Hotchkiss Brain Institute announces Dr. Signe Bray as Research Director

The Hotchkiss Brain Institute is pleased to welcome Dr. Signe Bray, PhD to the role of Research Director with the institute, effective May 1, 2024. Dr. Bray is an accomplished researcher at the University of Calgary, studying the brain, how it develops, and how it is affected in mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders. She brings a wealth of experience to the role of Research Director, currently holding the positions of Associate Professor with the Cumming School of Medicine Department of Radiology, and Scientific Director of the Child and Adolescent Imaging Research Program.

Dr. Bray was integral in establishing the Computational Neuroscience specialty for HBI trainees and held a previous role in leading the Hotchkiss Brain Institute Research Day. Her research uses neuroimaging to study brain development from early childhood, and to characterize differences in the development of functional and structural brain networks in children with neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism spectrum and preterm birth.

Interim Scientific Director, Dr. Cam Teskey

The Hotchkiss Brain Institute also recognizes Dr. Cam Teskey, PhD as he assumes the acting role of Interim Research Director between January 2023 and May 2024. Dr. Teskey is a Professor in the Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy in the Cumming School of Medicine, and is an integral part of the Epilepsy Research Team at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.

Thank you to Dr. Jaideep Bains

A sincere thank you to our outgoing Research Director, Dr. Jaideep Bains, PhD. Dr. Bains served as Research Director of HBI since 2021, providing guidance and insight toward the initiatives of the HBI. Dr. Bains’ research focuses primarily on stress and its origins, connections, and impacts. Through a combination of electrophysiology, behavioral analysis, functional imaging, and optogenetics, Dr. Bains' research team identified neural circuits that decode stress, allowing for the modification of internal states and exploration of specific coping behaviors.

Dr. Bains has accepted the role of Director at the Krembil Research Institute with the University Health Network in Toronto. He will continue to hold the position of Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology in the Cumming School of Medicine through 2024.