Each fall, the Alberta Science and Technology Awards, or ASTech Awards, recognize Alberta’s most innovative individuals, teams and organizations for their contributions to science, technology and innovation. This year, finalists came together at the Opening Ceremonies in Calgary on September 18, 2026 and winners were announced at the Awards Gala in Edmonton on November 6, 2026. Both events shine a spotlight on the incredible talent from across Alberta’s innovation community. This year, Genome Alberta was proud to see two outstanding innovators recognized for the their work applying genomics in agriculture and in drug discovery.
Dr. Kajal Latimer is the 2026 ASTech Award Winner in the Agriculture and Agri-Food Category
For Canadian beef producers, making informed breeding decisions is essential to improving herd health, production efficiency and long-term sustainability. As Director of Science and Technology at the Canadian Angus Association, Dr. Kajal Latimer has worked to bring genomic and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools directly into the hands of producers, helping them make those decisions with greater accuracy. As a result, Dr. Latimer was honoured with the ASTech Award in the Agriculture and Agri-Food category.
Dr. Latimer’s work addresses a longstanding challenge in Canada’s beef industry. How can producers make more informed breeding decisions that balance productivity with animal health, fertility and longevity, while overcoming barriers to accessing advanced genomic technologies? Dr. Latimer has worked to close these gaps by translating complex genomic research into practical tools that support more informed breeding and management decisions.
One of her key contributions is the Teat and Udder Project, which introduced genetic evaluations for traits directly linked to animal health, maternal performance and longevity. This work helped expand the information available to breeders and producers, allowing them to select cattle based on characteristics that support healthier, more resilient herds. By integrating these traits into genetic evaluation systems, Dr. Latimer has helped bring animal health and welfare considerations into breeding decisions alongside traditional measures of productivity.
Building on these advancements, Dr. Latimer has led the development of Heifer Select, a Canadian-made genomic platform designed to make advanced genetic testing more accessible to commercial beef producers. Developed in collaboration with the Canadian Hereford and Canadian Charolais Associations, the platform combines parentage verification, breed composition analysis and genomic predictions for 19 economically relevant traits. With approximately 20,000 commercial heifers genotyped annually through Heifer Select, Dr. Latimer’s work is helping bring genomics into everyday breeding decisions, giving producers practical information to improve herd management and production efficiency.
Dr. Latimer is also advancing the use of AI and digital technologies in livestock production. Through her work on the Phenomics Project, she is integrating camera-based systems and machine learning to automate the collection of data on cattle characteristics that can be difficult to measure using traditional methods. These technologies are laying the groundwork for more accurate genetic predictions and precision livestock management, with the potential to help producers improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
Dr. Kajal Latimer’s ASTech Award recognizes more than her contributions to agricultural science. It celebrates the practical value of bringing genomics and AI into everyday livestock production, helping producers improve herd health, strengthen productivity and advance more sustainable farming practices. Genome Alberta is proud to celebrate her achievement and her contributions to Alberta’s leadership in agricultural innovation.
Genome Alberta is proud to celebrate her achievement and her contributions to Alberta’s leadership in agricultural innovation.
Dr. Khaled Barakat is a Finalist in the Health, Medical and Life Sciences Category
Dr. Khaled Barakat, a professor at the University of Alberta and Founder and CEO of Edmonton-based Thoth Biosimulations, was named a finalist for the ASTech Award category of Health, Medical and Life Sciences for his contributions to AI-powered drug discovery.
His work developing AI-MedCraft, an artificial intelligence platform designed to identify risks earlier and improve promising drug candidates, could help reduce costs and accelerate the development of new treatments.
Building on more than a decade of research in AI-driven drug discovery, Dr. Barakat and his team developed AI-MedCraft to address this challenge. Unlike conventional approaches that optimize individual drug properties separately, AI-MedCraft evaluates multiple factors simultaneously, including effectiveness, safety, solubility and selectivity. This allows researchers to identify potential problems earlier and make more informed decisions about which drug candidates to advance.
AI-MedCraft is being used in active drug discovery projects with biotechnology partners across Canada, Europe and the Middle East. With support from Genome Alberta, Alberta Innovates and other partners, Thoth Biosimulations is advancing the platform toward broader commercial adoption.
Genome Alberta is proud to celebrate this achievement and Khaled’s contributions to improving health outcomes for Albertans and others around the world.
To learn more about outstanding genomics projects funded by Genome Alberta in Agriculture and Agri-Food, Precision Health and Data Resources, please visit our Project Portfolio.
