Concordia receives $9.1M for 49 research projects in natural sciences and engineering
Major new Government of Canada funding will enhance and expand Concordia’s research excellence.
Today, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced a total of $9.1 million for 49 projects at the university. The funding, most of which comes from NSERC’s Discovery Grants Program, supports Concordia’s research expertise in disciplines ranging from synthetic biology to building engineering to psychology.
“With this investment from NSERC, Concordia researchers get the support they need to continue making discoveries that lead to groundbreaking innovations,” says Christophe Guy, vice-president of Research and Graduate Studies.
“The funding also helps new generations of students master the advanced skills necessary for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Top-funded projects and researchers
Three researchers were awarded $64,000 per year for five years.
Abdel Sebak is an electrical and computer engineering professor in the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science. His project focuses on high-performance millimetre wave antennas and beamforming for communications and imaging applications.
Mechanical, industrial and aerospace engineering professor Muthu Packirisamy will apply his funding towards research on convergence through micro-nano-bio integration and applications.
Subhash Rakheja, who is also professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering, is researching the characterization and control of human responses to global and local vibration.
Leonard Sklar, professor of geography, planning and environment in the Faculty of Arts and Science, received $57,708 per year for five years. His work predicts the size distribution of sediments on hillslopes and rivers at the landscape scale.
Early career researchers also received a boost — the Department of Biology's Carly Ziter received $28,000 over five years for her work on biodiversity ecosystems in urban landscapes, and Emily Coffey of the psychology department was funded $33,000 to examine issues surrounding sleep and neuroplasticity.
Research acceleration
Two researchers also received Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS). The program provides substantial and timely resources to speed up progress and maximize the impact of superior research investigations.
Associate professors Saifur Rahaman and Hua Ge, both from the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, each received $43,000 per year for five years plus the DAS of $40,000 per year for three years.
Rahaman looks at advanced materials and emerging technologies for water recycling, reuse and desalination. Ge, meanwhile, focuses on high-performance building envelopes for climate-resilient buildings.
Tools and instruments + grad student scholarships
Additionally, two researchers received a total of $237,000 from NSERC’s Research Tools and Instruments Grants Program.
Wen-Fang Xie is a professor of mechanical, industrial and aerospace engineering whose work investigates portable 3D scanners for design, manufacturing and analysis.
Building, civil and environmental professor Ted Stathopoulos explores wind tunnel pressure measurements on small-scale buildings and their components.
A total of $567,000 in research scholarships was also awarded to 17 Concordia master’s and doctoral program students.
Find out more about research at Concordia. For a complete list of Concordia’s newly funded projects, consult the NSERC website.
