Prestigious award honours virus researcher

When it comes to research, it’s important to get the bigger picture. Just ask Dr. Ann Gregory, who recently received a national award for her work examining viruses. 

Gregory, PhD, was recently announced as one of two University of Calgary recipients of the Gairdner Early Career Investigator Award.

The assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences studies the virome, which examines how viruses interact with other cells and influence biological ecosystems. Gregory is a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Viromics and One Health, and a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar.

“I like to compare it to studying a forest,” Gregory says. “You can learn a lot by looking at a single tree, but you won't understand how the forest functions unless you look at the entire ecosystem. The same is true for viruses. There are things you simply can't see when you're focused on one virus in isolation.”

This top-down approach helps researchers like Gregory learn how viral communities shape the ecosystems they live in and how those ecosystems respond to change.

“At the heart of it, we're trying to answer a pretty simple question: What are all of these viruses doing?”

The Gairdner Foundation’s awards recognize individuals who have made contributions in the conquest of disease and the relief of human suffering. Supported by funding from the governments of Canada, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario, Early Career Investigators such as Gregory are selected to be mentored by this year’s Gairdner Award Laureates. Award recipients from across Canada were announced on July 30, with the second UCalgary recipient being Dr. Tammy Ryan, MD, PhD, from the Libin Cardiovascular Institute.

One of the most valuable parts of this award is the opportunity to connect with leaders across biomedical science. Gregory was selected by Dr. Karen Maxwell, PhD, from the University of Toronto. Both researchers study phages, which are viruses that infect bacteria. To Gregory, this feels like a perfect match.

“As an early career researcher, it's an incredible opportunity to learn from someone who has had such a profound impact on the field,” Gregory says. “I'm really looking forward to those discussions. Science is becoming more collaborative all the time, and opportunities like this allow you to exchange ideas with people outside your own field.”

Gregory thinks of science as a chance to explore: “I encourage my students to be curious and to not be afraid of unexpected results. Some of the most interesting discoveries come from experiments that don't behave the way you expected.

“Instead of asking what went wrong, I like to ask: What is biology trying to tell us? The best discoveries happen when people with different backgrounds and expertise come together, so being a good collaborator and communicator is just as important as being technically skilled.”

Gregory and the other recipients have been invited to present their research during Gairdner Science Week 2026 (Oct. 19-23) in Toronto.