Meet the three winners of the 2025 Dorrington Graduate Research Awards

Three outstanding student researchers at the Donnelly Centre have received this year’s Jennifer Dorrington Graduate Research Award. 

Established in 2007, the awards are an annual tribute to the late Jennifer Dorrington, former professor at the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research and foundational researcher in the field of ovarian physiology. With a $2,000 prize per awardee, the Dorrington family has aided a growing group of select graduate students in their discoveries.

“On behalf of everyone on the Jennifer Dorrington Graduate Research Award committee, I would like to offer my congratulations to this year’s winners,” said Gary Bader, Professor of Molecular Genetics and chair of the 2025 selection committee. “Oliver Ma, Kenny Rebelo, and Jeremy Chan are all exemplary researchers who embody the innovative and collaborative spirit of the Donnelly Centre.” 

OLIVER (LINGFENG) MA || PhD student in Molecular Genetics in the Krause Lab, supervised by Henry Krause and Julie Brill.

Oliver Ma is researching long non-coding RNAs, also known as lncRNAs. These molecules are predominantly found in male reproductive tissues and are characterized as non-coding (not translating into proteins) transcripts more than 200 nucleotides long.  

“Although lncRNAs were once dismissed as mere ‘transcriptional noise’ or ‘genomic dark matter,’ it has become clear that they play crucial regulatory roles,” says Ma. “It is essential to continue uncovering their functions so that we do not overlook their significance in understanding genetic disorders and other fundamental biological processes.” 

Using fruit fly animal models, Ma seeks to identify the RNA molecules and proteins that interact with testis-specific lncRNAs, and characterize their functions in spermatogenesis (the production of the male sex cell). Fruit flies, also known as Drosophila melanogaster, have been a feature of Ma’s research since his undergraduate years. 

"I developed a strong appreciation for their power as a model organism,” Ma says, “their genetic versatility makes them one of the best systems for studying complex biological processes.”  

As his research unfolds, Ma is excited to be contributing to the wider understanding of a historically overlooked molecule. 

KENNY REBELO || PhD Candidate in Computational Biology in Molecular Genetics, in the Blencowe Lab, supervised by Benjamin Blencowe.

Kenny Rebelo’s research is tackling the ribonucleosome, a particle in the cell nucleus involved in the packaging of RNA that is formed by RNA and RNA-binding proteins. This particle was discovered in the late 1960s, and its functions have remained a mystery. Rebelo’s research aims to uncover the role of ribonucleosomes in the processing and maturation of pre-mRNA in human cells. 

“My fascination with cell biology started during my undergraduate degree in Biology, where I was exposed to the vast world of intricate processes that occur within a minuscule cell,” Rebelo says. “I compare these mechanisms to the intricate structure and precision of elaborate wristwatches, but with the added complexity that cells are orders of magnitude smaller and require no engineers to construct them.” 

Rebelo is uncovering this mystery through multiple angles; with computational biology he is able to analyze vast amounts of biological data. 

“When one of our predictions appears to be accurate,” Rebelo says, “it becomes increasingly thrilling to explore further until we can definitively answer something previously unknown. I hope this work both builds on the fantastic groundwork laid by pioneering researchers, and sparks curiosity in today’s scientific community to dive deeper into the role of ribonucleosomes." 

JEREMY CHAN || PhD Candidate in Molecular Genetics in the Montenegro Burke Lab, supervised by Rafael Montenegro Burke.

Jeremy Chan seeks to address a crucial resource gap in the scientific community: Small molecules and metabolites have been historically overlooked in databases. Using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, Chan is developing a publicly available atlas for the metabolites that can be found in human cell lines. 

“I wanted a project that provided an opportunity to use my wet lab skills while also learning how to work with large datasets,” Chan explains. “Ultimately, this led me to doing metabolomics research, which involves both skillsets.” 

It’s a needed resource that he hopes will aid other researchers in metabolomics-based discovery projects. 

"Metabolomics is unlike any of the other classical disciplines in biology,” Chan says, explaining what drew him to his topic. “I thought there was untapped potential that could lead to novel biological discoveries.” 

As these three researchers continue going down their paths of curiosity and discovery in the Donnelly Centre, recognition like the Dorrington Award allows them to focus on finding scientific solutions rather than finding funding.