Ontario Tech’s newest Research Excellence Chairs showcase university’s transformational research
Program recognizes and rewards the high-quality research and scholarly achievements of Ontario Tech faculty members
November 18, 2024
Researchers at Ontario Tech University are key national voices for scholarship and discovery whose work focuses on understanding the social and ethical implications of technology and the goal to improve the lives of humans and the planet.
Ontario Tech’s rising reputation as a leading research-intensive institution is reflected through its attraction of more than $28 million annually in research income. The university’s research activities drive exploration of new ideas and knowledge to help accelerate economic growth, regional development and social innovation.
The university’s Strategic Research Plan identifies six strategic priority areas:
- Autonomous Vehicles and Systems
- Canada’s Energy and Environmental Future
- Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and New Technologies
- Healthy Populations, Community Well-Being and Social Justice
- Intelligent Manufacturing and Materials Innovation
- Social Innovation, Disruptive Technologies and the New Economy
These research priority areas are supported by Ontario Tech’s well-established research strengths in:
- Advanced Manufacturing and Materials
- Automotive Engineering, Transportation and Electrification Systems
- Community Wellness, Human Performance and Health Promotion
- Crime, Justice and Forensics Sciences
- Digital Technologies, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
- Energy, Applied Bioscience and Environmental Sustainability
Ontario Tech is home to hundreds of leading experts from around the world
Ontario Tech’s research enterprise is supported by an incredible infrastructure of modern laboratories, research institutes, research centres and research groups. Its six faculties and School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies are home to a powerful team of leading academics and globally trained research experts.
In addition to being home to 10 Canada Research Chairs and a host of industrial research chairs, each fall the university designates a cohort of faculty leaders as Research Excellence Chairs (REC) and Research Excellence Award (REA) winners (appointments are effective July 1, 2024).
The REC program emphasizes the importance of research at Ontario Tech in strategic areas, while highlighting and promoting the outstanding achievements of the university’s scholars, and the university’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
2024 REC recipients
Stream 1 (Transform; three-year appointment)
- Dr. JoAnne Arcand, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
- Dr. Jean-Paul Desaulniers, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science
Stream 2 (Ignite; two-year appointment)
- Dr. Ahmad Barari, Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
- Dr. Lindsay Malloy, Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
- Dr. Bobby Stojanoski, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
- Dr. Winnie Sun, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
Stream 3 (Social Innovation; two-year appointment)
- Dr. Amirali Salehi-Abari, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Information Technology
The Richard Marceau Chair in Clean Energy Research was established to honour the contributions of Dr. Marceau during his tenure as Provost and Vice-President, Academic at Ontario Tech. This chair reflects Dr. Marceau’s commitment to exploring ways in which scientists, engineers and social scientists can find solutions to the grand challenges related to the growth of atmospheric greenhouse gases and climate change.
- 2024 recipient: Dr. Ibrahim Dincer, Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
Research Excellence Awards (REA) are presented to researchers at various stages of their career (established, mid-career, or emerging). As is tradition, new recipients recognized at an on-campus event on October 29 were invited to give a short presentation on their research, as part of the REA Speaker Series.
2024 Research Excellence Award recipients
Emerging researcher: Recognizing both early excellence in research and future promise.
- Dr. Robyn Ruttenberg-Rozen, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education
Mid-career researcher: Recognizing recently established research programs that are opening up new fields or insights of inquiry.
- Dr. Olena Zenkina, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science
Established researcher: Recognizing recent national and/or international leadership in research in the last six years.
- Dr. Bill Kapralos, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Information Technology
Related links
- 2023 Ontario Tech Research Excellence Chairs announcement (October 2023)
- Archive of Ontario Tech-related research stories
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“Ontario Tech is exceptionally proud of the depth and strength of its faculty experts, who every day advance the university’s expanding research enterprise by understanding and integrating the social and ethical implications of technology. We salute the new Ontario Tech Research Excellence Chairs and Research Excellence Award recipients for their commitment to discovery and applied research.”
-Dr. Les Jacobs, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ontario Tech University
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