Dear members of the McGill community,
I am delighted to announce that Prof. Alanna Watt will be McGill’s next Dean of the Faculty of Science. The McGill University Board of Governors approved her appointment at its meeting on April 23, 2026, and her five-year renewable term will begin on May 1.
Some of Dr. Jeffrey Mogil’s most influential discoveries could be considered serendipity. He may not have set out to revolutionize the field, but what he ended up finding has made a lasting impact in the world of pain research.
Dr. Mogil is a pain researcher and professor at McGill University, and his CIHR-supported work uncovered two big blind spots: the research had focused almost entirely on male pain and mostly measured one type of pain—and not the type that makes the biggest difference for patients.
Researchers studying 450-million-year-old fossils discovered about 50 kilometres northeast of Quebec City have identified a new species of basal medusozoan: Paleocanna tentaculum, a soft-bodied, tube-shaped polyp with a ring of tentacles. Closely related to modern jellyfish, it is a rare discovery. Only a few other species in its subphylum have ever been described in the fossil record.
The 2026 winners of the Fessenden Professorship and Tomlinson Science Awards have been named.
Established in 2007 and named after Canadian electrical engineer Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, the Fessenden Professorship in Science and Innovation Award supports researchers in exploring early-stage concepts, developing intellectual property, and moving innovations toward commercialization.
Taking inspiration from how mussels and mistletoe plants build natural fibres and adhesives, researchers at McGill University have developed a new way to manufacture complex materials that could offer a more environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional plastics and glues.
Congratulations to Professor Henri Darmon, Distinguished James McGill Professor at McGill University and CRM member, on receiving the 2026 Jeffery‑Williams Prize from the Canadian Mathematical Society. Darmon is an internationally recognized leader in number theory, known for his groundbreaking work on elliptic curves, L‑functions, and automorphic forms, including the introduction of Stark‑Heegner points and real quadratic analogues of singular moduli.
From labs to field sites, McGill students brought their discoveries to life at the 7th annual Undergraduate Science Showcase, held on March 25. The event offers students an encouraging, non-competitive space where they can proudly share their research, passion projects, and in-class work, all while strengthening their confidence and science communication skills.
A new international study offers insights into the health risks posed by crops’ absorption of “contaminants of emerging concern” (CECs) and flags knowledge gaps the authors say must be addressed.
CECs include pharmaceuticals, microplastics, engineered nanomaterials and PFAS (commonly known as “forever chemicals”). The researchers warn that even when present at very low concentrations, these chemicals can subtly alter plant physiology, disrupt soil health and pose wider environmental and human health risks.
We are delighted to announce that Marcin Sabok has been awarded the Ryll-Nardzewski Prize.
The prize was established to honour the great Polish mathematician Czesław Ryll-Nardzewski, and is awarded by the Ryll-Nardzewski Center at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. The prize is for outstanding achievements in mathematics in areas related to the work of Ryll-Nardzewski.
A McGill University-led study has found that humans share acoustic preferences with other species, at least when it comes to animal calls. The results provide experimental evidence that shared sensory processing mechanisms may shape aesthetic judgments of sound.
Researchers at McGill University used 2,000-year-old stone jars in Laos to observe long-term ecological processes, enhancing understanding of how strongly tree cover shapes small freshwater ecosystems. Their findings stand to help scientists predict how freshwater habitats will respond to environmental change, the researchers said.
A new McGill University study has found a direct link between age‑related declines in neuron activity in the cerebellum and worsening motor skills, including gait, balance and agility. While it is well known that these abilities diminish with age, this is the first research to pinpoint how changes in Purkinje cells – a key type of cerebellar neuron – drive this decline and translate into measurable changes in behaviour and physical function.
Professors Siva Reddy (Computer Science and Linguistics) and Katelin Schutz (Physics) have been named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows.
They are among the 126 early-career researchers in this year’s cohort of the prestigious two-year, $75,000 fellowship sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Fellows are nominated by their colleagues and evaluated based on their research accomplishments, creativity and potential to become leaders in their fields.
Researchers at McGill University and the United States Forest Service have found that plants living in areas where human activity has caused population crashes carry long-lasting genetic traces of that history, such as reduced genetic diversity. Because genetic diversity helps species adapt to climate change, disease and other stresses, the study suggests it is vital to consider a population’s history-influenced genetics alongside its size and habitat in conservation planning.
A new study co-authored by McGill University researchers suggests people can be taught to reject unfair advantages.
“We often benefit personally from an unequal distribution of resources, a phenomenon known as advantageous inequity – for example, receiving a higher salary than a colleague with the identical role,” said senior author Ross Otto, a psychology professor. “Here we ask whether people can learn to punish advantageous inequity merely by observing the inequity-averse preferences of another person.”
