Dr. Top Honoured With Prestigious Award
27 October 2025
Dr. Minjeong Shin, accepts the award on Dr. Top's behalf.
Once again, the department of Cell Biology shines as Dr. Top was honoured with the prestigious Junior Investigator Award at the Canadian Chronobiology Conference (CCC), held May 25-27, 2025.
This significant accolade recognizes Dr. Top's outstanding research contributions in chronobiology, the study of biological rhythms. His work focuses on understanding how the circadian clock—the body's internal time-keeping system—influences health and behavior.
Specifically, Dr. Top's laboratory uses the fruit fly (Drosophila) model to investigate the molecular etiology of childhood behavioral and emotional disorders like depression. His central hypothesis is that mutations in circadian clock genes can cause different clusters of neurons in the brain to become desynchronized, leading to atypical communication patterns. This groundbreaking research offers crucial insights into the connection between the circadian system and complex neurological disorders.
The award highlights Dr. Top’s position as a rising star in Canadian science, bringing vital attention to the innovative, world-class chronobiology research being conducted in the Department.
Congratulations, Dr. Top from everyone at Cell Biology!