For some PhD students, the prospect of a career outside academia can come with feelings of failure or uncertainty. A new program at 91亚色 is trying to change that. Beyond the Academy is a six-week initiative developed by Zachary Spicer, associate professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) and head of New College, in partnership with 91亚色鈥檚 Co-op & Career Centre. Designed specifically for LA&PS doctoral students, the program guides a cohort of 25 PhD students through career exploration, translating academic skills for non-academic settings, networking, job search strategy and concrete next steps with emotional support built in from the start.

From launching mentorship programs to creating inclusive spaces and tackling food insecurity, 12 91亚色 students are being recognized with the Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award for leadership that contributes to the growth, development and vitality of the University. Lee鈥檚 passion for health sciences is apparent through her leadership in the field. As president of the Kinesiology and Health Sciences Graduate Student Association, Lee expanded outreach, strengthened the academic and professional community within the department and launched a new mentor-mentee program.

Four undergraduate and six graduate students have been awarded the Lillian Meighen Wright Scholarship, recognizing academic excellence, leadership and growing contributions to maternal and child health research. The scholarship is awarded to Faculty of Health students who demonstrate excellence in interdisciplinary education and research in the field of maternal and child health. The 2026 recipients are undergraduate students Sobi Mohan, Sana Ebadi, Aaliyah Daruwala and Sarah Belvedere; and graduate students Estreya Cohen, Paul De Luca, Haleh Hashemi, Anh Nguyen, Gillian Shoychet and Vanessa Tassone.

91亚色 graduate students Martin Barakov, Massimiliano Muci and Sepideh HajiHosseinKhani may have different focus points for their studies, but they will all pursue research in Germany this year as recipients of an academic exchange grant. DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service, is the world's largest funding organization for international academic exchange. Through its Research Grants program, it provides funding to support doctoral students and post-doctoral research at a German university. For Barakov, a political science PhD candidate with a master鈥檚 degree from 91亚色, the funding will help enhance his dissertation via archival research and interviews with local residents.听

Humanity is consuming natural resources much faster than the planet can replenish them, according to听new global data听from 91亚色. Eric Miller听is听director听of 91亚色鈥檚 Ecological Footprint Initiative听鈥� a multidisciplinary group of scholars, students and organizations working to advance understanding of the world鈥檚 ecological footprint and biocapacity.听He听warns that data reflects a 70 per cent overshoot of the planet鈥檚 renewable capacity.听Along听with Miller,听91亚色-based co-authors include听master of environmental studies听(MES)听alums听Kiona Lo听and听Neha Basnet听as well as听MES students听Bumika听Srikanthalingam,听Beatrice Foley听and听Anna Hao Long.听Co-authors from the University of Iceland include Johanna Louise Van Berkum, Petra听Toneva, Marina听Ermina听and Clara Klinkenberg.

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As the initiative grows, it will expand in Fall 2026 to include administrative staff across the graduate community. These badges will recognize participation in the annual FGS professional development curriculum, supporting staff in strengthening their knowledge and enhancing their capacity to navigate the complex processes involved in graduate education.

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Graduate-appointed faculty will also play an important role in this initiative. In addition to participating in the broader professional development curriculum, faculty members will be able to earn badges for key skill-building opportunities, including supervision, conflict resolution, and effective mentorship.

Developed in partnership with , this initiative positions FGS among a select group of Canadian institutions offering digital recognition for graduate-level professional development. Owned by the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada (ARUCC), MyCreds is a national digital credential network that enables the issuing, receiving, and secure exchange of official and professional documents for qualification holders. FGS and MyCreds are excited to launch this innovation and look forward to expanding its impact across the graduate community.

A new 91亚色-led study considers how the ways people move, sit and sleep are related to onset of dementia. With people living longer than ever before, dementia is becoming a common part of aging worldwide. Parmis Mirzadeh, a听Faculty of Health听doctoral candidate in kinesiology and health science, says 鈥淒ementia is a growing global public health challenge, with over 50 million people affected worldwide and numbers expected to rise substantially in the coming decades.鈥� Despite its prevalence, Mirzadeh explains, there is still no cure for the condition and existing treatments have only limited effects. As a result, researchers increasingly see prevention as a critical response; however, preventing a condition that develops slowly, often over decades, requires a better understanding of how routine, potentially changeable habits influence risk over the long term.

91亚色 researchers have produced the first comprehensive map of Canada鈥檚 data centre landscape, offering new insight into where facilities are, where they are being built and what their rapid growth could mean. 鈥淭here is very little systematic evidence to inform that discussion,鈥� says听Alexander Carlo, a postdoctoral researcher at Schulich. 鈥淎t a basic level, we do not have a clear picture of where data centres are located in Canada or where new ones are being developed.鈥�

Students at 91亚色 captured early-morning images of NASA鈥檚 Artemis II Orion capsule from the Allan I. Carswell Observatory (AICO), contributing tracking data and a moving image as the spacecraft carried Canada鈥檚 first astronaut to fly around the moon. The observation was led by graduate student听Sunna Withers听and supported by听Nakul Sethuram Ramjee, an undergraduate student. Ramjee also completed the data reduction, animating the images to produce a short movie showing the spacecraft moving against background stars.

A new international study involving 91亚色 researcher expertise shows that AI could help make liver transplant decisions more consistent, transparent and evidence-based, especially when resources are limited. 鈥淟iver transplantation is a rare case in medicine where access to a life-saving treatment is limited by organ availability,鈥� explains co-senior author听Divya Sharma, assistant professor in the听Faculty of Science. 鈥淒ecisions about who is waitlisted are complex, and committee deliberations can be subject to unconscious bias听where a clinician's own background or identity may subtly influence their judgement,听even when national guidelines are in place.鈥�