York researchers and students receive $8.9 million in grants

The Natural Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded $8.9 million in funding for health, science and engineering research at York University. The grants and scholarships, awarded following several peer-reviewed national competitions, will support 149 faculty, graduate and postdoctoral projects at the University.

Sixty-nine York professors received research grants cumulatively valued at more than $7.9 million. The funding will support projects ranging from insulin signaling and action in skeletal muscle to bee sociology and conservation, human ocular motor control and experiments in the atmospheres of Earth and Mars.

Over $1 million has also been awarded to 73 graduate and postdoctoral fellows pursuing research in diverse fields, such as cell biology, evolution and ecology, pure mathematics, psychology, atmospheric science and artificial intelligence.

"These grant awards reflect the strength of York’s exceptional science, engineering and technology research community, and the important role our students play within this research," said Stan Shapson, vice-president research and innovation. "The federal government’s investments into basic and applied research are key contributors to Canada’s knowledge base and quality of life. Through these NSERC grants, York researchers will significantly contribute to the creation of new knowledge and scientific scholarship across a full range of disciplines."

NSERC is a federal agency whose role is to make investments in people, discovery and innovation for the benefit of Canadians. The agency supports some 23,000 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies, funds more than 11,000 university professors each year, and helps make innovation happen by encouraging about 1,300 Canadian companies to invest in university research and training.

For more information about NSERC or to view the full list of competition results, visit the NSERC Web site.