OTTAWA, March 23, 2026 – Youth Science Canada is proud to announce the eight students who will represent the country as Team Canada-ISEF at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2026, the world’s leading youth STEM competition, to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, May 9 to 15. The eight candidates were identified at the 2025 Canada-Wide Science Fair and have since participated in a YSC-led development program focused on international competition readiness and effective STEM communication. At ISEF, they will compete with nearly 2,000 students from over 60 countries, presenting projects that span fields from robotics and environmental engineering to medical research and computational biology.

“Each of these students has tackled a complex real-world problem with rigour, creativity, and genuine curiosity,” says Reni Barlow, executive director of Youth Science Canada. “We are proud to send them to Phoenix as Canada’s representatives and look forward to seeing them shine on the international stage.”

The 2026 Team Canada-ISEF delegation includes:

• Imran Allarakhia, Oakville, Ont.

CareBotix in Motion II: Integrating Advanced Manipulation, Autonomous Navigation, and Social Interaction in a Platform Agnostic Robotics System

• Evan Budz, Burlington, Ont.

In Situ Microplastic Detection using Holographic Imaging and AI on an Autonomous Bionic Sea Turtle

• Audrey Cowen, Toronto, Ont.

Harnessing Inhibition of Efflux to Reverse Antifungal Resistance

• Justin Guo, Vancouver, B.C.

Development of a Non-Fouling MNMP and Non-Polar Pollutant Wastewater Filter

• Emily Huang, Waterloo, Ont.

Evaluating and Improving In Silico Drug Candidate Prediction for Chronic Toxoplasma gondii Infection

• Matthew Shen, Vaughan, Ont.

A Multi-Omic “Digital Embryo” Framework to Model Early Human Preimplantation Development In Silico

• Sara Waqas, Calgary, Alta.

Neurobiologically Informed Schizophrenia Treatment: Multi-Modal Design and In-Vitro Testing of Targeted Therapeutics

• Syd West, Kentville, N.S.

Active Light Blocking Glasses for Prevention of Photosensitive Seizures

Canada has a strong record of success at Regeneron ISEF. At the 2025 competition, Team Canada earned three Grand Awards, continuing a tradition of excellence that reflects the calibre of scientific talent fostered through Canada’s national network of STEM fairs.

“What stands out about this year’s delegation is both the sophistication of their projects and the clarity of purpose behind each one,” says Dr. Marc Roussel, national judge-in-chief and chair of the Team Canada-ISEF selection panel for Youth Science Canada. “These students have identified meaningful problems and pursued them with scientific rigour. They will be outstanding representatives of Canadian STEM on one of the world’s most competitive stages.”

The YSC Team Canada-ISEF program is made possible through the generous support of the Gwyn Morgan and Patricia Trottier Foundation through its Youth Can Innovate program. For more information or to help support Canadian youth in STEM, please visit the Youth Science Canada website at youthscience.ca.

Canada will also be represented by delegations from two regional fairs, Bay Area and Montreal, each with longstanding ISEF affiliations, further highlighting the depth of Canada’s STEM fair community.

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About Youth Science Canada

Youth Science Canada fuels the curiosity of Canadian youth through STEM projects. A registered charity incorporated in 1966, YSC delivers on its mission through national programs, including mySTEMspace, the National STEM Fair Network, Canada-Wide Science Fair, STEM Expo, Team Canada representation at international fairs and Smarter Science professional development for teachers. Through these programs, YSC directly supports the more than 500,000 students who do STEM projects in any given year. For more information, visit youthscience.ca.

About the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair

The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF), a program of Society for Science for over 70 years, is the world’s largest global science competition for high school students. Through a global network of local, regional, and national science fairs, millions of students are encouraged to explore their passion for scientific inquiry. Each spring, a group of these students is selected as finalists and offered the opportunity to compete for approximately U.S. $9 million in awards and scholarships. Learn more at societyforscience.org/isef.

For more information:

Dalia Esposito
Torchia Communications
[email protected]
Cell: 514-984-4122