CSM 2026 UAlberta Conference

Dr. Tracy Raivio is an internationally recognized expert in the study of bacterial adaptation. She is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta and has mentored over 30 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research technicians. Dr. Raivio has published over 50 peer-reviewed publications and her research has received over $8 million in funding. Dr. Raivio received her BSc specializing in genetics from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta. She completed a PhD in microbiology and infectious diseases at the University of Calgary where she studied the regulation of virulence factor production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates associated with Cystic Fibrosis lung infections. Dr. Raivio trained as a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University where she carried out seminal work that laid the foundation for understanding how enteric bacteria use a conserved sensor to adapt to environmental stressors that damage the envelope. Over two decades she has established a research and training program focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms microbes use to adapt to stressors encountered in the environments and hosts they inhabit in order to better understand colonization, disease and ecology. Dr. Raivio has taken on many leadership roles in research including as Chair and member of Tri-council grant review panels, through organization of conferences, including the CSM Annual Conference, and membership on the editorial boards of prominent peer-reviewed microbiology journals. She is a passionate supporter of trainees and education, and has served as the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies and Chair in the Department of Biological Sciences, the Associate Dean Education in the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, and is currently the Vice-Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdocotoral Studies, all at the University of Alberta. Dr. Raivio is a past Vice-Chair and Chair of the Molecular Genetics and Cellular Microbiology Section of the Canadian Society of Microbiologists and currently serves as the Vice-President.

Dr. Lisa Stein received her B.A. in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her PhD in Molecular & Cellular Biology at Oregon State University. She is currently a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Microbiology in the Department of Biological Sciences, and the Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on the metabolic pathways of nitrogen and methane cycles from molecular to whole-cell to ecosystem levels to predict how and when the greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide, are consumed or released. Her lab group is developing microbial interventions to reduce and remove methane and nitrous oxide to slow the pace of global warming and climate change. Dr. Stein served on the NASEM committee for Atmospheric Methane Removal (2023-2024), is an Editor in Chief of The ISME Journal (since 2020), is an elected member of the American Academy of Microbiology (2023), received the Chinese Academy of Sciences PIFI Distinguished Scientist award (2025), and was a recipient of the Killam Excellence in Mentoring award (2022).

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-y-stein-b4b06613/

Dr. Wael Elhenawy is an Egyptian pharmacist who obtained his PhD in Microbiology & Biotechnology in 2015 at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Mario Feldman. In 2016, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Brian Coombes at McMaster University to pursue his postdoctoral studies during which he investigated the role of Escherichia coli in driving Crohn's disease. In 2021, Dr. Wael Elhenawy joined the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology as an assistant professor. His group focuses on studying how bacterial pathogens make biofilms, and their role in promoting gut inflammation during Crohn's disease.

Website: https://www.elhenawylab.com/

Dr. Amit Bhavsar obtained his PhD in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University characterizing new antibacterial targets in Gram positive bacteria. His postdoctoral studies were in the Michael Smith Laboratories at UBC studying Salmonella pathogenesis. Dr. Bhavsar was a Research Associate in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC studying functional pharmacogenomics. In 2017, he was recruited to the University of Alberta and is currently an Associate Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair. His program studies innate immune pattern recognition receptors with an emphasis on bacterial pathogenesis and drug-induced toxicity. Dr. Bhavsar's research has been funded provincially by the One Health AMR Consortium and nationally by CIHR, NSERC and CFI.

Website: www.prropel.ca

Dr. Fowler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta.  He did his PhD studies at McMaster University in Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, followed by postdoctoral training at the Yale University School of Medicine in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis.  His lab studies bacterial pathogenesis, bacterial evolution, and the genetic regulation.  Much of this research is focused on Salmonella enterica, including the mechanisms by which it causes disease, how this differs in different Salmonella lineages, how virulence mechanisms and virulence factors have evolved in different Salmonellae that target different host species, and how Salmonella has evolved to sense and respond to the unique niche it sculpts within host cells. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to better understand bacterial evolution and Salmonella pathogenesis, as well as to identify and pursue novel targets and approaches to combat Salmonella infections.

Website: https://fowlerlab.com

Dr. Willing is a Professor of Gut Microbiology in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta. He completed his PhD at the University of Saskatchewan studying the role of the microbiota in intestinal development in gnotobiotic pigs. His postdoctoral training was at the Swedish Agricultural University in Uppsala Sweden with Janet Jansson, and at the University of British Columbia with Brett Finlay. He has made important contributions in the understanding of microbes in intestinal development, inflammatory bowel disease, infection resistance, and metabolic health. His research group is working to understand both fundamental and applied questions in gut microbiology. Fundamental research includes identifying mechanisms through which specific core members of the microbiome regulate host physiology using germfree rodent, chicken and piglet models. Applied questions include creating defined consortia as competitive exclusion products and utilizing diet microbe interactions to shape immune development to support resistance to enteric pathogens and general disease resilience.

Dr. Prasanna Neelakantan is a clinician-scientist and Associate Professor of Endodontics at the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, where he holds the Alberta Dental Association & College Endowed Chair. He directs the MICRO lab, a trans-disciplinary research program integrating clinical dentistry with foundational microbiology to address critical challenges in biofilm management and host-microbiome interactions. Dr. Neelakantan's research focuses on oral dysbiosis and fungal infections in immunocompromised patients, developing innovative therapeutics and technologies that modulate inflammatory responses to promote tissue repair. His work has attracted substantial funding from research councils and industry partners, resulting in over 150 peer-reviewed publications. His contributions have earned exceptional recognition, including being the only three-time recipient of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Innovation in Oral Care Award. Additional honors include the IADR Joseph Lister Award for Young Investigators, the American Association of Endodontists Dr. Anil Chandra Memorial Award for Full-time Educators, and the University of Hong Kong's Outstanding Teacher Award and Best Knowledge Exchange Project. Currently serving as Vice President of the IADR Microbiology/Immunology Scientific Group and section editor for leading journals, Dr. Neelakantan continues to advance microbial science while training the next generation of dental researchers.

Dr. Randi Guest (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. She earned her PhD at the University of Alberta, where she studied how Gram-negative bacteria monitor and maintain envelope integrity. She completed her postdoctoral training at Princeton University, focusing on the biogenesis of the Gram-negative outer membrane, a research area she continues to explore in her lab today. Outside of work, Randi enjoys pub trivia, board games with friends, and spending time with her family.

Dr. Jonathan J. Dennis is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He joined the University of Alberta as an assistant professor in 2000, after a postdoctoral internship at the Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment, Cook College, Rutgers University (1995-2000). Dr. Dennis received his PhD in Microbial Genetics from the Department of Microbiology & Infectious Diseases at the University of Calgary in 1995. Dr. Dennis is an expert in the field of bacteriophages and phage therapy, as applied to the study of pathogenic bacteria and bacterial pathogenesis. His research program is currently focused upon understanding mechanisms of phage-receptor interactions, optimized phage cocktail activity, and phage-antibiotic synergy.

Valeria Tsviklist is a researcher and laboratory coordinator at the University of Alberta. She earned her BA (Mod.) in Microbiology and Biotechnology from Trinity College University of Dublin, and later completed her MSc in Microbiology and Biotechnology at the University of Alberta, where her thesis examined how the Cpx stress response maintains cell envelope homeostasis in Escherichia coli. After graduating in 2021, she worked as a research technician and subsequently as laboratory manager in Dr. Raivio Laboratory, overseeing daily operations, safety standards, and mentorship of junior colleagues. In 2024, Valeria was recruited as a scientist to the Fecal Microbiome Transplant (FMT) Program within Alberta Health Services, where she supported clinical treatments of patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections. In addition to her research roles, she assists in conference organization and currently serves in committees for the Banff Conference on Infectious Diseases (BCID) and the Canadian Society of Microbiologists 2026 Edmonton Conference (CSM2026 Edmonton Conference).

Stephanie Carter is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and currently works as the departmental administrator for the Department of Microbiology. She has been on many conference committees including CSM held in Winnipeg, 2018 and the Turtle Island Indigenous Conference held in Winnipeg in 2022.