Dr. Andrew Knights
Building a Better Silicon Chip
 
Dr. Andrew Knights and his research team are working to address the ever-increasing demand for information bandwidth for communication at distances ranging from nanometres to thousands of kilometres. The approach requires the integration of optical and electrical functionality on a single silicon chip. The potential results cover a range of industrial and technological fields from ultra-secure optical computing, high-speed fibre-based communication; and environmental, biological and security sensing. The combination of using silicon as a base material and the addition of optical functionality is a practical solution with high potential rewards in chip performance.

Dr. Bartosz Protas
Math Modeling, Theory and Advanced Manufacturing
 
Dr. Protas’ team of interdisciplinary researchers will use mathematical modelling and scientific computing to address some outstanding theoretical questions in fluid mechanics, as well as to determine optimal control strategies in advanced manufacturing processes, such as gas-metal arc welding. This research has applications for Ontario-based manufacturing, including the automotive industry, where industrial partners can use the results to improve fabrication and assembly technologies.  

Dr. Greg Slater
Radiocarbon Analysis for Organic Contaminants
 
Compound specific radiocarbon analysis is an innovative new approach to investigate and monitor organic contaminants in environmental systems. Advances in our understanding of the sources of organic contaminants, where they end up, and how long they persist are essential to environmental policy and any solutions that are developed.  Using this new approach, Dr. Greg Slater and his research team will work to improve our ability to understand where organic contaminants come from and how long they take to degrade, and as a result improve our ability to predict and prevent associated health risks.

Dr. Mohit Bhandari
Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip Fractures
 
Hip fractures are expected to increase as the population ages.  Hip fractures are associated with a high death rate and a high number of complications, which often require additional surgery.  Dr. Mohit Bhandari and his research team will compare two surgical methods of repairing hip fractures in patients in Ontario. Identifying the best surgical procedure will benefit the lives of countless Ontarians.

Dr. Xu-Dong Zhu
Studying DNA Sequences in Cancer Cells
 
The integrity of DNA sequences at the ends of human chromosomes is essential for cell growth and proliferation. Dr. Xu-Dong Zhu and her research team will aim to understand the protein complex that governs maintenance of these DNA sequences. Results from the research will enhance our understanding of the cause of cancer, which will ultimately lead to better prevention and treatment for cancer.

Dr. Megumi Harada
The Geometry of Classical and Quantum Physics
 
The focus of Dr. Harada’s project is symplectic geometry, a field of mathematics related to both classical and quantum physics. An important benefit of this branch of geometry is that it can use a geometric object to represent a physical system. The analysis of the geometric object can help us gain insights into the complicated physical properties of the system. Dr. Megumi Harada and her research team will study the symmetries in the geometry of certain physical systems in order to reveal their properties: physical systems such as the structure of DNA or the orbit of the Earth around the sun.

Dr. Brian Kenneth Coombes
Studying Intestinal Pathogens
 
Dr. Brian Coombes's team is studying pathogens that infect domesticated food animals in Canada and cause serious gastrointestinal illness and death in humans. To infect different hosts, these bacteria use a type of biological system that acts as a syringe to inject disease-causing bacterial proteins into host cells. Disabling this system renders bacteria non-infectious, and understanding the steps involved in assembly and function of this system will expose new targets for drug-based treatment.

Dr. Anne Frances Klassen
Understanding the Caregiving Process for Immigrant Parents of Children with Cancer
 
While immigrants make up an increasing proportion of the Canadian population, they have been largely overlooked in care-giving research. The overall goals of Dr. Anne Klassen and her research team are to explore first-generation South Asian and Chinese parents’ experience of caring for a child with cancer, and to describe the implications of their experiences for pediatric oncology services, programs, and policy.