Surrey scientist’s cells-dividing image ‘captures where science meets art’
Published 11:30 am Friday, June 5, 2026
A vibrant microscope image captured by a Surrey-raised scientist is among 20 in the running for one of three $2,000 prizes up for grabs in a nationwide competition showcasing Canadian research.
Arandeep (Aaron) Dhanda said his image – dubbed ‘The Mitotic Meridian’ – captures a colony of “reprogrammed” human cells in the act of dividing.
“It reveals the intricate machinery inside the cells – chromosomes or DNA in blue, and the mechanical protein fibers that manoeuver them in orange – which allows these cells to transform into any part of the human body,” he explained by email.
Dhanda, a Ph.D. graduate of Simon Fraser University’s biological sciences department, works for STEMCELL Technologies, a Canadian biotech headquartered in Vancouver.
He entered ‘The Mitotic Meridian’ in the ‘Science Exposed’ competition hosted by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), which celebrates Canadian research through photography.
NSERC is Canada’s primary federal agency for funding scientific research, Dhanda noted.
This is not the first time Dhanda has been a finalist in the contest. In 2020, an image he dubbed ‘A Listeria Flower of Death’ was also on the top-20 list.
Voting for this year’s People’s Choice Award is currently underway and he hopes ‘The Mitotic Meridian’ will garner enough votes to win that $2,000 prize.
”My work at STEMCELL Technologies focuses on supporting global research to cure human diseases, and this image captures a moment where science becomes art,” said Dhanda.
To vote, visit nserc-crsng.canada.ca
Winners are to be announced in October or November.