Raliat Abioye

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a naturally occurring peptide hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. However, IAPP commonly self-interacts, which results in the formation of aggregates that are toxic to pancreatic β-cells and implicated in type 2 diabetes (T2D) progression. Thus, the use of inhibitors to discourage IAPP aggregation is a promising avenue for managing T2D, and the focus on natural disease treatment methods finds food-derived peptides an excellent source for natural inhibitors. The objective of my research is two-fold: (1) to identify aggregation inhibiting food-derived peptides and evaluate their effects towards preventing β-cell death, and (2) to evaluate the effect of peptide structure on inhibitor function. Findings from this study will significantly advance the field in developing targeted natural peptide inhibitors as novel T2D treatment methods.

Alex W. Castro

My research focuses on the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms of memory and the cholinergic system across the lifespan and, by extension, contribute to the development of biomarkers in both healthy and diseased populations. A secondary focus of my research program is to examine the impact of biological sex/sex hormones on cholinergic brain activity and memory.

Maxine Visotzky-Charlebois

This research lies within the field of studies dealing with the effectiveness of the law, specifically, of Quebec workplace health and safety law. Our research goal is make a qualitative evaluation of the role of unions and to analyze the strategies they favour in return to work situations after a work-related injury. We seek to further reflection on the role unions are asked to play, including in the context of workplace change, but also on the means to encourage a sustainable return to work following a work-related injury.

Karianne Dion

Sleep disturbance is present in around 80% to 90% of cases of depression, and is associated with poorer clinical prognoses. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment recommended for chronic insomnia. One of the main CBT-I treatments relies on the ability of individuals to correctly estimate their sleep, yet this ability is seriously affected in those living with depression. Thus, my project seeks to compare the use of subjective and objective measurements of sleep to guide CBC-I treatment in situations of comorbid depression. Integration of new devices that measure sleep objectively is a unique opportunity to adapt CBT-I to those with depression, to improve treatment accuracy and effectiveness and to observe physiological changes occurring during treatment.

Issa Fowai

The premature deterioration of public infrastructure is a common engineering challenge that presents an exorbitant financial burden to the government (and their taxpayers) and poses a threat to human safety. Selecting remedial actions requires a comprehensive understanding of the causes and extent of the problems and the prediction of further deterioration. My research uses a holistic approach to correlate material behaviour and deterioration, visual inspection, NDT, and a wide range of traditional and novel test methods to evaluate the bond performance of CFRP-retrofitted concrete diaphragms from the Champlain Bridge. This will enable a deeper understanding of the damage progression in bond-critical applications to improve the design and service life of CFRP-strengthened concrete structures.

Monire Jamalkhah

Oncolytic viruses are exciting therapeutic agents for cancer treatment as they specifically infect and kill cancer cells, ignite anti-tumor immunity, and in some cases, induce the tumor cell expression of multiple therapeutic payloads, including microRNAs. miRNAs can be used to revert the resistance to therapies that breast tumors develop as a result of their genomic instability and heterogeneity. In this project, I propose to generate a multi-modal oncolytic virus-based therapy capable of the direct induction of oncolysis, the induction of host anti-tumor immunity, the delivery of therapeutic microRNAs that can be disseminated within the tumor microenvironment by exosomal delivery, and the re-sensitization of target cells to drugs irrespective to their genomic signature. The result of this study will present a one-of-a-kind novel combinational therapy modality for breast cancer.

Sommer Knight

Many Black people report feeling mentally and physically drained from experiencing anti-Black racism across various life domains (e.g., in the workplace, education, interacting with police, within cross-racial friendship networks). This suffering has recently been referred to as "Black fatigue". More than simply a metaphor for frustration or exasperation, Black fatigue describes a chronic feeling of exhaustion that has the potential to add further burden to the Black experience. The objectives of the proposed research are to: (1) develop and validate a measure of Black fatigue in Black Canadian families, and (2) assess the impact of Black fatigue on family well-being outcomes (i.e., family functioning, family cohesion, parenting practices).

Catherine Larocque

Historical and recent events concerning Indigenous people in Canada have highlighted the ubiquitous and forced integration of western settler knowledge and values into all spheres of Indigenous peoples’ lives and societies, and the knowledge produced and translated from health research is no exception. Considering this knowledge is typically developed through western “scientific” methods predicated on rational choice liberalism, responding to the Calls to Action set out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada necessitates a transformation in how we conceptualize knowledge and its translation with Indigenous peoples. Using a Foucauldian genealogical approach, my doctoral research will examine how the historical roots of “scientific” knowledge are incommensurable with Indigenous ways of knowing, suggesting a fundamental contradiction at the core of knowledge translation: that of knowledge creation. Findings from my research will invite current and future generations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and students to explore different conceptualizations of knowledge development and translation founded on Indigenous values, practices, and harmonious transactional ways of being and interacting with the land.

Michelle Liu

Current engineering practices and standards do not accurately reflect Canadian society’s increasing attention to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). The proposed doctoral project, supervised by engineering professor Beatriz Martin-Perez and law professor Jena McGill, addresses this gap by evaluating Canadian building standards and policies through an EDI lens and examining the opportunities and challenges facing the engineering profession’s urgent need for cultural change. This interdisciplinary research is expected to be ground-breaking in the Canadian engineering context, and its broad dissemination could spark an overhaul on how the profession views the inclusion of differently-identified individuals in the profession, the meaning of public interest, and the role that engineers can play in contributing to social justice.

Michael Verret

Working with patient partners and decision-makers, my research program will include reviews of all available published literature on studies that assessed drug alternatives to opioids during surgery. These studies will provide us with an overview of which drugs are used during surgery and how they can benefit patients in their recovery, their satisfaction, their quality of life, their functional capacities after surgery as well as long-term use of opioids after surgery. This critical work will help inform a large clinical trial of opioid-minimizing interventions during surgery in adult patients. Our program will help address the burden from the opioid crisis across Canada by reducing potential unnecessary use of opioids during surgery and finding effective alternatives that benefit outcomes important to patients.

Cassandra Trottier

This project aims to automate a microscopic tool, the Damage Rating Index (DRI), as well as visual inspections by using artificial intelligence to assess damage in critical concrete infrastructure. The DRI result, in combination with losses in the mechanical properties, can be used to determine the cause and extent of the damage. As our concrete infrastructure ages, showing signs of damage, the need for accurate diagnoses is crucial to prevent affected structures from failing. The automation of such tools will help assess more structures, thereby reducing the need for demolition and re-construction since best-suited mitigation/rehabilitation strategies could be selected to extend the life of the structure.

Peter Dobranowski

We know that the benefits of dietary fiber on the gut microbiome vary from person to person, and that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by gut microbiome instability. By capitalizing on a new bacterial culturing technique, my project seeks to predict which type of fiber will restore the composition and function of an IBD patient’s microbiome most optimally, one patient at a time. In collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, this precision microbiome therapy will be evaluated in a clinical trial and could potentially lead to a safe and economical intervention for an incurable disease that affects over 270,000 Canadians.

Jacky Deng

In world grappling with declining trust in institutions, suppression of science in decision-making, and an evolving media ecosystem, more than ever, citizens need to be able to reason and make decisions based on scientific evidence. As such, research in science education has focused on identifying ways to support the development of students’ abilities to construct scientific arguments. However, much of this research has given little consideration to how student backgrounds may influence their abilities to develop and demonstrate argumentation in STEM courses. Therefore, informed by my personal experiences as a person of colour and as a second-generation immigrant, my research focuses on supporting equity-deserving students in their abilities to construct arguments within STEM contexts and beyond.

Jessica Reszel

Across Ontario hospitals, there is wide variability in maternal-newborn care and outcomes; some of this variability is related to clinical practices that are not aligned with current evidence-based recommendations. Implementation science can help close this know-do gap. To accelerate the uptake of evidence-based practices by maternal-newborn hospitals, I will: 1) work with a group of health care providers, leaders, and researchers to co-create an implementation guide; and 2) field test the guide by prospectively following maternal-newborn hospital teams as they create an action plan to facilitate clinical practice improvements in their settings.

Jody-Ann Anderson

How do police institutions transform to meet the demands of increasingly complex environments and circumstances? My research investigates this phenomenon by examining the dynamics of institutional stasis and change in police practices, including the use of force, in a context characterized by middle-income economic development and high levels of violence. It aims to understand the mechanisms that have resulted in any change (or stasis) of these practices and innovations that could yield insights into how police institutions with similar characteristics can be sustainably transformed.

Kate Fenwick

I am using light to modulate light in order to develop  applications that are crucial to the field of optics and photonics. My technique exploits the optical Kerr effect:  I use a strong pulse of light to alter the properties of a weaker beam of light – all within optical fibre. The technique I have developed has allowed me to carve out configurable, ultrashort pulses from a continuous beam of light, which is of particular importance in ultrafast spectroscopy. I am now expanding my technique to use it as a tool for time-of-flight spectroscopy and single-photon characterization, which are expected to help explain important information in quantum optics and in atomic, molecular, and optical physics.

Lauren Orser

My research focuses on HIV seropositive gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with other men (gbMSM) who engage in chemical sex, or chemsex, namely by using amphetamine-class drugs to facilitate sexual activity. Specifically, I will examine the intersecting factors of HIV-related stress, mental health, substance use, and addiction. The aims of this study are to understand the factors related to engagement in chemsex and to understand its effects on physical health, mental well-being, and risk-taking practices among HIV seropositive gbMSM. The findings of this research will expand our current understanding of chemsex and will help researchers and clinicians address the complex and interrelated health effects of this sexual and substance using practice.

Lydia Wong

Agency : NSERC

Many aspects of the lives of insects are influenced by temperature, including their ability to survive and reproduce. My research explores the consequences of rising global temperatures for populations of wild bees, an ecologically important group of insects. I spend most of my summers wandering through flower meadows in the Rocky Mountains learning from cavity-nesting bees. I can also be found nosing around the concrete jungles of big cities on the lookout for city-dwelling bees while engaging citizen scientists in my research.

Sabrina Robichaud

Agency : NSERC

Atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of heart disease, is characterized by an accumulation of lipids within the arteries that supply blood to the heart, narrowing these blood vessels and impairing blood flow. My project aims to investigate the mechanism of lipid degradation through autophagy for plaque shrinkage and the enhancement of lipid degradation via autophagy to promote plaque size reduction.

Genevieve Trudel

Agency : SSHRC

Spatial skills, the abilities to understand and remember spatial relations among objects in our space, are required to perform ordinary tasks such as playing sports. Extensive differences between children’s spatial abilities surface in infancy and are influenced by parents’ use of spatial language (e.g., “corner,” “side”). However, adults who have anxiety accomplishing spatial tasks, such as parking a car, tend to avoid introducing children to spatial activities, limiting opportunities for spatial talk and their children’s spatial development. My research will therefore explore how levels of spatial anxiety in parents affect the amount of spatial talk used with children, and consequently, children’s spatial development.

Tyler Smith

Agency : CIHR

Heart disease remains one of the most devastating diseases in Canada. Immune cells play a key role in the progression of heart disease by producing inflammation and promoting the accumulation of arterial plaque. My project aims to understand how an unhealthy diet makes immune cells more inflammatory by assessing the metabolism of hematopoietic stem cells. I am asking, “Does hematopoietic stem cell metabolism affect immune cells and ultimately plaque buildup?” and for therapeutic purposes, “Can exercise reverse these changes at the cellular level?”

Zacharie Saint-Georges

Agency : CIHR

My primary research focus is the neurobiological basis of psychiatric illnesses and related symptoms. For my PhD, I will investigate the role of the cholinergic system in cognitive impairments present in schizophrenia. Specifically, I will assess if cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are associated with deficits in cholinergic activity in the central and autonomic nervous systems.​

Joshua Baxter

Agency: NSERC

My research covers two important aspects of light-matter interaction at the nanoscale; inverse design and nonlinear plasmonics. In my previous work, I used deep learning to predict colours from random silver nanoparticle distributions that are created by pulsed laser ablation. By solving the inverse problem, I used deep learning to output the laser settings required for a desired colour. Building on this project, I will use deep-learning for the design of nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces, ultrathin optical elements tailored to enhance nonlinear optical processes, and for the tuning of quantum emitter lifetimes, which can have applications in light emitting devices, solar cells, spectroscopy, and much more.

Heather Brittain

Agency: SSHRC

My research focus is on understanding how the experience of being bullied is associated with academic functioning (grades, standardized test scores, and learning skills) over four academic periods (elementary, middle, secondary, and postsecondary). I will examine the potential moderating roles of individual and contextual factors, such as family and friend support, as well as how these experiences relate to postsecondary educational success and other functional outcomes during adulthood, such as job stability. My research has the potential to improve bullying prevention and intervention programs, as well as plans for academic success, which are central to prosperous development

Loucia Chehade

Agency: CIHR

I'm studying a devastating paediatric neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).The focus of my project is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to motor neuron death in SMA such as immune organ defects and neuroinflammation. Understanding the functional consequences will hopefully offer guidance in the development of combinatorial therapies and highlight new important considerations to be taken in SMA patient care.

Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault

Agency: SSHRC

As part of the sociology of public action, this study will empirically expose the way in which Francophone immigration in a minority environment was constituted as a public problem in Canada and the factors that explain the establishment of a collaborative governance framework at the federal level to develop and implement public policies for Francophone immigration. The thesis will deal specifically with a case study of the project of welcoming Francophone communities.

Bruna Cristina Falavinha

Agency: CIHR

Aberrant sphingolipid metabolism is linked to risk of dementia in Parkinson’s Disease (PD), PD with Dementia (PDD), and Dementia with Lewy Bodies, yet the critical metabolic pathways responsible for cognitive decline are still unknown. My research project consists in understanding how changes in sphingolipid metabolism contributes to cognitive decline while considering age, genetic modifications and sexual differences.

Sophie Fobert

Agency: SSHRC

Children rely heavily on testimony from others when learning, as they do not have the time or resources to gain first-hand knowledge about the world for themselves. As part of a larger cognitive development project, I will explore how certain parental characteristics influence preschoolers’ social learning. Specifically, I will analyze how a parent’s use of humour, creativity, imagination, and curiosity during interactions with their child (i.e., parental playfulness) is related to their child’s understanding of informant credibility cues when discerning reliable sources of information.

Sara Kramers

Agency: SSHRC

Across Canada, sport coaches play an invaluable role in facilitating the development of life skills in young athletes. I aim to conduct a longitudinal mentoring intervention to support youth sport coaches in becoming more intentional and explicit in how they teach life skills. Specifically, I will intervene directly with coaches throughout their sport season and act as a personal learning coach to guide their learning and collaboratively create opportunities for change.

Truc To

Agency: NSERC

Autophagy, an important degradative process, is used by cells as a mechanism to cope with stresses. Dysregulation of stress-specific autophagy has been shown to be involved in multiple human pathologies such as cancer, cardiomyopathy, neurodegeneration, and Crohn’s Disease. However, to date no studies have attempted to compare the signaling requirements for autophagy induction upon distinct stresses such as nutrient starvation, DNA damage, or organelle dysfunction. My project will use the high throughput CRISPR (a genetic modification technique) analysis to identify and validate genes involved in the stress-specific autophagy regulation.

Chinonye Udechukwu

Agency: IRSC

My research project explores the potential of early-life dietary interventions to reduce the risk of stress-related mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety (the leading global causes of disability). Using a mouse model, I will specifically examine whether maternal consumption of a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy and lactation could prevent or mitigate the adverse effects of prenatal stress on (1) the development of offspring microbiota-gut-brain axis and (2) susceptibility of offspring to depression- and anxiety-like behaviours in adulthood.

William Kochtitzky

Agency: NSERC

By 2100, sea levels are expected to rise between 26 and 98 cm, resulting in more intense storm surges, coastal flooding, and shoreline erosion. I use field and satellite observations to better constrain how glaciers are currently changing in order to better predict how they will change in the future, and the resultant rises in global sea levels. My research focuses primarily on glaciers in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, many of which are cyclically unstable and among the fastest changing glaciers in the world today.

Kharoll-Ann Souffrant

Agency: SSHRC

My doctoral thesis will focus on online movements in Quebec that denounce sexual assault. More specifically, I will seek to document the views expressed in French and Quebecois written media about the #AggressionNonDénoncée (2014) and #MeToo (2017) social movements. In addition, I will meet with feminist advocates and survivors of sexual assault to understand the meaning which they, as key players, assign to these two major social movements.

Patrick Ladouceur

Agency: SSHRC

I aim to analyze how the concept of social justice is mobilized in three social movements in Canada: (1) the movement to eliminate violence against women; (2) the LBGTQ + movement (lesbian, bisexual, gay, trans, queer); and (3) the movement to defend the rights of Francophones in Ontario. More specifically, I seek to generate definitions and concrete examples of social justice specific to the knowledge and actions of activists and grassroots organizations.

Eamon Colvin

Agency: SSHRC

I will investigate how mental and behavioural habits influence mental well-being. Specifically, my research project will involve developing and validating a new questionnaire on habitual positive and negative thinking. In addition, I will test the efficacy of an intervention designed to establish habitual behaviours that promote well-being.

Alicia Sit

Agency: NSERC

My research project aims to construct an urban quantum communication network across the City of Ottawa as a first, proof-of-principle step towards a global version. I will use this network to develop and test "hybrid" quantum key distribution protocols that combine advantages from existing protocols with generation and detection techniques to create schemes that are robust against factors such as instability and atmospheric turbulence. These protocols will have the ability to transmit more information than conventionally possible while still being information-theoretically secure.

Mayra Tagliaferri de Grazia

Agency: NSERC

The environmental impact of Portland cement (PC) used in concrete production can be reduced by designing concrete mixtures that include particle packing models. Moreover, inert fillers (a by-product of the aggregate crushing process) may also be used to further decrease the PC content. Yet, eco-efficient concrete is currently not used in structural applications due to concerns about its durability and long-term performance. My proposed research project will develop distinct, low-cement concrete mixtures and assess their behaviour against a wide range of durability-related problems.

Melissa Phuong

Agency: CIHR

My research involves studying bacterial infections (i.e. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) in cystic fibrosis. Specifically, I'll be investigating the interactions between pathogens and host innate immune signaling mechanisms using cell lines and primary cells.

Duff Conacher

Agency: SSHRC

My research project is to develop a model of best-practice political decision-making process ethics rules, and also a model of enforcement system, and then to compare Canada’s current federal system to the models.

Adam Pietrobon

Agency: CIHR

The overall goal of my research project is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the rare lung disorder lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). I am genome-editing pluripotent stem cells to create a cell model of the disease, and then using this cell model to screen a large library of potential therapeutics. The goal of my project is to better understand how the disease occurs while identifying new treatments for LAM patients.

Alvin Tieu

Agency: CIHR

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis are among the leading causes of death in Canada with no effective specific therapy for either condition. The findings from my research will be a crucial first step to establish the therapeutic potential of exosomes which are nano-sized particles released by mesenchymal stem cells for treating patients with ARDS or sepsis.

Diego Jesus De Souza

Agency: NSERC

Alkali-aggregate reaction (reaction between reactive aggregate materials and, mainly, the alkali hydroxides from the cement) is one of the most harmful processes affecting the durability and long term performance of concrete infrastructure worldwide. The project aims to evaluate and improve the use of existing commercial products as well as to develop new products for preventing, mitigating, and/or stopping concrete deterioration caused by AAR in its initial, moderate and advanced phases, through the use of physical, chemical or physicochemical systems.

Helene Schreiner

Agency: NSERC

The goal of this project is to develop a reliable way of predicting mixing in river bends. This will be accomplished using state of the art measurement systems in the University of Ottawa Water Resources laboratory as well as computer simulations using high performance computing systems. By improving our ability to predict effluent mixing in river bends, this project will contribute to better pollution management in river systems.