Professor Mei Zhen honoured among Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women of 2025

Professor Mei Zhen recognized for leadership in STEM

The Department of Molecular Genetics is pleased to share that Professor Mei Zhen has been named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women of 2025 by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN). This national recognition highlights women whose leadership and contributions are advancing research, innovation and community impact across the country.

Dr. Zhen is a long-standing member of the MoGen community and a Senior Scientist at the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute. Her research examines how neural circuits form and function, and how changes at the cellular and molecular level contribute to neurological disease. By developing tools to visualize synaptic activity in living organisms and by characterizing conserved ion channel mechanisms, her lab has produced evidence that has shaped current understanding of circuit development and behaviour.

Her work has also guided studies of rare childhood disorders and informed approaches to modelling and analyzing disease in simple and vertebrate systems.

Beyond her scientific contributions, Dr. Zhen is a dedicated mentor whose training of students and fellows continues to strengthen the research environment within MoGen and across the wider neuroscience community.

Her recognition by WXN reflects the influence of her work within molecular genetics and its impact on the broader scientific landscape. We congratulate Dr. Zhen on this achievement and celebrate the continued excellence of our MoGen researchers.

For the complete list of honourees, see the WXN announcement.