- About
- People
- Faculty
- Tim Audas
- Christopher Beh
- Lorena Braid
- Fiona S.L. Brinkman
- Mark Brockman
- Jack Chen
- Jonathan Choy
- Lisa Craig
- Sharon Gorski
- Nicholas Harden
- Nancy Hawkins
- Robert Holt
- William Hsiao
- Valentin Jaumouillé
- Irina Kovalyova
- Mani Larijani
- Amy Lee
- Michel Leroux
- Ryan Morin
- Ingrid Northwood
- Mark Paetzel
- Frederic Pio
- Lynne Quarmby
- Jenifer Thewalt
- Glen Tibbits
- Peter Unrau
- Esther Verheyen
- Stephanie Vlachos
- David Vocadlo
- Dustin King
- Edgar Young
- Sophie Sneddon
- Emeritus Faculty
- Associate Members
- Adjunct Faculty
- Research Personnel
- Graduate & Postdocs
- Staff
- Department Committees
- Faculty
- Undergraduate
- Prospective Students
- Current Students
- Advising
- Courses
- Course Offerings
- Summer (1234)
- Spring (1231)
- Fall (1227)
- Summer (1224)
- Spring (1221)
- Fall (1217)
- Summer (1214)
- Spring (1211)
- Fall (1207)
- Summer (1204)
- Spring (1201)
- Fall (1197)
- Summer (1194)
- Spring (1191)
- Fall (1187)
- Summer (1184)
- Spring (1181)
- Fall (1177)
- Summer (1174)
- Spring (1171)
- Fall (1167)
- Summer (1164)
- Spring (1161)
- Fall (1157)
- Summer (1154)
- Spring (1151)
- Course Descriptions
- Course Offerings
- Degree Programs
- MBB Co-op Program
- Research Opportunities
- Scholarship & Funding
- Student Resources
- Graduate
- Prospective Students
- Current Students
- Manage Your Program
- Courses
- Course Descriptions
- Course Offerings
- Spring (1231)
- Summer (1234)
- Spring (1221)
- Summer (1224)
- Fall (1227)
- Fall (1217)
- Summer (1214)
- Spring (1211)
- Fall (1207)
- Summer (1204)
- Spring (1201)
- Fall (1197)
- Summer (1194)
- Spring (1191)
- Fall (1187)
- Summer (1184)
- Spring (1181)
- Fall (1177)
- Summer (1174)
- Spring (1171)
- Fall (1167)
- Summer (1164)
- Spring (1161)
- Fall (1157)
- Summer (1154)
- Spring (1151)
- Forms And Resources
- Events
- Graduate Student Caucus
- Research
- Research Labs
- Audas Lab
- Beh Lab
- Braid lab
- Brinkman Lab
- Brockman Lab
- Chen Lab
- Choy Lab
- Craig lab
- Gorski Lab
- Harden Lab
- Hawkins Lab
- Holt Lab
- Hsiao lab
- Jaumouillé lab
- King Lab
- Larijani Lab
- Lee Lab
- Leroux Lab
- Morin Lab
- Paetzel Lab
- Pio Lab
- Quarmby Lab
- Sen Lab
- Thewalt Lab
- Tibbits Lab
- Unrau Lab
- Verheyen Lab
- Vocadlo Lab
- Young lab
- Undergraduate Research Opportunities
- Research Labs
- Resources
- News & Events
- MBB Calendar
- Colloquia
- Honours & Awards
- News Archives
- 2023
- 2022
- Congratulations to Dr. Amy Lee: The Recipient of The Banting Research Foundation's 2022 Discovery Award
- Meet Our Newest Faculty: Dr. Dustin King on His Exploration of Weaving Western Science with Indigenous Ways of Knowing
- MBB Alumnus Profile: Meet Cory Macklin Who Overcame Challenges to Win Governor General's Silver Medal
- MBB Alumnus Profile: Meet Dr. Razvan Cojocaru, The Recipient of Governor General’s Gold Medal
- Congratulations to Dr. Razvan Cojocaru and Cory Macklin: Governor General Medal Recipients at Summer 2022 Convocation
- Congratulations to our June 2022 Graduands
- Dr. Lynne Quarmby and Her Book "WaterMelon Snow: Science, Art, and a Lone Polar Bear" is Featured in SFU Knowledge Mobilizers Series
- Congratulations to our May 2022 Graduands
- Congratulations to Dr. Mani Larijani for Being Awarded a Prestigious New Frontiers in Research Fund Grant
- A New Paper from Beh Lab on ER-PM membrane contact site regulation by yeast ORPs and membrane stress pathways has been published in Plos Genetics Journal
- Congratulations to Dr. Razvan Cojocaru, the recipient of Dr. Bruce Brandhorst Prizes for Best Publication and Best PhD Thesis
- Dr. Lorena Braid is featured among new and renewed Canada Research Chairs
- Learn more about Dr. King's new lab that focuses on natural ‘carbon capture’ solutions
- $2 Million Gift From SFU Professors Emeriti Helps Seed New Ideas at SFU Science
- Congratulations to Dr. Tim Audas on The Renewal of Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Cellular Stress
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- Support
- Faculty + Staff Portal

Peter J. Unrau
Areas of interest
RNA Chemistry and Evolution
Biography
Peter Unrau’s education includes a B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics from McMaster University (1992) and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from MIT (1996). Following his graduation from MIT, Peter became interested in the emerging field of RNA catalysis and decided to join David Bartel’s laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. His work there, which includes isolating the first RNA nucleotide synthase ribozyme, has been cited numerous times in the literature as a highly significant contribution to the RNA catalysis field.
In 2001, Peter joined the faculty at Simon Fraser University where, with the help of his bright and energetic lab members, he runs an active research program in the area of RNA catalysis. He is currently Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University, a Michael Smith Foundation Senior Scholar, and a member of the Faculty of 1000.
Education
- B.Sc., McMaster University
- Ph.D., M.I.T.
Selected Publications
- Processive RNA polymerization and promoter recognition in an RNA World. Cojocaru, R., & Unrau, P. J. (2021). Science, 371(6535), 1225–1232.
- Microchip RT-PCR Detection of Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 Samples. Cojocaru, R., Yaseen, I., Unrau, P. J., Lowe, C. F., Ritchie, G., Romney, M. G., Sin, D. D., Gill, S., & Slyadnev, M. (2021). The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, 0(0).
- RNA Peach and Mango: Orthogonal two-color fluorogenic aptamers distinguish nearly identical ligands. Kong, K. Y. S., Jeng, S. C. Y., Rayyan, B., & Unrau, P. J. (2021). RNA, rna.078493.120.View more publications
Courses
Future courses may be subject to change.