Hello, everyone. Lewis Kay has spent his career studying what makes humans tick deep down inside. His research focuses onimproving NMR spectroscopy, a technology used to capture images of proteins within human cells. Thanks to Lewis' innovations, we're taking pictures of larger, more complex proteins than ever before, and actually watching them in motion, seeing how they change and interact with one another over time. We are learning how diseases begin and develop, and finding clues for treating conditions like cancer and Alzheimer's. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to science and discovery, Lewis' peers have awarded him the 2018 NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal, Canada's highest honour for science and engineering.

I sat down with Lewis at the University of Toronto to discuss his career, his influences, and his advice for young scientists.Lewis, you're working at the cutting edge of avery technical field. So how do you describe your research to somebody you've just met?

We study the molecules of life. A living cell is made up of very important molecules that carry out particular functions. They interact with other molecules much the way that human beings interact with each other, and what we want to do is to understand the mechanism by which that occurs — try to understand how these molecules are able to carry out their function. It's really quite amazing, sort of fundamental problems in chemistry and physics that have very significant implications in life sciences.

What can we learn by watching how proteins move and change with time?

We can learn about how these molecules actually work — because they're changing their shapes. They're changing their shapes, sometimes in a prescribed way which imparts a directed function. What happens when they assume a shape that is very rare, even for them?Often that's where the interesting functionality occurs. But if we can design a molecule which can restore the dynamics, or if we can manipulate the dynamics in some other way, then we can, presumably, the hope would be, also change outcomesin various disease situations.

What put you on the path to a career in science?

I spent a year when I was eight years old in Israel. My father did a sabbatical at the Weizmann Institute. The mathematics in Israel was at a higher level than it was in Canada, and I realized that I was good at it. I remember getting an 85 on one of the exams and being quite proud of myself, only to be told by the teacher that I could do better. And I thinkit was that encouragement that pushed me into wanting to excel in mathematics, and ultimately into the general direction of science.

A whole generation of young Canadians is just starting to discover science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. What advice do you have for them, and maybe for their parents and teachers?

I think for a lot of students the problem is that science circa 2020 is taught the same way as it was in 1965, in 1970. We've got to change that. There's wonderful opportunities, there's dedicated teachers, but we have to change the curriculum.

What qualities do you think are most important for young researchers to learn and to develop these days?

Really, their creativity. I mean, it's great to have experience in A, B, C, or D, but the fact of the matter is that tomorrow's science will basically require one to be creative. Because it's all about basically throwing out yesterday's ideas and modifying them to be able to solve tomorrow's problems.

Lewis, what are your plans for the future?

I'm going to just allow the science to push me in whatever direction, whatever direction it takes me, knowing that, with the kind of calibre of individuals that I can attract to my laboratory at the University of Toronto, with the support of my colleagues and the administration at the University of Toronto, and the Hospital for Sick Children, which I'm also a member, and with the infrastructure that I've been fortunate to get through the generosity of the Government of Canada, we're going to continue to do what we do best, which is just to just listen to what the molecules are trying to tell us.

Listen to the molecules. Lewis, it has been a pleasure to talk with you today. On behalf of NSERC and Canada's science community, I congratulate you on being named the winner of the 2018 NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal. Félicitations, Monsieur.

Thank you so very, very much.