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԰������ is saddened by the death of Professor Emeritus, Psychology, Dr. Robert Stephen (Bob) Sainsbury, PhD (April 16, 1943, Halifax, N.S. – June 22, 2025, Calgary, Alta.), who passed away at Foothills Hospital at the age of 82 years. He is survived by his wife, Despina, his children and grandchildren.

Sainsbury joined the University of Calgary in 1969 after completing his PhD at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Herbert Jenkins. A long‑serving member of the , he played a pivotal role in establishing behavioural neuroscience at ԰������ and in advancing neuroscience scholarship across Alberta.

His research and teaching spanned learning and memory, neuropsychology, gerontology and dementia, hippocampal theta rhythms, and neurotoxicology. Among his many contributions was a study published in the Canadian Journal on Aging demonstrating that people with moderate to severe dementia could retain forms of emotional memory that continued to shape their choices.

“As a founding member of the behavioural neuroscience group in Psychology, Bob’s contributions in the areas of learning and memory, neuropsychology, dementia, and neuroscience laid the foundation for brain research at the University of Calgary, as well as the wider neuroscience community within Alberta,” says Dr. Michael Antle, PhD, professor and head of the Department of Psychology.

Colleagues also remember how Sainsbury’s curiosity extended well beyond the lab. An avid outdoorsman who built a cabin near Water Valley, Alta., he became interested in the effects of sour gas (natural gas that contains hydrogen sulfide) on animals living near gas wells and pursued studies examining impacts on behaviour and brain activity. One especially memorable project — conducted with an honours student, Simon Spanswick (now an associate professor (teaching) in the Department of Psychology) — involved setting up a T‑maze in a pasture and training cows to complete the task.

“Bob represents a significant turning point in my life. I will be forever grateful for his inspiration and support in my pursuit of a career in behavioural neuroscience,” says Spanswick, PhD.

Sainsbury was also known for the generosity he brought to departmental life. He shared the fruits of his time outdoors, often hunting with a crossbow — including homemade deer or moose sausages — and, later in life, crafted artisanal knives that he gifted to colleagues.

Committed to public service, Sainsbury partnered closely with the Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute (VRRI), now known as . He served as chair of the organization’s board of directors beginning in 1995 and held the role for more than a decade, earning a Volunteer Calgary award and helping lead initiatives, including the bottle depot, which continue to support Calgarians living with disabilities.

԰������ offers deep thanks to Dr. Bob Sainsbury for the contributions he made to the university, his research field and the community at large. The flag on Swann Mall will be lowered to half-mast on June 22 to pay tribute to his life.