Tri-Council Funding

The Canada Research Chair (CRC) program enables the country’s brightest academic talents to investigate and advance their fields of inquiry through sustained investment. From the social sciences and humanities to the natural sciences, engineering and health sciences, the research being done by Ryerson CRCs is leading to new technologies, policies and programs.

Of the 20 CRCs currently allocated to Ryerson, three researchers were announced in 2017–18.

Bilal Farooq (Civil Engineering) was named a Tier II CRC in Disruptive Transportation Technologies and Services. Utilizing sensor systems and big data to build predictive models, his work examines the use of connected and automated vehicles and ride-hailing services in order to ensure the safety and efficiency of transportation systems.

Dae Kun Hwang (Chemical Engineering) was named a Tier II CRC in Microarchitecture for Advanced Polymeric Materials. His research aims to design and produce the next generation of polymer materials in order to make important biomedical advances, such as less invasive microneedles for therapeutic drug delivery and low-cost detection of circulating tumours.

Michael Olson (Chemistry and Biology) was named a Tier I CRC in Molecular Cell Biology. His investigation into the characteristics of cells includes examining the ways that cells change their shape and if they are prone to metastasis. By characterizing cells that are spread more easily, he aims to create targeted cancer therapies that will enhance patient care and outcomes.

Josephine Wong (Nursing) received a CIHR Team Grant to implement an international Canada-China collaboration to help university students in Jinan, China access affordable mental healthcare, with potential for improving mental health equity in other low- and middle-income countries.

Shiri Pasternak (Criminology) received a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant along with a team of co-applicants, each exploring a case study to understand how economic and financial policies are shaping the relationship of resource extraction and energy projects to expressions of Indigenous sovereignty, and vice versa.

Pamela Robinson (Urban and Regional Planning) received a SSHRC Insight Grant to conduct a cross-country survey of Canadian smart cities to build the first academic inventory of smart city implementation efforts, evaluating the extent to which Canadian smart cities are equitable, inclusive, open, transparent and accountable. 

Kathryn Underwood (Early Childhood Studies) received a Partnership Grant to model social networks involved in childhood disability services in specific communities, such as Indigenous communities. This partnership brought together more than 26 researchers and 10 organizations to conduct studies in eight communities across Ontario in order to influence social policy.    

Stefania Impellizzeri (Chemistry and Biology) received a NSERC Discovery Grant to research the optical storage of information at the nanoscale, which allows for a new method of writing and capturing data and potentially offers higher storage volume for the communications and computer industries. 

Jennifer McArthur (Architectural Science) received a NSERC Discovery grant to model and test new control and operation strategies for facility management in Ryerson University smart buildings in order to address resilience, emergency preparedness, occupant health and productivity, and to reduce energy consumption. 

Hadis Zarrin (Chemical Engineering) received a NSERC Discovery Grant to investigate the strong electrochemical potential of a nanostructure known as “white graphene” for use in developing solid-state, clean energy storage systems that can be applied in Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors.