Lakehead University Researchers Receive NSERC Funding Awards
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 – Thunder Bay, ON
Lakehead University scientists will receive more than $1.899 million from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for ground-breaking research projects relating to forestry, the consequences of environmental change, mining, and more.
NSERC grants support excellence in research at Canada’s universities. Twenty-one NSERC grants have been awarded to Lakehead professors to support their research.
These researchers will also receive $395,500 from partners.
“These incredible projects will one day change the world,” said Lakehead President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Brian Stevenson. “This innovative research once again affirms how Lakehead is meeting our goals of nurturing discovery, innovation, and scholarship,” he said.
Dr. Rui Wang, Vice-President (Research, Economic Development & Innovation), said the NSERC grants recognize the world-class research happening at Lakehead University. “Our researchers will be able to pursue their important work with this support,” Dr. Wang said.
Dr. Abdelhamid Tayebi, an Electrical Engineering Professor, will receive an Individual Operating Grant of $225,000 and a Discovery Accelerator Supplements Program grant of $120,000 over three years for his research on Autonomous Navigation Systems Design for Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
The Discovery Accelerator Supplement (DAS) Program provides substantial and timely resources to a select group of researchers in Canada whose proposals suggest and explore high-risk, novel, or potentially transformative concepts and lines of inquiry, and are likely to make an impact by contributing to ground-breaking advances in the area. The DAS Program recognizes superior research that is highly rated for originality and innovation.
“It’s great to receive these grants. Discovery grants are very prestigious and have become extremely competitive in the last few years,” Dr. Tayebi said, adding that this allows students and post-doctoral fellows to participate in advanced research and help further this work.
Dr. Tayebi’s research system will fly vehicles into dangerous or hostile environments to perform a specific task – for example, an unmanned aerial vehicle could fly into a forest fire to determine where the blaze is located.
Dr. Doug Morris, Biology Professor and Lakehead University Research Chair, Northern Studies, will receive a Discovery Grant of $250,000 over five years for his research on the Ecological and evolutionary dynamics of habitat selection. Dr. Morris’ research project aims to predict future ecological and evolutionary consequences of environmental changes, including effects caused by humans.
Understanding climate change and its effect on animals in the Artic is important for Canada’s future. “It’s crucial to our future that we know what’s happening with the dynamics of these species in northern Canada,” Dr. Morris said.
- 30 -
Media: For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University is a comprehensive university with a reputation for a multidisciplinary teaching approach that emphasizes collaborative learning and independent critical thinking. More than 8,700 students and 1,850 faculty and staff learn and work at campuses located in Orillia, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Lakehead University promotes innovative research that supports local and regional socio-economic needs. In Orillia, development continues on building a campus that meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards. For more information about Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
Backgrounder
2013 Lakehead University NSERC Grant Recipients
Discovery Accelerator Supplements Grant
Dr. Abdelhamid Tayebi (Electrical Engineering), $120,000 (three years)
Autonomous navigation systems design for vertical takeoff and landing - unmanned aerial vehicles
Collaborative Research and Development Grants
Dr. Gautam Das (Physics), $117,756 (three years) (plus $117,500 in cash support from industry).
Detection and quantification of nitrous oxide gas from Agriculture fields
Co-applicants:
Dr. Mario Tenuta, University of Manitoba and Dr. Andrew Black, University of British Columbia
Collaborators:
Dr. G. Stewart, University of Strathclyde and T. S. Sahota, Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station
Partner organization:
Agrium
Dr. Pedram Fatehi (Chemical Engineering), $240,000 (four years) (plus $120,000 cash from industry).
Production of value-added products of kraft lignin
Collaborator:
Dr. Michael Paleologou, FPInnovations
Partner organization:
FPInnovations
Dr. Peter Hollings (Geology), $90,825 (two years) (plus $100,000 from industry)
Tectonic setting and magmatic fertility of igneous rocks associated with porphyry mineralization, British Columbia, Canada
Collaborators:
Dr. David Cooke, University of Tasmania, Dr. Jamie Wilkinson, Imperial College of London)
Partner organizations:
AMIRA International, Teck Resources Ltd., and Roca Mines Inc.
Dr. Wilson Wang (Mechanical Engineering), $116,000 (three years) (plus $58,000 cash from partner).
Online condition monitoring of turbine pump stations
Partner organization:
City of Thunder Bay Bare Point Water Treatment Plant.
Discovery Grants – Individual Operating Grant
Dr. Qing-Lai Dang (Natural Resources Management), $125,000 (five years)
Responses of boreal trees to global change: acclimate, migrate or disappear?
Dr. Richard Khoury (Software Engineering), $75,000 (five years)
Microtext processing
Dr. Douglas Morris (Biology), $250,000 (five years)
Ecological and evolutionary dynamics of habitat selection
Also receiving a Northern Research Supplement, Dynamics of habitat and habitat selection by lemmings under climate change, $100,000 (over five years).
Dr. Samuel Pichardo (Electrical Engineering/ Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute), $105,000 (five years)
Software development program for the fast prototyping of applications of focused ultrasound guided by magnetic resonance imaging
Dr. Abdelhamid Tayebi (Electrical Engineering), $225,000 (five years)
Autonomous navigation systems design for vertical takeoff and landing - unmanned aerial vehicles
Dr. Mohammad Uddin (Electrical Engineering), $24,000 (one year)
Intelligent Controller Based Cost-Effective, and Efficiency Optimized High Performance Motor Drives
Dr. Marina Ulanova (Faculty of Medicine – NOSM West Campus), $30,000 (one year)
Role of NOD-like receptors in the innate immune recognition of pathogenic bacteria
Dr. Lingyun (Lily) Wu (Health Sciences/ Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute), $30,000 (one year)
Micro RNA-regulated methylgyoxal metabolism in vascular endothelial cells
Dr. Yu Xia (Business), $110,000 (five years)
Large-scale symmetric cone programming with applications in mine planning
Discovery Grant – Team
Dr. Ingeborg Zehbe (Biology/Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute), $30,000 (one year)
Engineering Nanoparticulate RNA Interference Molecules to Target Human Papillomavirus Variants
Co-applicant:
Dr. Helen Burt, University of British Columbia
Research Tools and Instruments Grants
Dr. Han Chen (Natural Resources Management), $29,377 (one year)
Minirhizotron system to study fine root demographic processes
Dr. Qing-Lai Dang (Natural Resources Management), $46,043 (one year)
Gas exchange system for plant ecophysiology
ENGAGE Program
Dr. Pedram Fatehi (Chemical Engineering), grant for $25,000 (six months)
Production of Furfural and Hydroxymethyl Furfural from the Hemicelluloses Dissolved in the spent liquor of TMP process
Partner Organization:
Resolute Forest Products
Regional Opportunities Fund Program
Bruce Holm (Economic Development and Innovation Office), $3,650 (one month)
Industry/Researcher Connector Event
Dr. Alla Reznik (Physics/TBRRI), $5,000 (three months)
Innovations in Radiation Medical Imaging Detectors
Interaction Grants Program
Dr. Qin Wensheng (Biology), $1,750 (two months)
Isolation and Characterization of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria in Treatment of Gold Mine Drainage
Partner Organization:
Musselwhite Mine Goldcorp Inc.
- 30 -
Media: For more information or to arrange an interview with any of Lakehead University’s researchers, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177.
Lakehead University is a comprehensive university with a reputation for a multidisciplinary teaching approach that emphasizes collaborative learning and independent critical thinking. More than 8,700 students and 1,850 faculty and staff learn and work at campuses located in Orillia, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Lakehead University promotes innovative research that supports local and regional socio-economic needs. In Orillia, development continues on building a campus that meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards. For more information about Lkehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca.