Distinguished Researcher Dr. Christopher Mushquash and daughter, Senate Research Committee Chair Dr. Tamara Varney, and Distinguished Researcher Dr. Sandra Jeppesen.

Thunder Bay, Ont. – New ideas and innovations were on full display as Lakehead University celebrated the 20th annual Research & Innovation Week, February 24 to 28 in Thunder Bay.

Researchers, students, not-for-profit and industry partners, and community members engaged in discussion, shared knowledge and expertise, and fostered new collaborations to support economic development and innovation in the north and beyond.

“Research & Innovation Week is a platform for knowledge exchange and innovation, an opportunity to advance our understanding of how the work of people in our community adds to our understanding of individuals, groups, and societies – what we think, how we live, and how we interact with each other and the world around us – and leads to advancements that not only improve, but enhance lives,” explained Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Vice-President of Research and Innovation.

The milestone year kicked off in Thunder Bay with Science Carnival, a free public event held in collaboration with Science North at the Intercity Shopping Centre—3,800 people visited 30+ exhibitor booths and had the opportunity to participate in live science experiments and demonstrations.

Over 32 public lectures, interactive exhibits, performances, and research workshops welcomed community members to the Thunder Bay Campus to hear from esteemed researchers and students on a broad range of topics including health promotion, dementia and aging in place, inclusive AI knowledge mobilization, and more.

Not to mention, 52 undergraduate and 65 graduate students shared their scholarly and creative activity with their peers through research conferences and poster competitions. At the graduate level, Dylan Di Carlo, a master of science candidate in Anthropology, was crowned champion of the 2025 Lakehead Three Minute Thesis (3MTⓇ) competition, and Alexandra Haak, master of science candidate in Forestry from the Orillia Campus, was named finalist of the GRADflix competition.

One of the standout moments was the celebration of distinguished faculty and students during the Research and Innovation Awards of Excellence. “The impact of the work researchers do on- and off-campus shapes the reputation of Lakehead University as an institution dedicated to research excellence,” stated Dr. Dean.

Two distinguished Lakehead professors were among this year’s honorees: Dr. Christopher Mushquash and Dr. Sandra Jeppesen were recognized with the 2025 Distinguished Researcher Award.

Scholar, scientist, and clinical psychologist, Dr. Mushquash’s contributions in the field of Indigenous mental health and addictions are well documented and have garnered international and national recognition, including the 2023 Canada Gairdner Momentum Award. As Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, Professor in the Department of Psychology, Vice President Research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Chief Scientist, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute, Dr. Mushquash has devoted his career to addressing mental health- and addiction-related issues in rural and Indigenous communities with an eye toward training and capacity-building for the next generation.

For Dr. Mushquash, this award is recognition of the collective efforts of the trainees, staff, colleagues, and community partners who contribute to research. "Collaboration ensures that research is responsive to community needs. This award highlights the importance of advancing knowledge that supports improvement," he said. 

"More broadly, I want our research to contribute to improving mental health services, policies, and outcomes," explained Dr. Mushquash. "If our work can help create culturally- and contextually-relevant, effective supports that honour Indigenous perspectives and knowledge, then we will have made a meaningful impact."

Dr. Jeppesen joined Lakehead University in 2010 and is a professor in Media, Film, and Communications in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Orillia Campus. Through ground-breaking research, methodological innovations, and transnational collaborations, Dr. Jeppesen has transformed how scholars and practitioners conceptualize the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and power within alternative media studies.

“When I began this work, the field of alternative media largely overlooked the nuanced experiences and practices of marginalized groups, such as women, 2SLGBTQ+, and BIPOC groups,” she said.

Since then, her work has influenced significant changes in laws, policies, and practices with respect to a range of issues such as immigration, mental health, digital engagement, racial and gender equity, and 2SLGBTQ+ rights.

“Thank you to the Senate Research Committee, and the community partners, colleagues, and students I’ve had the honour and privilege of working with over the years.”

A full list of award recipients follows:

2025 Research & Innovation Awards of Excellence recipients

Distinguished Researcher Award
Dr. Christopher Mushquash, Department of Psychology
Dr. Sandra Jeppesen, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies

Research Excellence Awards
NSERC Category
Dr. Waleed Ejaz, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

SSHRC Category
Dr. Idevania Costa, School of Nursing

Indigenous Partnership Research Award
Dr. Anna Koné Péfoyo, Department of Health Sciences and Dr. Lana Ray, Health Disciplines, Athabasca University, for their project, “Impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous Communities”. Partners include Ariel Root and Janet Gordon, Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority; Paul Capon, Matawa First Nations Chiefs Council; and Janice Spencer and Serena Joseph, Waasegiizhig Nanaandawe'iyewigamig.

Community Engaged Research Award
Dr. Erin Pearson, School of Kinesiology, and partners Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Our Kids Count, and City of Thunder Bay, for their project, “The Healthy Kids HOME (Health on the Move for Equity) Program: Examining the Feasibility of a Neighbourhood-based Health Promotion Service Model for Equity Deserving Children and Families”.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research Award
Dr. Pauline Sameshima, Faculty of Education, for the project, “EDI in the HOPE Collaboratory’s Community Engagement”.

Innovation Award
Bryan Wong, LLB Student, Bora Laskin Faculty of Law

Three-Minute Thesis
First Place: Dylan Di Carlo, MSc Candidate, Department of Anthropology (Supervisor: M. Boyd)

Second Place: Siddharth Kishore, MSc Candidate, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Supervisor: F. Gaffar)

People’s Choice Award (tie):

Navneet Kaur, PhD Candidate, Department of Physics, “Optical Sensor for Monitoring Trace Chemicals in Environment & Food Systems” (Supervisor: G. Das)

KarLee Lefebvre, MSc Candidate, School of Kinesiology, “Alcohol & Heat: A Dangerous Cocktail” (Supervisor: N. Ravanelli)

GRADflix Award
First place: Alexandra Haak, MSc Candidate, Faculty of Natural Resources Management (Supervisor: F. Pendea)

People's Choice Award: Francis Agada, PhD Candidate, Department of Chemistry, “From Molecules to materials: Crafting the next generation of 2D functional materials” (Supervisor: M. Ebrahimi)

Graduate Studies Research Excellence Awards
Natural Sciences and Engineering Category
Vira Grynko, PhD Chemistry & Materials Science (Supervisor: M. Albert)

Social Sciences and Humanities Category
Chelsea Noël, PhD Clinical Psychology (Supervisor: D. Scharf)

Health Research Category
Douglas Newhouse, MSc Kinesiology (Supervisor: N. Ravanelli)

Graduate Student Conference Poster Winners
Winner Engineering Category
Mona Mohammadkhani, PhD Candidate, Department of Chemical Engineering (Supervisor: L. Pakzad)

Winner NSERC Category
Amy Stieh, MSc Candidate, Department of Physics (Supervisor: A. Reznik)

Winner SSHRC Category
Maaja Sepa, MHSc Candidate, Department of Health Sciences (Supervisor: E. Wiersma)

Post-Doctoral Fellow Excellence Award
Viktoriia Batarchuk, Department of Chemistry (Supervisor: M. Albert)