Tag: VP Research and Innovation

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Meet York University’s latest commercialization Fellows

man using tablet with graphic image of lightbulb

Four budding researchers completed York University’s Commercialization Fellowship program – now in its second year – at the end of April.  

The Commercialization Fellowship program is funded by the innovation arm of the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at York. The program runs from January to April and provides graduate students and postdoctoral Fellows support and assistance to develop their academic research into a commercially viable product.   

The Fellows receive $7,500 as stipend, with a quarter of the funds earmarked for research activities like prototype testing, proof of concept projects, or validation studies. They also participate in workshops and seminars that focus on various topics related to commercialization, including design thinking, intellectual property, licensing, and partnerships. Additionally, Fellows work at and receive advice on patent searching, industry outreach, and pitching.  

“The fellowship provides a valuable opportunity to support and train the next generation of innovators and supports them on their entrepreneurial journey,” said Suraj Shah, associate director, commercialization and strategic partnerships.  

Aspire spoke with the four Fellows about the fellowship program and their products.

Kajanan Kanathipan
Kajanan Kanathipan

Kajanan Kanathipan, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Project title: Modular single-stage step-up photovoltaic (PV) converter with integrated power balancing feature 

Kanathipan’s doctoral research focuses on the development of new extraction techniques for renewable energy, particularly solar power. Solar energy can be tricky to harness for power due to varying atmospheric conditions, like cloud cover.  

Kanathipan is determined to find a way to circumvent this issue and build a device that not only streamlines the conversion process, but can maximize power extraction under all operating conditions. 

Solar energy starts with sunlight, which is made up of photons. Photovoltaic (PV) panels convert the sunlight into electrical currents. This is then converted to electricity that supplies power for machines, homes and buildings to run on. It’s a two-step process involving different converters. 

Kanathipan’s idea would reduce the power conversion to a single step, using the same converter. This converter would also be able to better balance and store power from the PV panels to not stress or drain one converter more than the others.  

The invention would allow the entire conversion system to safely operate under different weather conditions. This would reduce equipment costs and produce a greater amount of energy for PV plants.  

“We are looking to design and control photovoltaic conversion well enough that it provides an innovative solution in the solar technology industry,” says Kanathipan, who works out of the Advanced Power Electronics Laboratory for Sustainable Energy Research (PELSER) and is supervised by John Lam, associate professor at the Lassonde School of Engineering.  

Kanathipan says the fellowship program has provided education and training not found in the lab, like the workshops on how to protect your intellectual property, build business partnerships, or how to determine a potential customer.   

Right now, Kanathipan is working on a scaled down prototype, a key component of his dissertation.   

Kanathipan is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering.

Stephanie Cheung
Stephanie Cheung

Stephanie Cheung, Faculty of Education
Project title: VoteBetter 

Cheung created the VoteBetter app, a SaaS (software as a service) product, which aims to drive civic engagement in student politics. The application operates as a virtual election space for post-secondary student constituents, candidates and incumbents, and provides a central source for locating, contributing to and comparing campaign priorities. Users can view candidates’ profiles, submit questions, and view, rank and comment on crowd-sourced campus issues. Once the election is over, the app tracks the campaign promises of elected representatives and serves as a community forum.  

Under the supervision of Natalia Balyasnikova, assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, Cheung’s master’s research examines contemporary trends in political participation on diverse campuses in the Greater Toronto Area and explores how undergraduate student election voter engagement and turnout might be improved. The idea for the app was inspired by her research and Cheung’s own experience in student politics, in addition to a former role as a public servant with the provincial government.  

“VoteBetter can be used as a tool for students to deepen dialogue and focus more on the substantive issues their communities face than surface-level politics,” Cheung says. “Student groups can wield hefty budgets and their constituents deserve well-informed leaders who understand pertinent issues and are equipped to pursue sustainable change.”  

Cheung says the fellowship program has offered structure and guidance as she works through her research and development phase. She says she is interested in the commercialization of her master’s research not for profit, but to extend the impact of her academic work.   

“I am often asking myself how research can live off the page,” she says. “And I’m interested in my work facilitating opportunities for co-constructing knowledge and bridging theory to practice.”  

Currently, Cheung’s VoteBetter app is being validated with end users.  

Cheung is a part-time master’s student in the Faculty of Education and full-time staff at York where she works as manager, student success and stakeholder engagement at Calumet and Stong Colleges in the Faculty of Health.

Mehran Sepah Mansoor
Mehran Sepah Mansoor

Mehran Sepah Mansoor, Mechanical Engineering
Project title: A method of fabricating one-dimensional photonic crystal optical filters  

Mansoor works out of York University’s Advanced Materials for Sustainable Energy Technologies Laboratory. His research at the AM-SET Lab has led to him inventing a novel fabrication method for a photonic crystal optical filter, which can transmit sunlight over a broad range of wavelengths.  

Mansoor, under the supervision of AM-SET Lab’s founder Paul G. O’Brian at the Lassonde School of Engineering, believes the invention could have several applications, but it could be particularly useful to improve thermal energy storage systems, particularly those that store solar thermal energy.   

Thermal energy storage involves preventing losses via heat conduction, convection, and radiation. Mansoor’s photonic crystal filter more effectively controls solar radiation and thermal losses simultaneously and can transmit sunlight to be absorbed and converted to heat in a thermal storage medium.  

The filter can also reflect radiative heat from the medium, which has longer wavelengths than sunlight, minimizing heat losses. The stored energy can then act as a power source later when sunlight is no longer available.  

“The innovation is the way the materials in the photonic crystal filters have been fabricated and the treatment applied to them to achieve the optical properties needed to refract or bend light in a desired manner, as well as the way we have been able to stack all of the materials together,” said Mansoor. “Our method eliminates unwanted energy absorption in the photonic crystal while improving the energy transmission of the filter.”  

Mansoor cites the program’s design thinking workshop as a highlight of his time as a Fellow. He says the fellowship also provided him a greater understanding of how to patent technology. This invention marks his first patent.  

So far, Mansoor has completed simulations of the invention and has some preliminary results. He is in the early stages of creating a prototype.  

Mansoor is a second-year master’s student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering.

Abbas Panahi
Abbas Panahi

Abbas Panahi, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Project title: A novel portable platform based on field-effect transistor integrated with microfluidics for biosensing applications 

Panahi’s academic work studying biosensors – a device to detect and target molecules – grew stronger after a PhD internship at Mitacs. Now in his fourth year as a PhD student and under the supervision of Professor Ebrahim Ghafar-Zadeh at the Lassonde School of Engineering, Panahi has invented a new biosensing platform that can detect disease.  

The platform uses sensor technology that can be used on a portable device, like a smartphone, to analyze the specific concentration of RNA or any biomarker in a saliva sample.   

“This technology has huge potential for medical application,” Panahi says. “The device could be used in hospitals for non-expert users to run clinical tests and help detect viruses quickly and easily.”  

The portable sensor was developed entirely at York University’s Biologically Inspired Sensors and Actuators (BioSA) Laboratory – from the testing and modelling, to all the engineering – by a team of students and research associates under the direction, guidance and conceptualization of Ghafar-Zadeh. The development process involved a variety of tasks, including in-house testing, modelling and engineering design. 

For Panahi, the fellowship program gave him a complete education for what it takes to start a science-based venture. He says the fellowship allowed him to fully consider every aspect of the commercialization process and develop a strong business model. He also says the program’s teachings on how to match the technology with market needs was invaluable.  

Currently, Panahi is working on technology market matching, and readying the device to undergo clinical tests in the next year.   

Panahi is a fourth-year PhD student in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering.  

York receives $300K from provincial agency to advance research commercialization

Commercialization efforts for York University research have received a $300,000 boost in funding from Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON). 

The new funding will support the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation and the IP Innovation Clinic at York University to enhance its intellectual property and commercialization services to York researchers and their partners, particularly for increasing research outputs related to artificial intelligence, automotive and medical technology.

Jennifer MacLean
Jennifer MacLean

“With IPON’s financial backing, we will be able to streamline and develop a full-service IP and commercialization pathway for our faculty, students and our partners, and strengthen York’s pursuit of licensing and research partnership opportunities,” said Jennifer MacLean, assistant vice-president of innovation and research partnerships. “Our goal is to triple the number of disclosures and double the number of patents filed by York students and faculty per year, while supporting licensing and partnerships that move York’s great ideas forward.”  

The fund will help create two new staff positions – an assistant director for the IP Innovation Clinic and a business development and commercialization manager for OVPRI – and increase business and commercialization impact for IP holders in Ontario.   

“This investment is just one example of how IPON is supporting our province’s postsecondary institutions and innovators, by providing them with the funding, tools, knowledge and connections they need to harness the value of their IP,” said Jill Dunlop, minister of colleges and universities. “Initiatives like this are helping our province’s innovators benefit from IPON’s expertise and ensuring the economic and commercial benefits of home-grown innovation remain right here in Ontario.” 

Commercialization of research outputs can mean bringing a new product or service to the market. An invention by a researcher can solve a problem faced by consumers or businesses or help make life easier or more efficient. Commercialization can also extend the positive reach and impact University research has on society by driving revenue growth through sustained market opportunities. 

Pina D'Agostino with an AI robot
Pina D’Agostino with an AI robot

“The IPON funds will be invaluable to help scale the many successes of the IP Innovation Clinic working with Ontario’s startups,” said Pina D’Agostino, associate professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and the founder of the IP Innovation Clinic. “With these resources we can serve many more clients who do not have money to pay for expensive legal fees. We are also able to train many more law students to be IP and business savvy to protect key assets in the disruptive tech economy.” 

York is among 10 universities and colleges in Ontario to receive funding as part of the provincial agency’s pilot project to strengthen Ontario’s knowledge economy.   

For the official announcement from IPON, click here: Intellectual Property Ontario investing $2 million to support innovation and commercialization at postsecondary schools — Intellectual Property Ontario (ip-ontario.ca).  

New Frontiers in Research Fund awards $2.4M to York University researchers

innovation research digital AI network
innovation research digital AI network

Seven projects led by York University researchers were awarded a combined $2.4 million from the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) in two of its funding streams: Exploration and Special Calls, announced at the end of April.  

The NFRF: Exploration stream is a federal program that supports high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary research. The Special Call stream in this latest funding round supports research for post-pandemic recovery.  

The total combined funding for the York-led research projects is $2,433,295.  

To learn more about the NFRF and the funded projects, read the announcement here: Government of Canada invests in high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary research to support world-leading innovation – Canada.ca. 

York-led projects in the Exploration stream ($962,079) 

Rachel Gorman, Faculty of Health
Training an AI to detect medical bias and unmet health needs through critical race and disability theory and community-generated data
$241,424 

Elizabeth Clare, Faculty of Science
The ethical challenge to non-invasive environmental e(DNA) technology  
$222,519 

Stephanie Ben-Ishai, Osgoode Hall Law School
The Debt Relief Project: Online and Low-Cost Access to Bankruptcy 
$248,136 

Zheng Hong Zhu, Lassonde School of Engineering
3D and 4D Laser Metal Additive Manufacturing in Zerogravity and Vacuum for Space Exploration
$250,000 

York-led projects in Special Calls stream ($1471,216)  

Mary Wiktorowicz, Faculty of Health
Governance of One Health challenges: Fostering collaboration 
$500,000 

Jonathan Weiss, Faculty of Health
Mobilizing environments to improve psychological and physiological experiences of thriving in Autistic people 
$484,172 

Jeannie Samuel, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
Building equitable and resilient community-based emergency response strategies in rural Guatemala 
$487,044 

New organized research unit focused on water issues rides wave of early success, impact

Water droplets

By Corey Allen, senior manager, research communications

OneWATER, a new organized research unit (ORU) at York University, is in its infancy but is already driving positive change.  

Launched last fall, OneWATER sent delegates to the United Nations in New York within its first few months of operating, where its members headlined a panel at the UN Water Conference. During the conference, OneWater announced its researchers will play a key role in the delivery of the Water Academy – a collaborative education program between York, several other academic institutions and UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research).

Sylvie Morin
Sylvie Morin

“OneWATER was created to bring together water experts from all over campus as well as partners and communities and go beyond what we can accomplish as lone researchers,” says director Sylvie Morin, professor in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science. “We didn’t anticipate this much momentum.”  

OneWATER is an acronym that details the combined expertise of its members – W for water management, A for artificial intelligence, T for technologies, E for education and sustainability and R for resource recovery and reuse.  

Initially proposed as an ORU by Satinder Brar, professor and James and Joanne Love Chair in Environmental Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, OneWATER brings together York University’s experts on water-related issues in multiple disciplines across several Faculties and units.  

From civil engineering to water governance to environmental justice and more, OneWATER is the central hub at York for leading water-related experts to unite, conduct interdisciplinary research and generate knowledge on pressing issues, like water security, flooding and sanitation. This work has the potential to significantly inform and influence public policy.  

For Morin, OneWATER creates a platform for York researchers to tackle bigger questions that would otherwise be unable to be fully explored within a single department or Faculty.  

“We have something very special here,” she says. “As a collective, OneWATER can conduct higher-level, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research at York, take a significant leading role in Canada and compete for more significant grants. As an ORU, we are also better positioned to work on larger-scale projects with international collaborators.”  

This summer, Morin will begin work on her first project under OneWATER.  

Morin, along with Stephanie Gora, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, and Yeuhyn Kim, a PhD candidate co-supervised by Morin and Gora, will develop new materials for sustainable wastewater treatment focusing on pesticides and pharmaceuticals.  

York-led $318M project to create transformational change in inclusive tech research 

York University's Amir Asif, Pina D'Agostino and Doug Crawford with representatives from Queen's University

York University is leading a $318.4-million, interdisciplinary, first-of-its kind research project that aims to advance the understanding of relationships between human minds and machines, and how society – or as the researchers have dubbed it, the “techno-social collective” – can evolve with these emerging technologies in a socially responsible way.

An initiative focused on inclusive technology research that partners with Queens University, “Connected Minds: Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society” is supported by $105.7 million in funding from the federal government’s Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) with $82.8 million dedicated to York and $22.8 million to Queens.

Susan Boehnke, Queen’s University with York University’s Pina D’Agostino, Doug Crawford and Gunnar Blohm, Queen’s University

Connected Minds will fund 35 strategic faculty hires, partner-focused seed, team, and prototyping grants, knowledge mobilization and commercialization activities, and an ambitious multi-institutional micro-credential training program with 385 trainees and cross-sector stakeholders. All activities will require interdisciplinary participation, and projects that benefit Indigenous and other equity-deserving groups will be prioritized. 

“The current technological revolution will have transformative positive impacts, and likely unintended negative impacts, on humanity for generations to come,” says Doug Crawford, York University Distinguished Research Professor in Neuroscience and inaugural scientific director of Connected Minds. “To predict these impacts and steer toward positive outcomes, one requires transdisciplinary expertise, multi-sector community engagement and research and training at levels that can only occur in a large-scale program. We thank CFREF for providing Connected Minds with the resources to lead Canada and the world in this timely and critical enterprise.” 

The directorate will be shared with York University Professor Pina D’Agostino, intellectual property and technology law expert, as vice director, and Professor Sean Hillier, Indigenous health scholar, as associate director. Engineer and neuroscientist Professor Gunnar Blohm joins as the vice director from Queen’s University. 

Experts across various fields – from eight of York’s Faculties and three of Queens’ – will focus on how emerging technology is transforming society and work to find a balance between the identified risks and benefits for humanity. The program will engage more than 50 community partners – from hospitals, policymakers, artists, industry partners and Indigenous communities – with emphasis on inclusive, interdisciplinary research. 

Connected Minds will combine York’s leadership in science and technology research, and longstanding institutional priorities in social sciences, arts and humanities, with Queens’ strengths in neuroscience, health and AI, as well as with partners across multiple sectors.

Amir Asif
Amir Asif

“York is an international leader in interdisciplinary research involving artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies, social justice, and human science like biology, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology,” says Amir Asif, York University vice-president, research and innovation. “The government’s substantial investment will unite York’s incredible strengths with Queen’s health specialties to chart new territory in socially responsible, community-engaged research for a rapidly changing digital world. 

“Connected Minds is the result of the incredible work and collaborative efforts of our faculty and staff, and will enable Canada to lead the creation of more inclusive technologies for the world.” 

Some of the program’s proposed projects include explorations into a more inclusive metaverse, virtual reality and community organizing, technologies for healthy aging, Indigenous data sovereignty, and how the human brain functions when people interact with AI versus each other. 

A new, dedicated Indigenous research space on York’s Keele Campus supports the program’s, and the University’s, focus on decolonizing, equity, diversity and inclusion (DEDI). 

“Connected Minds is informed by Indigenous perspectives and priorities to achieve outcomes that are culturally relevant and responsive to Indigenous ways of being and doing that impact how we think about and engage in life, health and education,” says Hillier, who is also director of York University’s Centre for Indigenous Knowledges & Languages. “Our work will seek to address the unexpected consequences of technological innovation, like the growing digital divide for Indigenous communities to access remote health care, and issues of data sovereignty, ownership and digital colonialism.” 

The CFREF funding positions York as a national leader in creating and adopting scientific and technological innovation and an agent of change in the promotion of a healthy and just techno-social collective. 

“We believe our inclusive, interdisciplinary approach that aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals makes York University the perfect place for anticipating the way humans and machines will, and should, connect in an equitable society,” says D’Agostino.

Watch a video on Connected Minds below.

Muscle Health Awareness Day highlights research in exercise, disease, aging

Woman with back turned to camera flexing arms and shoulders in front of black background

The 14th annual Muscle Health Awareness Day (MHAD) brings together doctors, scientists and trainees from across Ontario, Quebec, New York and Michigan – each driven towards the common goal of understanding the physiology and adaptation of muscles, vasculature and the heart throughout exercise, disease and aging.

Sponsored by York University’s Faculty of Health and Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation (VPRI), this year’s event will feature eight speakers and nearly 60 unique trainee posters covering an array of topics at the Life Sciences Building on Friday, May 19 from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Six of the best student posters will be awarded and featured at the event. The goal of MHAD is to continue to advance the University’s research reputation in the area of muscle health.

Students and researchers browse informational posters on display at York's Muscle Health Awareness Day 2019
Students and researchers browse informational posters on display at York’s Muscle Health Awareness Day 2019

This year’s featured guest speakers are:

  • Tyler Churchward-Venne, McGill University (Montreal)
  • Michaela Devries-Aboud, University of Waterloo
  • Heather Edgell, York University
  • Ewan Goligher, University Health Network (Toronto)
  • Amy Kirkham, University of Toronto
  • Nota Klentrou, Brock University (St. Catharines)
  • David MacLean, Northern Ontario School of Medicine University (Sudbury)
  • Jamie Melling, University of Western Ontario (London)

Attendant registration for this event is $20, to be paid on-site in cash – this fee includes admission as well as a light breakfast, lunch buffet and coffee breaks. Guest speakers are admitted free of charge.

For more information, and to submit research abstracts or posters for consideration, click here.

York faculty recognized for research, artistic excellence

Research Award Celebration 2023: President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton with faculty members Taien-Ng Chan, Jude Kon, Karen Burke, Carl James, Linda Peake and Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif
President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton with faculty members Taien-Ng Chan, Jude Kon, Karen Burke, Carl James, Linda Peake and Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif

The outstanding achievements of 70 York University faculty members were recognized on April 12 during the 2023 Research Awards Celebration. The annual event, hosted by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, celebrates the research contributions from York’s community of changemakers over the last year.

“Universities continue to play an oversized role in undertaking the research, creative activities and innovation needed to address the complex, global problems we face. Through the dedication and hard work of York’s community of researchers, scholars, creators and knowledge mobilizers, we are driving positive change and strengthening our impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” said President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton. “I congratulate all the honorees and their teams for their efforts in building a brighter, more equitable, and sustainable world.”

Faculty were recognized for their wide-ranging work, including studies to advance greener chemistry, documenting Indigenous resurgence, and for the mathematical modelling of zoonotic threats, in addition to their prestigious appointments, such as being inducted into the Royal Society of Canada, or the Order of Ontario.

“The honourees’ contributions to purposeful research and scholarly activity at York enriches the University greatly,” said Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. “They have all made their mark in their respective fields and this event is an opportunity to recognize so many of the brilliant minds, gifted artists and imaginative thinkers that call York University home. The University is proud of them.”

The achievements span 10 categories, including the President’s Research Awards.

The recipients of this year’s President’s Research Awards are:

Professor Karen Burke
Professor Karen Burke

Karen Burke, associate professor, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, was recognized with the President’s Research Impact Award (PRIA). The PRIA recognizes full-time, active faculty members whose body of research or scholarship has translated into a notable impact on communities, individuals, public policies or practice beyond academe, or translated successfully into impactful commercial or other applications, while significantly and positively contributing to the University’s research culture and reputation.

Burke is a singer, music director, choral conductor and composer in the field of African-American vocal music. Her expertise is in the history and performance practices of Gospel music and has worked with major choral ensembles, organizations, schools, and church congregations. She is the cofounder of the Juno Award-winning Toronto Mass Choir and the founding director of the York University Gospel Choir.

Jude Kong
Jude Kong
Taien Ng-Chan
Taien Ng-Chan

Jude Kong, assistant professor, Faculty of Science, and Taien-Ng Chan, assistant professor, School of the Arts, Performance, Media & Design, were recognized with the President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award (PERLA). The PERLA recognizes two full-time faculty members – one in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and one in the social sciences, humanities and arts (SSHA) – within 10 years of their first academic appointment, who have had a notable impact on their field and made a significant contribution to advancing the University’s international reputation for research excellence while significantly and positively contributing to one or more aspects of the York community’s intellectual life.

Kong is a mathematician and is the founding executive director of the Africa-Canada Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC). He is also the executive director of the Global South Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness and Response Network (AI4PEP). His research focuses on the use of AI, data science, mathematical models and system thinking to improve decision-making in global health and clinical public health.

Ng-Chan is a writer and media artist whose research explores experimental processes of urban mapping and sound art, “object-oriented storytelling,” and futurist imaginings of everyday life in the Asian diaspora through immersive cinema, both in VR headset and dome projection modes. Her writing ranges from scholarly work to books and anthologies of creative writing, to collaborative multimedia arts websites, and drama for stage, screen and CBC Radio.

Linda Peake
Linda Peake

Linda Peake, professor in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, was recognized with the President’s Research Excellence Award (PREA). The PREA recognizes senior established, full-time, active faculty members at the rank of Professor, with distinguished scholarly achievements, who have had a notable impact on their field(s) and made a significant contribution to advancing the University’s international reputation for research excellence while significantly and positively contributing to one or more aspects of the York community’s intellectual life.

Peake is the director of the City Institute at York University, and a feminist geographer with research interests in the co-construction of subjectivities and urban places, particularly pertaining to marginalized communities in the urban global south, and specifically Guyana. Peake is also co-chair of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Affinity Group on Mental Health, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

For more information about the award winners and the full list of categories, visit the Research Awards Celebration website.

View a gallery of photos from the event.

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York research delegation to lead water security panel at UN Water Conference

water droplet

A York delegation will head to New York City March 21 to bring their research expertise to the UN 2023 Water Conference.

The delegates will lead a panel discussion on water security and climate change; the panel is one of a select group of side events included in the program.

Sapna Sharma
Sapna Sharma

“Very few side events led by a university were approved. My colleagues and I are excited for this opportunity on the international stage to demonstrate York’s exemplary work in this field,” said Sapna Sharma, an associate professor in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, and one of the world’s foremost experts on the effects of climate change on lake ice and water quality.

“Our panel will amplify Indigenous and Black voices, and focus on the challenges that these marginalized communities face with respect to water security globally,” Sharma said. “We will also talk about technological solutions and what people are doing to help solve the water crisis in their own way.”

The York delegation will be joined on the panel by researchers from Toronto Metropolitan University and Queen’s University, as well as representatives from: Global Water Promise, a non-profit organization focused on bringing clean water to developing countries; Stockholm International Water Institute, a foundation for water governance; and mWater, a free data management platform for water and sanitation providers.   

For Sharma, the panel’s model of knowledge co-production is critical to creating the climate resiliency necessary for the future.

“By merging knowledge together, we can come up with better policies and tangible solutions for the water crisis that disproportionately affects racialized women and children,” she said. 

The UN side event is also reflective of the collaborative research approach found at York, including in water-related fields. The York delegates are members of One WATER, a new Organized Research Unit, as well as the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, and CIFAL York, a UN training arm. In addition to Sharma, they include:

  • Satinder Brar, professor, Lassonde School of Engineering
  • Marina Freire Gormaly, assistant professor, Lassonde School of Engineering
  • Ellie Perkins, professor, Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change
  • Mary Bunch, associate professor, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
  • Susan Rogers Van Katwyk, adjunct professor and managing director, Global Strategy Lab
  • Jessica Keeshig-Martin, PhD student, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies
  • Hibaq Gelle, MA student, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

The delegation will be joined at the conference by York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton and Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. While in New York, the pair will meet with UN and government officials, global partners, and others, to discuss York University’s leadership in water research and sustainability initiatives.

The trip to the UN Water Conference comes on the heels of the release of York’s Microlecture Series in Sustainable Living, SDG Week Canada and coincides with Climate Change Research Month at the University.  

York delegation’s panel, called Water Security, Disasters, and Resilience in a Changing Climate: Challenges, Opportunities, and Solutions, takes place on March 24. The UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands, takes place March 22 to 24.

Share feedback on draft strategic research plan at open forum

graphic of head outline and word bubbles

A new draft of York’s strategic research plan has been unveiled by the University’s vice-president research and innovation. 

The York community is invited to share feedback on the draft document at an open forum on Wednesday, March 8 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Dr. Robert Everett Senate Chambers (N940 Ross Building).  

“I welcome all faculty, staff and students to have their say and help shape a renewed vision for the future of York’s research enterprise,” said Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. “The University is at a threshold of research excellence and innovation intensification and every voice counts as York drives positive change.” 

Asif will present an overview of the draft plan and update the community on consultations to date that have broadly engaged the community and garnered support. Attendees will have the opportunity to provide input and ask questions. For those unable to attend in person, feedback will also be collected via an online submission form here.  

The strategic research plan contributes to the six priorities for action in the University Academic Plan (2020-2025) and charts a trajectory for York research and innovation over the next five years. It is used to align faculty, staff and students around a shared mission and acts as a guide for senior administration to make institutional decisions on research funding, infrastructure and services. 

The draft outlines York’s research strengths and identifies six areas of opportunity, including:  

  • Digital Cultures & Disruptive Technologies 
  • Healthy Communities, Equity & Wellbeing 
  • Climate Action for a Sustainable Planet 
  • Indigenous Futures 
  • Studies in Equity & Social Justice 
  • Catalyzing Inter & Transdisciplinary Research Opportunities  

The 2023-2028 Strategic Research Plan is planned to be released this summer subject to the approval of Senate.  

The draft plan is available on the Strategic Research Plan website.

To RSVP to this event, click here.  

Climate Change Research Month showcases York as community of changemakers

Trees against a blue sky

A month-long series of events hosted by York University Organized Research Units (ORU) and campus groups aim to generate awareness on climate change research and mobilize community action.

March 1 marks the start of the second annual Climate Change Research Month at York University, which features seminars, book launches, art installations and panels throughout the month.

“Climate Change Research Month was born out of a desire to unite with faculty, staff and students from across campus to take up the significant challenge posed by climate change and prompt meaningful dialogue,” said Professor Elaine Coburn, director of the Centre for Feminist Research (CFR), who spearheaded the event series. “By bringing together the arts and sciences, professional studies and humanities, social sciences and engineering, we hope to create possibilities for more just relations with each other and with the natural world that sustains all life.”

Photo by Singkham from Pexels
The month-long event series reflects York’s commitment to contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

From health impacts of global warming to climate policy to Indigenous sovereignty, the events touch on a wide variety of climate-related issues and research areas. The events, both in-person and virtual, are open to the University community to attend.

The series reflects York’s commitment to contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), specifically Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

“The University boasts a wide range of leading experts and researchers who care deeply about the world and are uniquely qualified to tackle such a pressing global issue as climate change,” said Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif. “Climate Change Research Month at York showcases this breadth of knowledge and demonstrates that we are home to a community of positive changemakers.”

One of the month’s events includes a book launch for The End of This World: Climate Justice in So-Called Canada, co-authored by Angele Alook, assistant professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies and member of the Bigstone Cree Nation.

“Indigenous Peoples contribute the most to the maintaining the biodiversity and stewardship of the planet, yet we face the greatest burdens of loss and damage due to climate change,” said Alook.

Participating ORUs include the Centre for Feminist Research, the Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages, Dahdaleh Global Health Institute, One WATER, Risk and Insurance Studies Centre, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, Sensorium: Centre for Digital Arts and Technology, and more. 

To learn more about the series and each event, visit https://yorku.ca/research/climate-change-research-month.