Scientific Day
The Annual Scientific Day is the academic highlight of the year.
It is an opportunity for students to share their research and work on presentation skills, and a time for the IMS community to celebrate student and faculty achievements. All faculty and students are encouraged to attend.
Scientific Day takes place in Spring each year. Students are invited participate in the Laidlaw Manuscript Competition and the Alan Wu Poster Competition. IMS faculty members and students will be updated via email of competition deadlines and Scientific Day events.
As part of their degree requirements, all MSc and PhD students must present their research project at Scientific Day once during their degree, either via the Alan Wu Poster Competition OR Laidlaw Manuscript Competition.
Scientific Day 2026
April 24, 2026 at Hart House
Keynote Speaker
Precision Transplant Medicine: Exploring Unmet Needs for Smarter Transplant Care
We are thrilled to be welcoming Dr. Minnie Sarwal, MD, PhD, from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) as our keynote speaker.
Sarwal is Professor in Residence, Department of Surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery, Co-Director of the Pancreas Kidney Transplant Program, Director of the Precision Transplant Medicine, Sarwal Lab at UCSF. Sarwal is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of renal and transplant medicine, genomics, proteomics and immunology.
The Sarwal Lab supported precision and predictive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for organ transplant recipients by discovering new treatments and investigative approaches using in vitro, CRISPR-Cas9, and animal KO models relevant to kidney disease, FSGS and transplant rejection.
Sarwal is also a successful entrepreneur scientist and a founding member of the Rosenman Institute at UCSF.
Scientific Day 2026 Planning Committee Members
Faculty Chairs: Drs. Brian Ballios and Pascal Tyrrell
Staff Lead: Sobiga Vyravanathan
Student Leads: Slaghaniya Neupane, Megana Thamilselvan and Arunan Selvarajah