2026 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
Dr. Karen Maxwell
BSc ’95, Biochemistry
Dr. Karen Maxwell is an internationally recognized microbiologist and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto, where she is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in bacteriophage biology and therapeutics and Director of Research for the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She earned her BSc in honours co-op biochemistry from the University of Waterloo before completing her PhD at the University of Toronto. Karen’s research explores the evolutionary battle between bacteria and the viruses that infect them, known as phages. Her discoveries have transformed our understanding of this microbial arms race, revealing fundamentally new ways that bacteria defend themselves against viral infection and how phages overcome those defences. Her work includes the discovery of chemically mediated bacterial antiviral defence, the first anti-CRISPR proteins, and new mechanisms by which phages manipulate bacterial physiology to promote their own survival. Together, these discoveries are helping to lay the foundation for precision phage therapies to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Karen’s contributions have been recognized with the Peter Gilgan Canada Gairdner Momentum Award and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council John C. Polanyi Award. She is a leader in advancing phage research and building collaborative scientific communities in Canada and internationally.