Impactful research here in your community: Ontario Tech experts advancing discovery and applications of knowledge
University’s research income increased by more than 40 per cent in 2020-2021 to $23.5 million
July 12, 2021
For nearly 20 years after first opening its doors, amazing things continue to happen on the research front at Ontario Tech University.
While Ontario Tech established its compelling and distinct array of market-driven undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs, the university was also busy assembling a powerful portfolio of leading collaborative research across seven faculties, and forging hundreds of partnerships with industry and community organizations.
It’s a remarkable research success story area residents can be immensely proud of and brag about. Ontario Tech has emerged as a vital research hub and cluster of expertise anchoring the eastern flank of the Greater Toronto Area.
Hundreds of top academics from across Canada and around the world now call Ontario Tech home, and collectively they make a huge contribution to new knowledge, all while helping drive new regional economic growth and development. These subject matter experts are equally committed to delivering the best teaching and learning to Ontario Tech’s 10,000 students. Just ask any of the university’s growing group of 23,500 alumni.
Ontario Tech’s impressive academic roster includes 11 Canada Research Chairs, and its research infrastructure boasts more than 80 specialized labs and super-modern facilities.
New federal research funding for Ontario Tech
Of course, a huge part of the university’s success imprint comes through new research grants and awards. In 2020-2021, Ontario Tech attracted more than $23.5 million in research grants and contracts, an increase of more than 40 per cent over the previous year.
The bulk of the university’s research income comes from federal granting agencies, including the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
In recent months, Ontario Tech has received new federal research funding to support more than 30 multidisciplinary projects that will explore solutions to pressing societal problems.
Recent Ontario Tech research projects to attract federal research funding (by funding category)
CIHR Catalyst Grant
- Environmental features of age-friendly, healthy, active cities
- Applicants: Dr. Shilpa Dogra, Faculty of Health Sciences (FHSc), Dr. David Rudoler, FHSc, Ms. Alexandra McDonough (Canadian Urban Institute)
- Co-Applicants: Dr. Caroline Barakat-Haddad, FHSc, Dr. Chris Ian Ardem (York University), Dr. Joseph Bernard Orange (Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging)
CIHR Operating Grants
- Identifying individual and socio-environmental factors influencing initiation, progression, and cessation of vaping among secondary school students in four Canadian provinces
- Applicant: Dr. Adam Cole, FHSc
- Co-applicant: Dr. Scott Leatherdale (University of Waterloo)
- A systematic review on the effectiveness of virtual sleep intervention delivery to improve sleep and mental health outcomes in the post-secondary student population
- Applicant: Dr. Efrosini Papaconstaninou, FHSc
- Co-applicants: Dr. Ginny Brunton, FHSc, Dr. Pierre Cote, FHSc, Dr. Carolina Cancelliere, FHSc, Dr. Krystle Martin (Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences)
- Research Partners: Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Ontario Tech Office of Student Life
SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grants: Mobility and Public Transit
- Informing inclusive e-bike policy and infrastructure development
- Applicant: Dr. Shilpa Dogra, FHSc
- Co-applicants: Dr. Dan Hoornweg, Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science (FESNS), Dr. Meghann Lloyd, FHSc
- Collaborators: Canadian Urban Institute, City of Oshawa, Regional Municipality of Durham
SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grants: Skills and Work in the Digital Economy
- Harnessing the digital economy for women of colour in undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs
- Applicant: Dr. Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen, Faculty of Education (FEd)
- Research partner: Future Black Female
SSHRC Insight Grants
- Environmental determinants of social isolation in older adults: using a social ecological approach to inform age-friendly communities
- Applicant: Dr. Shilpa Dogra, FHSc
- Co-applicants: Dr. David Rudoler, FHSc, Dr. Winnie Sun, FHSc, Dr. Michael Widener (University of Toronto)
- Research partners: City of Oshawa, Regional Municipality of Durham
- Exploring mathematics in issues of social justice via infographics and role play
- Applicant: Dr. Ami Mamolo, FEd
- Finding the gaps: Criminal justice processing of hate crime
- Applicant: Dr. Barbara Perry, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH)
- Co-applicants (external): Dr. Allyson Lunny (York University), Dr. David Hofmann (University of New Brunswick), Dr. Irfan Chaudhry (Grant MacEwan University)
- Research partners: Department of Justice Canada, and Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General
- Transnational environmental crime, human security and biosecurity: Building effective, integrated, preventative networks
- Applicant: Dr. Peter Stoett, FSSH
- Research partners: EcoHealth Alliance, Boise State University, Northumbria University, Australian National University, University of Maryland, University of Adelaide, University of Tasmania, University of Sheffield
SSHRC Partnership Development Grants
- Devising and testing public engagement models to shape guidelines for potential use of facial recognition technologies by police
- Applicant: Dr. Andrea Slane, FSSH
- Co-applicants: Dr. Christopher O-Connor, FSSH, Dr. Lisa Austin and Brenda McPhail (external, University of Toronto, Canadian Civil Liberties Association)
- Research partners: Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Cobourg Police Service, Northumberland Business Development Assistance Corporation
SSHRC Insight Development Grant
- Organizational trust in the era of artificial intelligence
- Applicant: Dr. Stephen Jackson, Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT)
- Collaborator: University of London, Royal Holloway
SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants
- Differential impacts of transition to remote academic labour at GTA universities during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Applicant: Dr. Natalie Oman, FSSH
- Co-applicants: Dr. Arshia Zaidi, FSSH, and Professor Terezia Zoric (external, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto)
- Research partner: Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations
- Ready, Teacher One
- Applicant: Dr. Lorayne Robertson, FEd
- Co-applicants: Dr. Bill Muirhead, FEd, and Dr. Bill Kapralos, FBIT
- Research partner: Le Centre franco (Centre franco ontarien de ressources pédagogiques)
SSHRC Connection Grants
- The dangers of techno-utopianism
- Applicant: Dr. Tanner Mirrlees, FSSH
- Co-applicant: Dr. Imre Szeman (University of Waterloo)
- Pandemic parenting: Resources, support, and knowledge mobilization for parents during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Applicant: Dr. Lindsay Malloy, FSSH
NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement
- Guidance in visual analytics through mixed-initiative and implicit interaction
- Dr. Christopher Collins, Faculty of Science (FSci)
NSERC Discovery Grants
- Robust intelligence for beyond-5G networks and applications
- Dr. Hatem Abou-zeid, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (FEAS)
- Markov chain theory and its applications
- Dr. Jane Breen, FSci
- Guidance in visual analytics through mixed-initiative and implicit interaction
- Dr. Christopher Collins, FSci
- Radionuclide capture techniques for nuclear operations and decommissioning
- Dr. Glenn Harvel, FESNS
- Algorithms and applications of link mining: Making sense of network data
- Dr. Masoud Makrehchi, FEAS
- Data-driven gameplay experience evaluation: Leveraging multimodal data in games user research
- Dr. Pejman Mirza-Babaei, FBIT
- Service operations management in the mental health care sector
- Dr. Amir Rastpour, FBIT
- Applying deep learning to the safety of autonomous ground vehicles
- Dr. Jing Ren, FEAS
NSERC Discovery Development Grants
- Novel insights into sedentary physiology
- Dr. Shilpa Dogra, FHSc
- Investigating the heuristics of complex, multi-parameter dynamic phenomena via consideration of next-generation small reactors and waste installations
- Dr. Akira Tokuhiro, FESNS
NSERC Research Tools and Instruments Grants
- Multimode microplate reader with imaging for versatile analyses in immunology, microbiology, biochemistry and environmental toxicology
- Applicant: Dr. Julia Green-Johnson, FSci
- Co-applicants: Dr. Jean-Paul Desaulniers, FSci, Dr. Andrea Kirkwood, FSci, and Dr. Denina Simmons, FSci
- State-of-the-art all-in-one spectrometer for materials characterization and performance testing
- Applicant: Dr. Olena Zenkina, FSci
- Co-applicants: Dr. Bradley Easton, FSci, and Dr. Theresa Stotesbury, FSci
NSERC Alliance Grants
- Structural smart sensors for live digital twins of pipelines in power generation and oil and gas industries (3S for live digital twins)
- Applicant: Dr. Ahmad Barari, FEAS
- Research partner: Arshon Silicon Technology Incorporated
- Runway condition detection and analysis using deep learning
- Applicant: Dr. Khalid Elgazzar, FEAS
- Co-applicant: Dr. Akramul Azim, FEAS
- Research partner: Team Eagle Ltd.
- Development of plasma-based plastic to oil process technology for industrial applications
- Applicant: Dr. Hossam Gaber, FESNS
- Research partner: Pro-Flange Ltd.
- AI-based early failure detection in 3D printing for better print quality, less material waste, and shorter trial and error process
- Applicant: Dr. Xianke Lin, FEAS
- Research partner: Mech Solutions Ltd.
- Quality and developer productivity enhancements for cloud-native applications via fault analysis and localization with machine learning
- Applicant: Dr. Ramiro Liscano, FEAS
- Co-applicant: Dr. Akramul Azim, FEAS
- Research partner: IBM Canada Ltd.
Related links
- Leading experts in adaptive aerodynamics, and trustworthiness in artificial intelligence join Ontario Tech’s research team (Ontario Tech’s Canada Research Chairs announcement, June 15, 2021)
- Learn more about research at Ontario Tech University’s Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation
- Ontario Tech University Strategic Research Plan 2020-2025
Quotes
“We are proud to continue investing in, and celebrating, the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of Canada’s research ecosystem. It is inspiring to see the ingenuity and dedication Canadian researchers embrace in exploring big ideas that will fuel the discoveries and innovations of tomorrow to make our world a better place and create prosperity for Canadians.”
-The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“The Discovery Grants Program is truly the NSERC’s funding flagship. It is our largest program, in terms of both overall investment and number of recipients. What’s more, it provides researchers with a predictable, long-term foundation of support as they explore and push back the frontiers of knowledge. Discovery Grants are seen as the gold standard of research excellence in Canada and are founded on a rigorous peer-review process.”
-Alejandro Adem, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
“More than ever, this past year has shown that society cannot move forward without the strong contribution of researchers from across Canada and beyond. Advancing knowledge and insight within and across all disciplines—including social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, engineering and health—is essential to tackling the challenges we face and finding the solutions we need to make Canada healthier, safer, more innovative and more prosperous.”
-Ted Hewitt, President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Chair of the Canada Research Chairs Program Steering Committee
“Our entrepreneurial spirit, combined with an unwavering dedication to research excellence and innovation, continues to propel our research enterprise. On behalf of Ontario Tech University, thank you to the tri-council agencies, all levels of government and our partners for their continued support. Their commitment to innovation and research excellence help us to continue to generate important and impactful outcomes in a wide range of fields.”
-Dr. Les Jacobs, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ontario Tech University
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