Backgrounder

August 17, 2009

Early Researcher Awards

Ontario is providing $11.5 million to support 82 emerging researchers and their teams at 21 institutions across Ontario. Each lead researcher will receive $140,000 through the Early Researcher Awards program.

Queen's University

Rational Design of Lubricants through Chemical Simulation
Lead researcher: Dr. Nicholas Jay Mosey
Number of researchers benefiting: 4

We can extend the usable lifetimes of devices and reduce energy losses due to friction by improving the lubricants for their specific applications. Dr. Mosey and his team are developing methods to chemically simulate realistic models of lubricated contacts, and use these techniques to predict the performance of lubricant systems. Their findings will help us better understand the wear, friction and lubrication of specific applications. It will also guide the rational design of improved lubricants for emerging and existing technologies, which holds significant economic and environmental benefits for Ontario.

Improving Governance and Competitiveness in Ontario’s Mineral Resource Sector
Lead researcher: Dr. J. Andrew  Grant
Number of researchers benefiting: 4

Ontario’s mineral resource sector is a vital contributor to our economy. In 2007, mineral production in this province was worth $10.7 billion, and our mining sector employed 24,700 people, most in northern Ontario. A mineral resource sector that values good governance, takes the interests of all stakeholders into consideration and is also innovative, transparent and environmentally responsible, will enjoy a competitive advantage in attracting investment. Dr. Grant’s proposed research project will assess Ontario’s mineral resource sector and provide comprehensive strategies to improve governance and increase competitiveness.

Investigating the Impact of Climate Change on Slope Stability
Lead researcher: Dr. William Andrew Take

Number of researchers benefiting: 4

Ontario’s soil slopes are vital components of our environment. We build our towns and cities on natural soil slopes. We also rely on artificial soil slopes to hold our transportation networks, manage our water resources, and protect our environment from industrial waste products. Climate change will likely affect these slopes by increasing the total amount of precipitation and producing frequent and severe extreme rainfall events. Dr. Take and his team’s research into the effects of climate change on the stability of Ontario’s soil slopes will help us protect our natural and built environment for future generations.

Autism Online: The Social and Cultural Implications of the Internet for Individuals on the Spectrum
Lead researcher: Dr. Joyce  Davidson
Number of researchers benefiting: 5

Ontario has an estimated 70,000 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a developmental disability that affects social interaction and communication skills. The Internet can reduce or eliminate distractions associated with face-to-face interaction and its use for communication has enabled new forms of agency and communication among people with autism. Dr. Davidson’s research team will examine how individuals with autism use the Internet to develop new spaces for shared experience. It will generate data about the social implications of the recent growth in online communication among autistic individuals, and assess whether this is leading to the emergence of new autistic cultures. These findings will have important implications for autistic individuals, researchers, policy makers, and other groups who are developing strategies and services with, and for, autistic people.

Towards Integrative Data Analysis for Reliable Predictive Modeling in Biomedical Computing
Lead researcher: Dr. Parvin  Mousavi
Number of researchers benefiting: 5

Today’s biology research is producing a large amount of information in the form of high-throughput genetic data, public databases, medical images and much more. But despite this abundance of data, we still have limited knowledge of the complex biological events that underlie disease. Dr. Mousavi has taken an innovative integrative approach to describing complex biological phenomena. She is using data from multiple modalities to build computational models that formulate disease, within the framework of prostate cancer and multiple sclerosis. This research could lead to earlier diagnosis of these and other disorders, and discovery of personalized therapies.