Bruce Cattanach Prize 2025 Dr Janay Fox

The Genetics Society is delighted to announce Dr Janay Fox as the winner of the 2025 Bruce Cattanach Prize.

I am honoured and excited to receive the Bruce Cattanach Prize for my PhD thesis. First, I would like to thank the Genetics Society for choosing me for this award. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Prof Rowan Barrett, for his support throughout my PhD and for nominating me for this award. Additionally, I am grateful for all my collaborators who made this work possible especially, Prof Simon Reader, Prof Mélanie Guigueno, Prof Lauren Chapman, and Prof Andrew Hendry.

I completed a BSc Honours in Genetics at the University of Alberta in 2018 where I became interested in studying ecology and evolution through a molecular lens. I then went on to a PhD in Biology at McGill University that was funded by two fellowships, the STRI-McGill-NEO fellowship and an NSERC PGSD. My thesis, titled, ‘Molecular mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity across different timescales’, aimed to examine both proximate and ultimate causes of phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity is when one genotype can give rise to multiple phenotypes depending on the environment it is in. I used Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms of behavioural plasticity in response to predation stress across two time scales: short-term and developmental. Then, I leveraged a second freshwater fish study system (Rwembaita Swamp System) to investigate the role that gene expression plasticity plays in colonization. Throughout this work, I used whole genome bisulfite sequencing, de novo transcriptome assembly, behavioural assays, and fieldwork.

During my graduate studies, I also engaged in many outreach activities including co-founding The Asokan Project, an organization that aims to provide Indigenous youth in Saskatchewan with culturally relevant arts and science programming. Along with my co-founder, we received funding to carry out a week long summer camp and developed a Cree language colouring book.

I will be moving on to a Postdoctoral position at Moffitt Cancer Center under the supervision of Prof Joel Brown and Dr. Erin George where I will be investigating genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer. I am excited to apply my background in evolutionary biology and genetics to a completely new research context!