Adrian J. Lam | President and Co-Founder

president@utsri.ca | Linkedin

Adrian is a driven leader passionate about transforming ideas into action. As Co-Founder and President of UTSRI, he leads a diverse executive team united by a shared vision to make research more accessible and meaningful through various formats of competition and conference. With experience across governance, event management, and strategy, Guided by ambition and purpose, Adrian strives to turn vision into reality and he believes leadership is about creating something that lasts beyond oneself.

Letter from the President

When I founded the University of Toronto Student Research Initiative in January 2024, it came from a simple belief that students shouldn’t wait to contribute to science and also their communities, they should be leading it.

UTSRI was built on that conviction. But behind every program we launch and every competition we host lies a deeper philosophy that guides everything we do. I often say in my speeches that “the most curious people in the world are also the most dangerous ones“, not because they rebel, but because they dare to ask why when everyone else accepts the way things are.

Inquiry is powerful. Doubt is powerful. And that is the foundation of both science and leadership.

“Dubito ergo cogito ergo sum – I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am.” The scientific method begins where certainty ends. And the future belongs to students who are willing to question, to test, to challenge, and to think beyond the boundaries set for them.

UTSRI exists to give young scientists a place to do exactly that.

Our vision is extremely ambitious to say the least. We aim to build Canada’s largest youth-run STEM competitions and research conferences, to create a national platform where students can strategize, innovate, and experiment, and to make the University of Toronto a hub for youth-driven scientific development.

But ambition means nothing without discipline, structure, and humility. One of my core beliefs is that you should never be a dictator in your own life. Progress requires people who question you, ideas that challenge you, and teammates who force you to see what you’ve missed. UTSRI is built on that principle – a collective of young leaders who constantly push each other toward something greater.

Where we are today is remarkable. Where we are going is unprecedented. In 2025 alone, UTSRI hosted two major case competitions, welcomed nearly 500 parents, students, judges, and panelists to UofT, and awarded thousands in prizes. And now, our most ambitious project lies ahead: the Scientific Research & Strategy Summit, a first-of-its-kind conference merging STEM with the strategic, debate-driven world of Model UN, emphasizing research, analysis, and scientific diplomacy.

From our high school and undergraduate case competitions to the upcoming Scientific Research & Strategy Summit, UTSRI is creating something Canada has never seen before: a research ecosystem designed, led, and powered entirely by students.

Some may call our goals unrealistic. But unrealistic goals are achieved every day by people who plan meticulously, think boldly, and refuse to accept their limitations.

To every student, educator, researcher, and supporter who believes in this vision: thank you. UTSRI is not just an organization; it is a growing movement of young scientists redefining what leadership, curiosity, and ambition look like.

We are not just imagining the future of youth in science. We are building it, one competition, one idea, and one question at a time.

ad astra per aspera,

Adrian J. Lam