Research & Innovation

Top university researchers across the country are being recognized by the Government of Canada today for their research excellence thanks to a federal investment in the Canada Research Chairs program. Ryerson researchers Joseph Chow, Department of Civil Engineering, Sridhar Krishnan and Victor Yang, both of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are being acknowledged as world-class researchers, addressing critical issues and making major contributions to the advancement of knowledge and the well-being of Canadians and the economy. Ryerson will receive a total investment of $1.5 million over five years.

 “Our government is committed to attracting and retaining the world’s best and brightest researchers, supporting innovation, creating jobs, and strengthening our economy,” said Minister of State Goodyear. “By investing in programs such as the Canada Research Chairs, we are fostering cutting-edge research and the generation of new innovations for the marketplace, for the benefit of Canadians.”

“Canada Research Chairs recognize exceptional research excellence,” said Wendy Cukier, vice-president, research and innovation, Ryerson University. “We are delighted that Ryerson researchers are demonstrating that they are among the very best in the country. Our new Canada Research Chair in Transportation Systems Engineering and the two renewals in the area of biomedical engineering will advance knowledge, teaching and training, and will help build Ryerson's reputation nationally and internationally.”

The investment through the Canada Research Chair also includes more than $350,000 in research infrastructure grants through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The awards will be distributed through the CFI’s Leading Edge Fund and Leaders Opportunities Fund.

Receiving a new Canada Research Chair is Joseph Chow, Department of Civil Engineering and named a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Transportation Systems Engineering. A strong transportation system is considered the circulatory system of a healthy economy. To that end, Chow is studying ways to modernize aging transportation systems by integrating them with mobile and embedded computing. These cyber-physical systems support the flow of information among travellers, the transit system and businesses. With infrastructure support from CFI, Chow will develop a first-of-its-kind test-bed environment at Ryerson’s Centre for Urban Energy in order to evaluate cyber-physical transit systems.

Sridhar Krishnan, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has received a renewal of his Tier II Canada Research Chair in Biomedical Signal Analysis. Krishnan is pioneering new ways to diagnose injuries and illnesses by developing technologies and procedures to analyze the physiological signals emitted by the body. With his latest CFI funding, Krishnan will enhance his existing Biomedical Signal Analysis Laboratory, developing facilities for the real-time collection of a broad range of neuromuscular and cardiac data from multiple partner hospitals. This biomedical data will help Krishnan in addressing major issues involving the neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems.

Victor Yang, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering also received a renewal of his Tier II Canada Research Chair in Bioengineering and Biophotonics. Building on Yang’s expertise in optical coherence tomography (OCT), an emerging imaging technology that provides detailed, 3-D images of the tiniest structures and movements within the body, his research team is developing another non-contact imaging technique: optical topographical imaging (OTI). A combination of OTI and OCT imaging will play a critical role in the development of high-precision surgical procedures, enabling surgeons to visualize a patient from a whole body perspective and then zoom down to micron-level resolution.