Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS)

CIHR supports 91��ɫ research to improve 2SLGBTQIA+ health equity

qings — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:57:56 +0000

A 91��ɫ-led research team has received $700,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to examine health care access and long-term health outcomes among 2SLGBTQIA+ populations in Canada. The study is led by Antony Chum, associate professor in 91��ɫ's Faculty of Health, with co-principal applicant Yihong Bai (University of Manitoba) and co-principal knowledge user Jennifer Rayner (Alliance for Healthier Communities). The team also includes co-investigators from 91��ɫ and partner institutions, including 91��ɫ graduate Alex Abramovich and 91��ɫ postdoctoral research fellow Peiya Cao, as well as Brittany A. Jakubiec, Caley B. Shukalek, David Brennan, Devan Nambiar and June Lam.

Take root and flourish

qings — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:09:27 +0000

A 91��ɫ alumna, professor and donor reflects on a life of connection and purpose. Many years ago, I attended a workshop on developing a personal mission statement. We were encouraged to craft a phrase—succinct, memorable, and aspirational—that would guide both our professional and personal lives. Mine has served me well ever since: “To contribute positively to every relationship, environment, and system in my life.” Over more than four decades, my connection with 91��ɫ—in several different roles—has been central to my efforts to live out this mission.

Reinventing graduate biotech education

qings — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:03:26 +0000

A bold interdisciplinary program is bridging science and business. That is the talent 91��ɫ set out to build. At its Markham Campus, the Master of Biotechnology Management (MBM) and the Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology (GDB) train graduate students to be more than scientists. They train them to lead at the intersection of research, industry and society, where most of the real work in the bioeconomy actually happens. The most distinctive thing about these programs is that they arose from a dynamic collaboration across the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Graduate Studies, along with the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) and the Markham Campus, with an industry network woven through every layer.

91��ɫ scholar honoured for equitable education

qings — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:55:21 +0000

Throughout his academic journey, Wahid Khan, 91��ɫ course director and PhD student has worked to ensure students from diverse backgrounds see themselves reflected in physical and health education. His commitment to equitable and culturally responsive teaching and learning – a defining focus of his work as course director and instructor at the Faculty of Education – has earned him national honour as a recipient of the 2026 PHE Canada Impact Award. "It's deeply humbling," says Khan, who is pursuing a PhD at the Faculty of Health. "I see this award as a recognition of the students, families, teacher candidates and communities who have shaped my thinking, and as an affirmation that equity and diversity belong at the centre of physical and health education, not at its margins."

Preparing Future Biotech Professionals Through Hands-On Learning

vinish — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 19:57:51 +0000

We recently delivered our AMI-LITE liquid handling system to a lab at , giving students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with automated liquid handling.

By working with the AMI-LITE, students can explore how automated workflows are developed, understand the importance of precision and reproducibility, and build practical skills relevant to research and biotechnology careers.

A special thank you to Professor and for helping coordinate a smooth delivery and welcoming our team!

We’re excited to support the next generation of scientists as they connect classroom knowledge with laboratory practice.

LinkedIn post by Aumintec Inc.

^{Photo of students and the Aumintec team at 91��ɫ's Markham Campus}

Well-being Week connects graduate students with year-round resources

vinish — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 20:26:01 +0000

Well-being Week offers 91��ɫ graduate students an opportunity to pause, reflect and connect while highlighting wellness resources available throughout their studies.

Graduate studies can involve balancing coursework, research, deadlines and life outside the University. Well-being Week at 91��ɫ, taking place Oct. 5 to 9, 2026, offers students an opportunity to reflect on six dimensions of well-being: physical, mental, social, spiritual and cultural, financial and occupational.

Through free events, skill-building sessions, creative self-care activities and other resources, the week encourages the 91��ɫ community to explore approaches to well-being that can extend throughout the year.

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The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) provides free wellness resources for eligible 91��ɫ graduate students, including individual consultations, workshops and peer support.

The Wellness Consultation & Counselling Service offers confidential, 50-minute sessions with trained counsellors. Students can discuss stress, anxiety, low mood, self-doubt, isolation, relationship difficulties, balancing graduate studies and life, or personal wellness goals, and more. Appointments are available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in person, by phone or secure video platform. Email gradwell@yorku.ca to book an appointment.

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For students interested in developing practical wellness strategies, the Certificate in Personal Wellness: Wellness Workshop Series explores stress reduction, negative thought patterns and emotional resilience. The five-session online series introduce practices including mindfulness, gratitude and self-compassion. Sessions take place Oct. 20 and 27 and Nov. 3, 10 and 17, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

The Graduate Student Wellness Support Group provides a confidential and welcoming space for graduate students to connect with peers, share experiences and develop practical coping strategies. This is a confidential and supportive environment designed to help you feel heard, understood, and less alone as you move through your graduate journey.

Different resources may be helpful at different points in a student's graduate journey. During Well-being Week and throughout the year, graduate students can explore the services and programs available to them through FGS.

Explore Graduate Student Wellness Services: yorku.ca/gradstudies/students/current-students/grad-wellness-services/

91��ɫ PhD student brings space research to Nuit Blanche

qings — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:46:32 +0000

Lassonde PhD student Shane Ackerley will present Making Space: Signals and Noise at Nuit Blanche Toronto 2026. Drawing on his research with 91��ɫ’s Nanosatellite Research Laboratory, the interactive installation invites visitors to explore how technology, movement and shared signals shape the way we observe and understand space. In one installation, visitors step into a darkened space and activate the flashlight on their phones. Their movements are captured by an event camera and displayed as a live feed. The same type of camera is used by researchers to track satellites and debris in Earth orbit, connecting an everyday technology to the tools used to observe and understand our changing environment in space.

Biotechnology Students Building Skills Through Experiential Learning

vinish — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 19:44:01 +0000

Just one month into their programs, biotechnology students at 91��ɫ's Markham Campus are already building the skills the sector needs.

Our Graduate Diploma in Biotechnology (GDB) students will complete an intensive eight-month program that combines coursework and experiential learning. Master of Biotechnology Management (MBM) students pair scientific expertise with business and management training, then put it to work through industry internships with partner organizations.

Across both programs, students learn by doing through hands-on experience and capstone projects that help them develop an entrepreneurial mindset for a fast-moving field.

Looking to host an MBM intern, hire emerging biotech talent or propose a capstone project? Let’s connect.

LinkedIn post by 91��ɫ Markham Campus.

_{Photo of Graduate Biotechnology students}

GRAD@91��ɫU: First conversations, lasting connections

vinish — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:28:25 +0000

The Collaboratory Space on the second floor of Scott Library is usually a quiet place in early September. On September 8^th, it was anything but.

More than 350 incoming graduate students attended GRAD@91��ɫU, the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) social fair for students starting a master's or doctoral degree this fall. Over the lunch hour, the room filled with the rare energy of people who do not know each other yet but are about to.

The FGS swag bags helped. There is something about walking into a crowded room holding the same bag as everyone else, subtly noting a shared experience, that makes it easier to say hello, and students did. They compared what was inside, found out who else was in their department, who had moved to Toronto in August, who was still looking for a place to live and more. Small talk, mostly, but small talk is how a peer group starts.

_{Photo of students with FGS swag bags}

Around the edges of the room, several student services and campus resources were waiting to meet them. Graduate Finance & Funding and Scholarships & Awards answered questions students often feel weighing on them. Graduate Wellness & Counselling and Student Accessibility Services shared that supports exist, and you do not have to be in crisis to use them. The Teaching Commons spoke with students about to teach their first tutorial. 91��ɫ International, YUGSA and CUPE 3903 talked through what it means to be an international student, a member, an employee. 91��ɫ Libraries, Athletics & Recreation, YSpace Hub, C4: Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom, Graduate Supervision, Graduate Academic Affairs, Graduate Student Affairs and the Office of the Ombudsperson each brought another piece of the map.

_{Photo of students connecting with a representative at the 91��ɫ International service booth}

Put that many services in one room and something useful happens. Students arrived with one question and left with answers to three they had not thought to ask yet. Someone who came to ask about funding leaves knowing what the Libraries can do for their research, and that there is an Ombudsperson if a challenge arises . Nobody planned those conversations. They are what connection looks like in practice, and where a true sense of community materializes.

That is the reason FGS brings this event to life every year. An afternoon like this creates opportunities for connection and conversation that will last and support students beyond just those 90 minutes. Part of the Faculty’s role is to sit between graduate students and the wider University, connecting them to critical resources early so that students can more easily navigate the University and access support when needed. Those first introductions shape how a graduate journey unfolds, ultimately setting them up for success in the months and years ahead.

GRAD@91��ɫU is just the beginning. Beyond the swag bags, the pizza, and a stack of informational pamphlets, what students carried out of Scott Library that afternoon was the start of a network: a new community of peers, and people across 91��ɫ who know them and are ready to help. Those are the connections that will allow them to navigate the rest of their first week, and the years that follow.

As AI enters classrooms, 91��ɫ researchers examine disability representation

qings — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:44:17 +0000

With generative AI becoming more common in classrooms, four 91��ɫ disability-in-education scholars explored whether ChatGPT-generated stories about children with disabilities contained bias. What they found was not the overt discrimination some might expect. This raised a question that Katherine Barron, Ryan B. Collis, Aaron J. Richmond and Ellouise Van Berkel, former and current 91��ɫ PhD students, sought to explore. “We wondered how this new technology, which we are told will change the world, accounted for disability,” says Collis. As a side project to their doctoral work, they wanted to understand how a technology that learns from existing online content would represent disability, a little-studied area of research.