UCalgary Killam Scholars inspire change through research

At the University of Calgary, 16 PhD students have been named 2025 Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholars, recognizing academic excellence, leadership and research that is transforming how we understand the world. Their projects span continents and disciplines, from exploring how microbes influence attraction in the Amazon rainforest to creating wearable devices that monitor health in real time. 

Together, their work reflects UCalgary’s strength in research, which connects science, society and sustainability.

“Seeing our graduate students recognized for their academic excellence and the transformative research they’re undertaking is incredibly meaningful,” says Dr. Tara Beattie, PhD, dean and vice-provost (graduate studies). 

“Scholarships such as the Killam provide essential funding to advance innovative research and, just as importantly, celebrate the dedication of scholars whose work strengthens our communities and exemplifies the University of Calgary’s commitment to discovery and impact.”

Established through the legacy of Dorothy J. Killam, the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship is UCalgary’s highest graduate award. Valued at $45,000 over two years, it supports exceptional PhD students whose work has the potential to shape Canada’s future and foster global understanding.

Meet the 2025 Killam Scholars

Fourteen of the 16 UCalgary Killam Scholars have shared snapshots of their research in 100 words or less, offering a glimpse into the curiosity, creativity and impact driving their work. Two scholars, Queenie Kwan Wing Li and Jasmine Sein Mun Veitch, were unable to participate in this feature.

Silvia Carboni, fourth-year PhD student, Faculty of Arts

• Microbes and mammalian scent communication

“Microbes are the invisible protagonists shaping life on Earth. My research explores how microbial communities contribute to the production of body odours used in sexual communication among mammals. I focus on two wild tamarin monkey species in Peru, where fierce female competition for reproduction is mediated by odours that convey reproductive potential and attract mates. Combining fieldwork in the Amazon in which I collect swabs from scent glands, with DNA sequencing, chemical and bioinformatic analyses, I investigate how the skin microbiome shapes reproductive odour cues. This work reveals how the hidden world of microbes may drive reproductive evolution and influence attraction and competition through sexual selection.”

Brendan Carswell, second-year PhD student, Faculty of Science

• Moose ecology and Indigenous knowledge

“I’m a member of the Weaving Wildlife and Land-based Knowledges Lab (WWALK) in the Department of Biological Sciences at UCalgary. In general, the WWALK lab focuses on the respectful collaboration among scientists, conservation practitioners, and communities to learn about and build better relationships with culturally and ecologically significant species. For my PhD research, I’m working with both western scientific data (GPS collar data, trail camera photos) and Indigenous Knowledge to answer questions and concerns about changes in moswa (moose) habitat use, density and distribution, that coincide with large-scale population declines across much of the country. By weaving multiple knowledge sources, I aim to produce knowledge that contributes to local-to-federal management of moswa, as well as provides novel scientific insight on wildlife ecology and population changes.”

Jay Cavanagh, third-year PhD student, Faculty of Arts

• Mental health and lived experience

“My research investigates how experiences of mental illness are constructed and navigated within three community-constructed mental health programs in Brazil, Canada and virtual spaces. These spaces include a revolutionary occupational rehabilitation clinic in Rio de Janeiro, peer-support groups in Canada and a successful mental health video podcast. Through the lens of borderline personality disorder (BPD), I explore how psychiatric categories are lived and understood within these different spaces and across social contexts. In so doing, I detail some alternative approaches to clinical models of mental health care that highlight uniquely creative, empathic and humanizing paths to personal and collective recovery.”

Alex Cuncannon, first-year PhD student, Faculty of Nursing

• Parent-child relationships and immune health

“My research examines how early life experiences and parent-child relationships shape children’s health through interconnected social and biological pathways. I study how safe, secure and nurturing relationships, strengthened through programs like the Attachment and Child Health (ATTACH) parenting program, can moderate stress-immune responses and buffer the effects of adversity, particularly family and gender-based violence. My focus is understanding how relational experiences may shape the activity of genes involved in immune function. By linking relational health and psychosocial interventions with immune health, I aim to inform preventive and equity-focused research, programs and policies to support child and family health.”

Selena Fu, fourth-year PhD student, Faculty of Arts

• Psychedelics, brain plasticity and zinc 

“During early life, the brain goes through time-limited windows, called ‘critical periods’, when it is especially plastic and open to learning and change. Once these critical periods close, the brain’s ability to adapt is limited. Recent research has shown that different types of psychedelic drugs can temporarily reopen a critical period for social learning and behaviour, but the mechanisms behind this effect are not yet understood. My research investigates whether zinc, a unique neurotransmitter in the brain, plays a role in this process that allows psychedelics to unlock this plasticity. Elucidating this relationship will provide a better understanding of zinc signaling in the brain and shed light on the mechanisms that enables and constrains critical period plasticity.”

Kazim Haider, BSc'20, MSc'22, second-year PhD student, Schulich School of Engineering

• Wearable microneedle biosensing technology

“My research focuses on developing wearable bioelectronic microneedle patches that can continuously monitor a wide range of biomolecules in real time. Microneedles are microscopic projections, thinner than a human hair, that gently interact with the skin’s surface to enable painless, high-precision measurements of biomolecules in the body unlike traditional needles. Using the same microfabrication methods used to produce silicon computer chips, I’m creating a microneedle-based biosensing platform technology, beginning with diabetes-related biomarkers. As my work progresses, I aim to expand this platform to track additional biomarkers linked to heart and kidney health, and to further adapt the technology for ’smart agriculture’ applications such as monitoring plant health for early disease detection and crop-yield optimization.”

Jill Hoselton, BSW'14, MSW'22, fourth-year PhD student, Faculty of Social Work

• Refugee women’s resettlement experiences

“I use innovative, arts-based methods in partnership with refugee women in Edmonton, Alta., to understand their place-based experiences, needs and desires for creating a sense of home. As the number of refugees arriving in Canada continues to grow, with an estimated 136,615 refugees resettled in Canada between 2024-2026, understanding how to improve the socio-spatial conditions of resettlement is imperative. Findings of my study aim to directly inform policies and practices that shape the planning and design of services and communities in Edmonton and beyond, ultimately benefiting refugee women, families and communities, along with other structurally vulnerable populations.”

Megan Kinzel, BHSc'22, third-year PhD student, Cumming School of Medicine

• Immune cells and breast cancer therapy

“I study a type of immune cell called type 2 innate lymphoid cells, or ILC2s for short. Although it is a rarer type of immune cell, we and others have shown that it has the potential to be a powerful co-ordinator of the body’s immune response against cancer. My project specifically looks at how these ILC2s interact with other immune cells in the breast tumour and, excitingly, how we can genetically engineer or alter aspects of these ILC2s to coordinate an immune response to kill cancer cells. We hope that with this project we will learn of and generate new ways to improve current immunotherapies used to treat breast cancer and other solid tumours.”

Adnan Mohammed, third-year PhD student, Schulich School of Engineering

• Efficient and sustainable AI systems

“My PhD research, supervised by Dr. Yani Ioannou and Dr. Rahul Krishnan, focuses on understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) systems learn and how we can train them more efficiently. Today’s AI models are extremely large and require massive computing power to train. I study ‘sparse neural networks,’ which are models that focus only on the most important connections instead of using every part of the network. By designing new algorithms for these sparse systems, my goal is to make AI faster, cheaper and more environmentally friendly — so powerful AI technology can be developed and used more sustainably.”

Fatemeh Morshedi Dehaghi, third-year PhD student, Schulich School of Engineering

• Advanced polymer nanocomposites for energy storage

“As Canada moves toward a clean-energy future, innovative materials are key to storing and using energy more efficiently. My PhD research develops polymer nanocomposites with improved dielectric performance for energy storage devices such as capacitors, which power technologies from electric vehicles to portable electronics. By integrating nanomaterials and applying structural engineering from the macro to micro scale, I create advanced materials made from recycled polymers. This approach not only reduces plastic waste, but also transforms it into high-value materials for next-generation energy storage applications, aligning science, innovation and sustainability in Canada’s path to net-zero.”

Cara Nania, BA'19, MSc'23, third-year PhD student, Werklund School of Education

• Pain and mental health in FASD youth

“Youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are disproportionately affected by pain; however, their pain is more likely to be overlooked and misunderstood due to the complex and variable characteristics of FASD. My doctoral research program will be the first to comprehensively examine the pain experiences of youth with FASD, determine how pain relates to the significant mental health challenges they experience, and identify biopsychosocial factors contributing to pain in this vulnerable population. Findings will inform the development of evidence-based guidelines for the assessment and treatment of pain, advancing research priorities and clinical practice for youth with FASD.”

Serhat Sevgen, third-year PhD student, Faculty of Science

• Geochemistry and origins of life

“My research interests centre on how geochemical processes shaped the early Earth environment and contributed to the origins of life. To address these questions, I combine laboratory experiments, computational geochemical modelling and fieldwork in extreme environments such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents and hypersaline lakes. In my current research, I focus on experimental investigations of mineral transformation reactions that generate molecular hydrogen, a key energy source for microbial life on early Earth and Mars. I also work with Archean age rocks, applying a suite of high-resolution analytical techniques to trace the natural analogs of processes observed in my experiments.”

Jenna Sim, second-year PhD student, Faculty of Kinesiology

• Exercise and behaviour change for transplant patients

“My research is evaluating the Transplant Wellness Program (TWP), a 12-week exercise and behaviour change program for kidney-, liver- and lung-transplant patients in Southern Alberta. The TWP aims to improve participants’ physical fitness and use behaviour-change techniques to boost key psychological constructs that can influence patients’ engagement in healthy behaviours. My PhD aims to a) describe the existing literature on behaviour-change prehabilitation programs for transplant patients, b) evaluate the implementation of the TWP, and c) evaluate effectiveness of the TWP on key behavioural constructs and patient outcomes. Findings will result in adaptations to the TWP, benefiting patient care in real time.”

Abbygale Swadling, BSc'23, third-year PhD Student, Faculty of Science

• Matter-antimatter asymmetry and antihydrogen

“The Big Bang is predicted to have produced equal amounts of matter and antimatter, yet we live in a seemingly matter-dominated universe. My research investigates the matter-antimatter asymmetry problem, which is one of the biggest mysteries facing modern physics today. I work with the ALPHA (Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus) collaboration, based at CERN, where we produce antihydrogen atoms and study them experimentally to compare with hydrogen. Specifically, my research uses microwaves to control the quantum state of antihydrogen to make precise measurements of the splitting between atomic energy levels and investigate properties of anti-atoms in magnetic traps.”

To learn more about our exceptional scholars and awards, visit the Exceptional Scholars webpage.