Current Winners
Congratulations to our latest winners for each award!
2025 Award Winners
The Canadian Society of Microbiologists is pleased to announce the award recipients for this year. Congratulations everyone on your hard work and contributions to Microbiology across Canada!
CSM Murray Award for Career Achievement:
Dr. Raymond J. Turner, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
This award is made possible by the financial support of Canadian Science Publishing (publisher of the NRC Research Press journals). Their commitment and service to microbiological research and teaching in Canada is greatly appreciated.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Raymond J. Turner is a multi-ethnic multi-generational Canadian. Academic career began with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry/Chemistry followed by a Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry. Post-Doctoral training was obtained in Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Microbiology. In 1998, he was recruited to the University of Calgary and is presently appointed as Faculty Professor of Science. He has lectured in chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry and environmental science courses from introductory biology to graduate courses. Through his career he has been part of developing a variety of new and novel courses as well as contributing to developing an international genomics program as well as contributing to an AMR course. He has held the post as Associate Department Head and Graduate program director and chair of various research cluster units. He has also served on Dean’s and Vice-presidents’ advisory committees as well as director of the Calgary Biofilm Research group. Research funding from the Canadian funding councils of NSERC, CIHR, Genome Canada, MITACS as well as a number of industrial partners. He has received awards of excellence in research and in graduate student supervision and recognitions for undergraduate lecturing from the University of Calgary. He actively seeks and generates national and international collaborations. From this has received several Faculty Fellowship awards from the Institute of Advanced studies (Italy) and formal recognition of contribution from the Italian Microbiology Society. As a Microbial Biochemist, research interests are multidisciplinary from fields of environmental and molecular microbiology, bioinorganic chemistry, metallomics, and nanotechnology. The Turner research group studies biochemical resistance mechanisms of bacteria towards various stressors (metals, pollutants, antiseptics). This knowledge is applied to biotechnology approaches for bioremediation, green synthesis of nanomaterials and development of novel antimicrobials.
AWARD LECTURE DETAILS
Date & Time: Friday, June 20th, 2025, 14:30 – 15:30 EDT
Title: Explorations into toxic Metal-ion Microbe Interactions
Abstract:
Microbes experience interactions with toxic metal ions through natural geological processes but also via anthropogenic process and their use as antimicrobials. As a result, microbes have developed mechanisms to deal with the toxic metal ion challenge. Similar to antibiotic resistance, bacteria have evolved specific metal element resistance genes (MRGs) to most toxic elements. Uniquely, resistance to the oxyanion of tellurium (tellurite) we see several genetically different MRGs. Beyond MRG mechanisms, the physiological changes one sees for bacteria growing as a community and/or biofilm provide tolerance to metal challenges. An outcome from anthropogenic activities leading to pollution is the need for remediation of not only the metal pollutant but also co-contaminant organic pollutants and metal resistant microbes are exploited for such purposes. An important resistance mechanism is redox chemistry on the metal ion to change its chemical speciation. A common outcome is reduction of the metal ion to elemental form where the atoms then cluster to produce nanoparticles. This can be exploited for bioremediation purposes or turning the bacteria into nanofactories to produce valuable nanomaterials. Microbes have evolved elegant metallo-regulatory systems for essential metals that are also quite toxic at higher concentrations, of these, copper and zinc are of interest. These and other metals such as silver, gallium, gold, selenium and their nanomaterials are being explored for their potential as antimicrobials as to help address the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) era where we are losing our antibiotics. My group has utilized a number of microbial, biochemical, and ‘omic approaches to obtain information leading to a full system view of bacteria under metal(loid) stress. The data demonstrates that different bacteria respond quite differently to different metal ions. Additionally, the breadth of physiological response and targeted biochemical processes is more extensive than previously considered, defining genes and systems not previously identified to be involved in metal sensitivity or tolerance. Furthermore, exploring synergies between metals has led to the discovery of novel antimicrobial formulations. Outcomes from a number of different research questions on these topics will be presented. Additionally, our state of developing novel metal mixture antimicrobial formulations targeting various microbes will be overviewed.
Thermo Fisher Scientific Award:
Dr. Georgina Cox, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
This lecture is made possible with the financial support of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Their commitment and service to microbiological research and teaching in Canada is greatly appreciated.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Cox is an Associate Professor and holds a Canada Research Chair in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada). Dr. Cox’s training has centered on studying and combating antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria. She has nearly 20 years of experience studying AMR in microbial pathogens, building a strong foundation through work in laboratories renowned for their research into multidrug-resistant pathogens. She completed her PhD at the University of Leeds (United Kingdom), postdoctoral training with Dr. Gerry Wright at McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada), and started her own research group in 2017 at the University of Guelph. Dr. Cox’s current research program explores complex aspects of bacterial physiology in combination with cutting-edge drug discovery endeavors to ultimately combat pathogenic bacteria. Specifically, Dr. Cox and her group are exploring novel approaches to control bacterial infections by investigating and inhibiting bacterial adhesion to the host. Her lab also studies drug efflux pumps, to gain insight into the substrate specificities, physiological functions, and origins of these transporters, which will inform future drug discovery efforts and antibiotic stewardship.
AWARD LECTURE DETAILS
Date & Time: Thursday, June 19th, 2025, 17:00 – 18:00 EDT
Title: Disrupting Drug Efflux and Host Adhesion in Bacterial Pathogens
Abstract:
My research program focuses on understanding bacterial mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence to inform new antibacterial drug discovery efforts. We investigate two key areas: efflux pump function in Escherichia coli and host adhesion by Staphylococcus aureus. To dissect the physiological roles and AMR contributions of efflux pumps, we developed a genetic toolkit—the E. coli efflux platform—enabling us to explore the functions of different efflux pumps and to assess functional interplay between pumps. This platform is proving valuable for understanding bacterial physiology and guiding new antibacterial discovery and development. Simultaneously, we are targeting S. aureus host adhesion, a critical factor in colonization and infection. Using a whole-cell ELISA assay, we have identified genetic determinants and mechanisms underpinning adhesion to key host ligands and discovered new anti-adhesive agents. These findings provide insights into bacterial pathogenesis and highlight promising therapeutic targets for combating AMR.
Armand-Frappier Outstanding Student Award:
Dr. Rabia Fatima, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
This lecture is made possible with the financial support of Canadian Society of Microbiologists
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Rabia Fatima is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University. She completed her BSc in Biochemistry before joining Dr. Alexander Hynes’ lab as an MSc student, later transferring into the PhD program in Biochemistry. Her doctoral research focused on exploring the therapeutic potential of temperate bacteriophages—viruses that can integrate into bacterial genomes and remain dormant—when combined with antibiotics. This work significantly advanced our understanding of how temperate phages can be leveraged as adjuvants in the treatment of multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections, expanding their clinical relevance. Following her PhD, her research has evolved to investigate the role of dormant phages in fungal-bacterial interactions during co-infection.
AWARD LECTURE DETAILS
Date & Time: Wednesday, June 18th, 2025, 16:00 – 17:00 EDT
Title: Antibiotic allies: leveraging temperate phages to enhance antibiotic effectiveness
Abstract:
With a decline in antibiotic effectiveness, there is a renewed interest in using bacterial-specific viruses (bacteriophages or phages) to reduce bacterial loads, alone or with antibiotics. However, most phages are therapeutically unsuitable because they are “temperate” and can integrate into the host genome, protecting the host from subsequent phage infections. Emerging evidence shows that dormant phages can be awakened by stressors such as antibiotics, raising the question: can antibiotics uniquely interact with temperate phages to bias the phage away from dormancy and enhance bacterial killing? Across a variety of model systems, I demonstrated that certain phage-antibiotic combinations exhibit potent synergy, including re-sensitization of drug-resistant strains to clinically relevant antibiotics, despite their widely differing targets. In exploring the mechanistic basis of this synergy, I found that antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and piperacillin can reduce the frequency of phage dormancy events. In an in vivo Caenorhabditis elegans infection model, pairing temperate phages with antibiotics significantly improves survival outcomes, whether the phage is co-administered or already dormant in the host bacteria prior to antibiotic treatment. Overall, my findings demonstrate that antibiotics can work uniquely alongside temperate phages – shifting their behavior and biasing the phage away from dormancy. This synergistic strategy is generalizable across phages, antibiotics, and hosts, drastically expanding how we think about temperate phages in therapy and enabling the use of antibiotics that would otherwise be ineffective.
The Burrows Award for Womxn in Microbiology:
Mx. Laura Schnell, University of Regina, Regina, SK
This award is possible because of support from Dr. Burrows, the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research at McMaster University and the Canadian Society of Microbiologists.
BIOGRAPHY
Mx. Laura Schnell (she/they) is a PhD candidate at the University of Regina (UofR). She holds a BSc Honours with high honours from the UofR and transferred from MSc to PhD last year. Laura studies the genetics of microbial communities in lakes, rivers, and farm ponds in Prairie and Arctic ecosystems. She is co-supervised by Dr. Andrew Cameron (UofR) and Dr. Jordyn Broadbent (Environment and Climate Change Canada). Laura’s passion for science and research matches her passion for making STEM inclusive and inviting for all.
Laura is involved with several initiatives at the UofR to celebrate and encourage equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM. They were on the organizing committee for the 2SLGBTQ+ in STEM Conference held at the UofR in May 2024. Laura also helps organize and volunteers for STEM for ALL, an annual event started by Dr. Gwen Grinyer to bring Gay-Straight-Alliance high school students across Regina together for a night of science.
In addition, Laura served on the board of directors of the Biology Undergraduate and Graduate Society (BUGS) for two years. BUGS is a student club that connects biology students across fields. During her time on the board, Laura organized several events to show students how inclusive and exciting science can be. A highlight of her time on the board was collaborating with the Saskatchewan Science Centre to highlight different career avenues in biotechnology research, including spotlighting Indigenous-led research in biotechnology.
Laura’s dedication to science also reaches beyond the University of Regina. She actively collaborates and shares her research with farmers and livestock producers to bridge the gap between academia and agriculture. Recently, they have been working closely with Dr. Bruno Soares to inspire future scientists by engaging children in fieldwork and science. Overall, Laura is passionate about making science accessible and welcoming for people with different backgrounds, resources, identities, and abilities. She does this through several smaller initiatives that aim to slowly build community over time, at the UofR and beyond.
CSM Ambassador Award:
Dr. Rachel Beaver, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
This award is made possible with the financial support of Canadian Society of Microbiologists
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Rachel Beaver is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at the University of Waterloo, where she also completed her BSc, MSc, and PhD. Her graduate research investigated microbial communities in bentonite clay—a key engineered barrier in deep geological repositories for the long-term storage of used nuclear fuel. She examined how repository-relevant conditions influence microbial activity and community composition. As a postdoctoral researcher, she continues to study bentonite microbiology, with a growing emphasis on the analysis of repository host site samples and in situ experiments.