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Ryerson Researchers with COVID-19 Expertise

To connect or partner with an Ryerson expert on areas impacted by COVID-19 please search our research database using keywords and/or search the COVID-19 table below.

Search the Ryerson Faculty Database for Expertise

Browse Our Experts Addressing Covid-19 and Its Impacts

Name Faculty Department/Other Expertise Email
Gilbride, Kim (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Biological treatment of wastewater, detection of pathogens in wastewater, effect of antibiotics on the activated sludge process and dissemination of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. gilbride@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
McNeish, Joanne (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Business Management Paper signage and social distancing behaviours. jmcneish@torontomu.ca
Sabatinos, Sarah (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Cell biology, biomarker screening, qPCR testing, nuclei acid metabolism. ssabatinos@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Koprivnikar, Janet (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. jkoprivn@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Hausner, Martina (external link, opens in new window)  FOS  Chemistry and Biology Microbiology, microbial biofilms, confocal laser scanning microscopy. martina.hauser@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Zhang, Xiao-Ping (Steven) (external link, opens in new window)  FEAS Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Fast screening (by AI-based respiration pattern detection), data analysis, social propagation and prediction modeling for COVID-19. xzhang@ee.ryerson.ca (opens in new window) 
Young, Ian (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health Epidemiology, research methods, food safety, safe food handling, environmental public health, behaviour change. iyoung@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Guergachi, Aziz (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Information Technology Management Alternatives to social distancing guidelines, evidence-based IT-enabled risk assessment and management, information engineering methods for resolving dilemmas, dilemmatic choice of “public health versus economy”, transition to prosperous economy. a2guerga@torontomu.ca
Neumann, Patrick (external link, opens in new window)  FEAS Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Human factors, ergonomics, simulation, organizational learning, job design, process improvement. He is the PI of the Human Factors Engineering Lab (opens in new window)  and on a CIHR COVID-19 project modelling nurse workload and resulting care quality.  pneumann@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Cevik, Mucahit  (external link, opens in new window)  FEAS Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Mathematical modelling, healthcare operations, medical decision-making, machine learning. mcevik@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Fayazbakhsh, Kazem (external link, opens in new window)  FEAS Aerospace Engineering Additive manufacturing (3D printing) for medical equipment prototyping, design of personal protective devices (PPE) for large-scale production. kazem@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Bartkiw, Timothy J. (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Business Management Labour, employment, law, policy and industrial relations. tbartkiw@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Khan, Naimul (external link, opens in new window)  FEAS Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Artificial intelligence, computer-aided diagnosis, augmented/virtual reality. He is a co-director of the Ryerson Multimedia Research Laboratory (opens in new window) . n77khan@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Dimanche, Frederic (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Hospitality and Tourism Management Hospitality and tourism sector, consumer behaviour, marketing, strategy, social and economic impacts. fdimanche@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Krishnan, Sri (external link, opens in new window)  FEAS Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Remote monitoring of vital signals, telehealth and virtual care, wearable sensing technology. He is co-director of the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST) (external link)  and PI of the Signal Analysis Research Group (opens in new window) . krishnan@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Bardeesy, Karim (external link, opens in new window)  -
Ryerson Leadership Lab (external link)  Public policy, politics, journalism, and leadership development. Co-founder of First Policy Response, bringing together Canada's policy community to respond to COVID-19. He is the Executive Director of the Ryerson Leadership Lab.
kbardeesy@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Basiri, Kiana (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Business Management Real estate economics, housing policy, household finance, consumer bankruptcies and default, mortgage loan Insurance, income misstatement, bankruptcy reform, Insured Mortgage Purchase Program (IMPP). kiana.basiri@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
da Cunha, Henrique Correa (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Business Management International business, cross-cultural management, emerging markets, Latin America. henrique.cunha@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Edge, Sara (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Geography and Environmental Studies Environment and health, immigrant and refugee health, health equity, equity-focused knowledge translation, collaborative governance and decision-making, sustainability. sedge@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Fiocco, Alexandra (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Psychology Lifestyle stress management behaviours, mindfulness meditation. afiocco@psych.ryerson.ca (opens in new window) 
Gammel, Irene (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS English Researches modern literary and cultural approaches to the navigation of social upheavals such as wars and pandemics and cultural reconstructions in the wake of crisis. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. gammel@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Gore, Christopher (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Politics and Public Administration Municipal government, climate change, environmental policy and politics, urban politics and policy, risk and policy, infrastructure policy, energy, geographic specializations: Canada and sub-Saharan Africa (East Africa). chris.gore@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Gruzd, Anatoliy (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Information Technology Management Social media, infodemic, misinformation. He has created a COVID-19 Misinformation Web Portal (external link, opens in new window)  to protect Canadian communities during the crisis. gruzd@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Han, Mary (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Business Management Organizational adaptation, change and innovation management, radical and discontinuous change, multinational strategy, resource reorganization and redeployment, international new venture strategy, and strategic ambidexterity. mhan@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Janabi-Sharifi, Farrokh (external link, opens in new window)  FEAS Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Mechatronic systems for ventilators, disinfecting and sanitizing robots, aerial robots for sample collections (aerosol densitometry), visual systems for identification and tracking of potentially infected individuals. fsharifi@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
MacDonald, Chris (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Business Management Ethical decision-making during pandemic, ethical business practices during pandemic, corporate social responsibility during pandemic, digital tools for teaching better decision-making during pandemic. chris.macdonald@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
O’Reilly, Patricia (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Politics and Public Administration Public policy, public administration, intergovernmental relations, health policy and legislation, health professionals, morality policy. She was formerly a technologist in the Queen’s University Microbiology and Virology Department. poreilly@politics.ryerson.ca (opens in new window) 
Ruparelia, Sanjay (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Politics and Public Administration Comparing national responses to the pandemic and understanding its implications for democracy. ruparelia@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Singh, Vik (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Business Management Global financial markets, cultural dimensions and global economy, economic impact on housing markets. vik.singh@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Tiessen, Jim (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Health Services Management Long term and community care management and policy, comparative healthcare policy, Japan. jhtiessen@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Vatrapu, Ravi (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Information Technology Management Computational approaches to detecting fake news, set theoretical approaches to data science, teaching analytics, intercultural collaboration, and cross-cultural usability. vatrapu@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Yang, Lixia (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Psychology Aging-related changes in learning, memory, and psychosocial functions. Launching a project to assess the psychological impact of the COVID-19 through an online survey and Zoom interviews. lixiay@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Zihayat, Morteza (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Information Technology Management Applied machine learning and graph analytics for user behavior modelling (e.g., depression prediction in social networks). mzihayat@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Crowe, Cathy (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Politics and Public Administration The risk COVID-19 places on homeless people, including why they specifically are vulnerable. Social distancing, physical distancing, isolation, recovery, harm reduction, shelter crowding, housing, public health. cathy.crowe@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Tullio-Pow, Sandra (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School School of Fashion Design and fabrication of personal protective equipment (clothing or fabric based). stullio@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Shiga, John (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Professional Communication Science communication, public communication of science, arts-based knowledge translation, news framing, audience reception of messages. jshiga@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Walzak, Laurel (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Media Sport Media, sport, sport business, sport audiences and fans, sport communications, esports, professional sport, digital sport, sport governance, sport strategy, athletes. lwalzak@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Dubois, Louis-Etienne (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Creative Industries Impact of COVID-19 and recovery scenarios for the cultural and creative industries, with a focus on live events and entertainment organizations, including producers, venues and festivals. le.dubois@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Clapperton, Robert (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Professional Communication Online education, technology and pedagogy, artificial intelligence and education. rclapper@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Mudry, Jessica (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Professional Communication Health communication, public health communication, science communication, knowledge translation. jessica.mudry@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Lindgren, April (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Journalism Local news, local journalism. april.lindgren@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Seko, Yukari (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Professional Communication Health communication, mental health, digital health, self-harm. yseko@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Zeller, Frauke (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Professional Communication Health communication, science communication, crisis communication, risk communication, knowledge translation, mis- and dis-information, local news, news framing, audience reception of messages, impact analysis. fzeller@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Elmer, Greg (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Professional Communication Online disinformation, social media communications, online crowdfunding/fundraising, collaborative film/video making. gelmer@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Chen, Sibo (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Professional Communication News framing, science communication, risk communication, China. sibo.chen@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Anderson, Jonathon (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Interior Design Design and fabrication of personal protective equipment. j.anderson@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Wang, Lu (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Geography and Environmental Studies Spatial and social patterning of COVID-19, mobility, risk perception, prevention behaviour. luwang@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Abdoli-Eramaki, Mohammad (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health Occupational hygienics, ergonomics, programs and policies for minimizing risk of exposure to the workplace hazards, monitoring OHS programs for employees working from home during quarantines. m.abdoli@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Harris, Anne (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health Active transportation safety (walking and bicycling) and infrastructure/road design for safe active transportation. anne.harris@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Hart, Corinne (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Nursing Social distancing, mental health aspects of social isolation, vulnerable populations in a disaster/crisis context. c4hart@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Hon, Chun-Yip (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health Workplace health, personal protective equipment, risk assessment, exposure assessment, evaluation of interventions, respiratory protection, healthcare health and safety. cyhon@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Lavallée, Lynn (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Social Work Indigenous health and well-being, Indigenous mental health, Indigenous resurgence, Indigenous methodologies and research ethics. lavallee@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Lee, Charlotte (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Nursing Capacity and resilience of ethnically Chinese communities, misinformation and disinformation related to public health, mask-shaming, stigma. lee.charlotte@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Pringle, Ramona (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Media Knowledge translation, community engagement/creative engagement, audience reception of messages, misinformation, disinformation. ramona.pringle@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Sekercioglu, Fatih (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health Infection control, public health response to emergencies, public health policy, environmental health, emergency management, qualitative research. fsekercioglu@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Sly, Timothy (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health Epidemiology, public health, risk assessment, focus on infectious diseases. Active (14 years) in public health and disease investigation, 30 years consulting and teaching acute infectious disease epidemiology in Canada, Brazil, Taiwan, and the Caribbean. tsly@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Vahabi, Mandana (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Nursing Experience and expertise in public health, epidemiology, health promotion, health equity, infectious disease surveillance and outbreak management, mental health, intervention research including stigma reduction and mental health promotion interventions. mvahabi@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Walton, Nancy (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Nursing Allocation of scarce healthcare resources and ethical decision-making, healthcare ethics, hygiene and social distancing, impact of COVID-19 upon nurses and other healthcare workers, nursing education. nwalton@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Wong, Josephine Pui-Hing (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Nursing Mental health/psychological (online/in-person) interventions to reduce stress/stigma and promote collective empowerment/resilience, behavioural change, critical public health, SARS response, community mobilization/engagement with ethnoracial and newcomer communities, and ethnic media. jph.wong@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Rothman, Linda (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health An epidemiologist with many years of experience in data management and analysis, report/paper writing, working/leading multidisciplinary teams, and mapping health outcomes and health policy. linda.rothman@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Triandafyllidou, Anna (external link, opens in new window)  ARTS Sociology Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration; studying impact of pandemic on international migration, ‘pandemic borders’ (territorial, social), vulnerability, human rights; but also learning from migrant resilience to address pandemic crisis. anna.triandafyllidou@torontomu.ca
Adler, Marc (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Synthetic, physical, and biological organic chemistry: organosilicon chemistry, small molecule probes/therapeutics, study/inhibition of protein-protein interactions (PPIs). marcjadler@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Antonescu, Costin (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Cell biology, receptor signaling, cell metabolism, cell signaling, targeted drug delivery, cellular uptake, proteins, cancer, diabetes, lipids, proteins, membrane traffic. cantonescu@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Beauchemin, Catherine (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Physics Virophysics, computer modelling, mathematical modelling of virus infection spread, predictive models, influenza virus infections. Her lab is tracking the progression of the COVID-19 spread and growth rate (opens in new window) . cbeau@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Coe, Imogen (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Anti-viral drugs, drug uptake, cellular transport mechanisms, effective science communication, sex- and gender-based analysis in science and medicine. imogen.coe@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
DiNova, Joanne (external link, opens in new window)  The Creative School Professional Communication Strategic risk communication, crisis communication, health communication, science communication, knowledge translation, Indigenous theory, and Indigenous communication. jdinova@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Espin, Sherry (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Nursing Patient safety: incident classification, reporting and disclosure, surgical safety checklist. Interprofessional practice and education, and healthcare team communication. sespin@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Estable, Mario C. (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Molecular Virology, viruses, HIV, transcription, phylogenetic analysis comparing virus mutations, tissue culture, biosafety containment levels 2 and 3 trained. Research lab certification at Ryerson: Biosafety Level 2. mcestable@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Finlay, Judy (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Child and Youth Care Determinants of health and community well-being in remote Indigenous communities. Mental health intervention for youth in high risk circumstances: Indigenous youth and youth in child welfare, residential, youth justice or violent familial settings. jfinlay@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Foucher, Daniel (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Polymer materials chemistry and the development of antimicrobial coatings and polymers. daniel.foucher@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Laursen, Andrew (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology How natural ecosystems respond to disturbances. alaursen@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Liss, Steven N. (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Environmental sciences, microbiology, water/wastewater, microbial processes and ecology, biofilms, biofouling, microbial structures, emerging pathogens, and disinfection. ovpri@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Little, Dustin (external link, opens in new window)  FOS

Chemistry and Biology Understanding how the production and modification of proteins and polysaccharides contribute to bacterial infections. Protein expression and purification, PCR-based methodologies, protein structure determination, enzymology, host-pathogen interactions. djlittle@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Meyer, Julien (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Health Services Management Telemedicine, telepathology, mhealth, healthcare interoperability, healthcare technology evaluation. julien.meyer@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Ong, Corinne (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health Environmental microbiology, food and waterborne communicable diseases, parasitology, molecular epidemiology, zoonotic and vectorborne diseases. corinne.ong@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Tasic, Boza (external link, opens in new window)  TRSM Business Management Developing online teaching tools for mathematics and statistics, data analysis. btasic@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Tenkate, Thomas (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Occupational and Public Health Occupational risk and exposure assessment, risk management. thomas.tenkate@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Viirre, Russell D. (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Medicinal chemistry and synthetic organic chemistry. rviirre@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Zanchetta, Margareth (external link, opens in new window)  FCS Nursing Individual and family health literacy, social marginalization, masculinity as social determinant of health, oncology nursing, proficiency in Portuguese and French languages, critical awareness, and popular health education. mzanchet@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Botelho, Roberto J. (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Cell biology, innate immunity, macrophages, host-pathogen interactions, organelles, lysosomes, phagocytosis, endo-lysosomal pathway, lipid signalling. rbotelho@torontomu.ca (opens in new window) 
Olson, Michael (external link, opens in new window)  FOS Chemistry and Biology Cell biology and cell signalling. michael.olson@torontomu.ca (opens in new window)