Fundamental Discovery Week
Celebrating the groundwork of innovation
May 11 - May 17
Welcome to Fundamental Discovery Week – a celebration of curiosity, exploration, and the pursuit of knowledge. From May 11 - May 17 we pay tribute to the foundational research that propels us towards a brighter future. This week-long initiative is dedicated to recognizing the invaluable contributions of basic science to society. From unravelling the secrets of the cosmos to deciphering the complexities of the microscopic world, basic science forms the base upon which all other branches of research grow.
What is basic science?
Basic science research—often called fundamental or bench research—provides the foundation of knowledge for the applied science that follows. It includes activities like the discovery and analysis of single genes or genetic markers of diseases, biochemistry, microbiology, physiology, and more. Through the discoveries made in basic science, researchers are able to understand causes and treatments more effectively.
Why celebrate basic science?
Basic science lays the groundwork for transformative breakthroughs in every field imaginable – from medicine and technology to environmental science and beyond. By fostering a deeper understanding of the natural world, fundamental research fuels innovation, inspires creativity, and drives progress.
Featured
Dr. Mateusz Ambrozkiewicz, PhD
Dr. Ambrozkiewicz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at CSM and a researcher with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
Originally from Poland, Mats imagined becoming a fearless explorer as a child, a curiosity that eventually led him to brain research.
Today, his work explores how molecules guide brain development, with a focus on ubiquitin signaling and the timing of cellular decisions.
Watch the feature here.
Read the full feature here.
Ryan Lab
The Ryan Lab strives to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, develop new tools for collaborative investigation into the mechanisms underlying neurological disorders and train scientists in the areas of molecular neuroscience and stem cell biology.
Read Gerardo Balderas' Feature
Read Sharanya Thevasenan's Feature
Dr. Atefeh Rayatpour, PhD
Dr. Atefeh Rayatpour is a postdoctoral researcher studying how the brain responds to damage in multiple sclerosis. Her work focuses on oxidative stress and how immune cells can either support or limit the brain’s ability to repair itself.
Atefeh's interest in neuroscience began while working as a nurse, where she developed a strong curiosity about how the brain responds to injury and disease. She completed her PhD in neurophysiology at Tarbiat Modares University and now works in the lab of Dr. Wee Yong.
Neuro Omics Core
The Neuro Omics Core provides researchers with access to advanced single-cell, spatial, and genomics technologies to study the brain at unprecedented resolution. By combining experimental and computational expertise, the core supports researchers at every stage of discovery, from project design and sample preparation to data analysis and interpretation.
Open to the HBI community and beyond, the Neuro Omics Core helps accelerate fundamental discovery across neuroscience research.
Dr. Hedwich Kuipers, PhD
Dr. Hedwich Kuipers is an Associate Professor of Neuroimmunology in the Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Cell Biology & Anatomy at Ualgary. She is Director of EDIA at the HBI, Co-Director of the Alberta MS Network, and Director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility.
Her research focuses on neuroinflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, with a particular interest in how immune cells interact with the brain’s resident cells. Her lab studies astrocytes and their role in regulating immune activity and infiltration into the central nervous system.
2025 features
The Yipp Lab actively investigates a broad spectrum of lung infections including viral, bacterial and fungal, and the broad mechanisms that dictate host resistance,susceptibility and immunopathology. They are particularly fascinated by the crosstalk between myeloid (neutrophils) and lymphoid cells (B cells) and between neuronal circuits, pain pathways and immunity.
View the feature on Dr. Bryan Yipp
View the lab feature (Bella, Grace, Carlos)
View the lab feature (Angela, Luke, Idaira)
The Cone Lab is a group of systems and computational neuroscientists. They are broadly interested in understanding how neuronal activity in sensory brain areas is decoded by the brain to generate perception and guide our interactions with the world.
Milène Vandal, postdoctoral researcher at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, explores the role of the CD2AP protein in brain blood flow and its connection to Alzheimer’s disease.
Anamika Choudhary is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary, supervised by Morris Scantlebury and Cezar Gavrilovici. Her passion for neuroscience is rooted in lived experience, fueling more than just research papers.
See her feature
Jing Zheng is a postdoctoral fellow at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. His research investigates how prenatal exposures, like BPA and maternal gut microbiome imbalances, shape early brain development and behaviour.
Help us shine a spotlight on the importance of basic science by sharing your experiences, insights, and enthusiasm on social media using #FundamentalDiscoveryWeek. Together, let's celebrate the unsung heroes of research and inspire future generations to pursue their curiosity fearlessly.
Follow HBI @hotchkiss.brain to see features all week long!