s level).

Main areas of research include cell and molecular biology, cell and molecular biology, ecology & behavior & systematics, and physiology and biochemistry.

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. To meet this challenge the University of Ottawa and Carleton University offer a joint collaborative program leading to a master of science or a PhD degree with specialization in chemical and environmental toxicology.

This Ottawa-Carleton collaborative program in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology is intended to augment the research and training available to students through the individual supporting institutes.