Western University biology department faces research delays, sample losses after 4-day power outage

A four-day power outage at Western University in London, Ont., has destroyed irreplaceable research samples, delayed experiments, and left biology students and faculty questioning whether the university can protect millions of dollars worth of scientific research.

The Biological & Geological Sciences Building, Materials Sciences Addition, Chemistry Building and Natural Sciences Centre have been operating on backup power since Friday after a disruption at a campus power substation.

Western said power was restored to most buildings Friday evening, but the four affected buildings remain on backup power while crews continue repairs. The university said it has restricted access to the buildings “out of an abundance of caution,” and is working with students, faculty and staff to address individual concerns, including providing access to meet research requirements.

Students and faculty say this is the fifth major outage affecting biology research facilities since August 2025.

“We’re going to be a laughing stock,” said Beth MacDougall-Shackleton, a biology professor.

“Not just my Canadian colleagues, but other colleagues that I’ve talked to in so-called ‘developing countries’ — they all have much more reliable access to power than we do here.”

MacDougall-Shackleton said biology research depends on maintaining stable conditions for living organisms and temperature-sensitive materials. Instead, growth chambers containing insects and plants are overheating, freezers holding research samples are thawing because backup power is insufficient and researchers have been unable to access animals used in studies.

The outages have also forced the department to replace thousands of dollars worth of reagents, enzymes and other research materials, she said.

The greatest losses, however, cannot be measured in dollars.

Graduate students have spent months or even years breeding insects, growing plants and cultivating bacterial strains, many of which may no longer be viable.

“You cannot even put a dollar amount on those samples that have been lost,” said Matheus Sanita Lima, a fifth-year PhD candidate in biology and chair of the Society of Biology Graduate Students.

Sanita Lima said the department has lost irreplaceable samples, including specimens from species that no longer exist, collections dating back to the 1970s and materials from long-running cohort studies that cannot be recreated.

For graduate students working under strict research timelines, those losses can mean months or years of additional work.

Students, faculty call for action

Sanita Lima and MacDougall-Shackleton said they have repeatedly raised concerns with Western’s administration during the current outage and previous ones, but have been frustrated by the response.

“Nobody seems to agree that it’s the responsibility of a university to keep the power on,” MacDougall-Shackleton said.

At a meeting on Monday, graduate students, faculty and staff agreed to contact their respective unions. They believe Western’s handling of the repeated outages may conflict with provisions in their collective agreements requiring the university to provide the infrastructure needed to support teaching and research.

They are also calling on Western to commit to a series of changes.

In the short term, they want the university to provide faster, more transparent communication during outages, including regular updates on restoration timelines.

Over the longer term, they are urging Western to invest in modernizing the campus electrical system and increasing staffing levels for maintenance, particularly as the university continues to expand.

Reputational damage, potential funding losses

MacDougall-Shackleton said the repeated outages threaten Western’s reputation among research partners, donors and taxpayers who support scientific work at the university.

She also warned they could jeopardize major research funding.

Research involving vertebrate animals at Canadian universities is regulated by the Canadian Council on Animal Care. If Western were to lose its standing with the organization, she said, it could put roughly $60 million in annual Tri-Council funding at risk.

“Financially, it’s important, and it’s surprising to me that Western doesn’t take this seriously.”

The power outages have also prevented researchers from accessing animal facilities independently, which are secured by electronic card-access systems.

MacDougall-Shackleton said researchers have had to repeatedly contact Western’s special constables to gain entry so they can bring in portable air conditioners and ensure animals do not overheat.

“It makes me sick to think about the risk that we are running.”