McGill’s Bravo Gala shines a spotlight on research excellence
At event honouring 116 winners of major awards, keynote speaker and SSHRC Gold Medal recipient Myriam Denov emphasized the importance of listening. McGill celebrated more than 100 researchers at the 21st edition of Bravo, a gala event May 7 honouring the winners of major provincial, national and international research prizes and awards in 2025.
McGill awarded 16 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs
From fundamental physics to child well-being, McGill researchers advance discovery across disciplines McGill has been awarded $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs – six new and 10 renewed.
$1.25 million for McGill research from the New Frontiers in Research Fund
Federal fund will support transformative high risk, high reward research across engineering, science, and medicine at McGill.
AES Researchers Celebrated at McGill's 2025 Bravo Gala
Each year, McGill's Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) hosts the Bravo Gala to celebrate faculty members and researchers who have earned major provincial, national, and international prizes. This year, the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES) is proud to have nine members honoured among McGill's brightest research leaders.
Macdonald Scholarship Reception
The most recent Macdonald Scholarship Reception was held with a shared sense of honour and pride on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The occasion brought together members of the Macdonald community to celebrate both the excellence of its student awardees and the generosity of its donors, whose commitment continues to shape meaningful academic pathways.
Moderate UV light is best when it comes to boosting the vitamin D content of edible mushrooms, McGill study finds
Researchers at McGill University have discovered that moderate ultraviolet (UV) light exposure is best when the technique is used to enhance vitamin D₂ in edible mushrooms. Excessive exposure leads to nutrient degradation or a plateau effect, they found. The paper also provides quantitative guidance.
The Macdonald Campus Community Pays Tribute to Professor Varoujan Yaylayan
The Macdonald Campus community gathered on Friday, April 10, to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Professor Varoujan Yaylayan, PhD., who was a cherished faculty member of the Faulty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences’ Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry.
Study finds treating peanuts with cold plasma could make them less allergenic
Researchers at McGill University have found that briefly treating peanuts with cold plasma, an ionically charged gas that triggers chemical changes, reduces their potential to cause allergic reactions. The researchers say this is probably because the process causes changes to the protein structure, the part of the peanut that can trigger an immune response. The technology was also shown to improve functional properties important for food manufacturing.
McGill opens state-of-the-art greenhouse and research platform
McGill University has officially opened a new teaching greenhouse and advanced plant phenotyping facilities at its Macdonald Campus, marking a major investment in climate-focused agricultural education and research. Designed for hands-on undergraduate and graduate training, the sustainable greenhouse features controlled growing bays, teaching labs, tissue culture facilities and classrooms, giving students direct experience with modern, climate-smart production systems.
NRS M.Sc. Linda Nong Wins McGill’s English 3MT Competition
McGill University’s annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and Ma thèse en 180 secondes (MT180) competitions showcased the diversity of graduate research, with finalists presenting complex topics in just three minutes to a general audience. Held on April 1 at the Faculty Club, the event highlighted research ranging from neuroscience and mental health to musicology and ecology.
McGill inaugurates new facilities at Macdonald Campus to advance teaching and research on climate‑resilient agriculture
McGill University today inaugurated state‑of‑the‑art teaching greenhouse and plant phenotyping research facilities at its Macdonald Campus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. These represent major investments in teaching and research focused on food security, crop resilience and sustainable agriculture.
Food Science Students Selected as Finalists in IFTSA Student Competitions
McGill’s Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry is celebrating an outstanding achievement by its students: all three McGill teams entered into this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) competitions have been selected as finalists. The teams will represent McGill at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago in July 2026—one of the largest and most influential gatherings in the global food science community.
Building Canada’s Future Environmental Leaders
A new NSERC CREATE initiative, MIXCHEM, is reshaping how Canada prepares researchers to confront the growing challenge of complex chemical mixtures in the environment. Prof. Stéphane Bayen, a leading voice in Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, is helping drive this interdisciplinary program, which blends cutting‑edge analytical training with hands‑on experience across industry, government, and academia.
McGill researchers optimize process for converting human urine into clean energy
Researchers at McGill University have improved the efficiency of a method for converting human urine into clean energy.
The method employs microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacteria to turn organic waste into electricity, providing a sustainable and low-cost means of treating wastewater while generating energy from an abundant source. The McGill research provides insights into which urine concentrations are optimal for this process.
In polar regions, microbes are influencing climate change as frozen ecosystems thaw, McGill review finds
Microbes across Earth’s coldest regions are becoming more active as glaciers, permafrost and sea ice thaw, accelerating carbon release and potentially amplifying climate change, according to a new international review from McGill University.