Faculty Archives - Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS)

91��ɫ study finds smarter way to collect city data

qings — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:18:54 +0000

As cities face growing pressure to manage transportation networks, infrastructure and public services using smart-sensing systems, new research led by 91��ɫ suggests there may be a more effective – and economical – way to collect data. Urban planners depend on data to support decisions ranging from parking management and road maintenance to traffic operations and environmental monitoring, explains Elham Heydari-Gharaei, the study’s first author and 91��ɫ PhD alum. Collecting that information across an entire city, however, can require expensive networks of fixed sensors.

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91��ɫ researcher explores safer, more reliable space manufacturing

qings — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:24:10 +0000

As space agencies and private companies explore the possibility of 3D-printing large structures in orbit, new research by Fuhzen Yao, a PhD candidate in the Lassonde School of Engineering, is helping address a challenge that could shape whether those ambitions become reality. Traditionally, spacecraft components such as satellites, antennas and solar arrays are built on Earth and launched fully assembled. That approach limits their size because everything must fit inside a rocket before launch. Those constraints, coupled with advances in 3D-printing technology, have fuelled interest in in-space additive manufacturing (ISAM), a process that uses 3D printing to create infrastructure in space rather than on Earth.

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91��ɫ alumni recognized for research on refugee leadership, health equity

qings — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:12:03 +0000

Two recent Faculty of Graduate Studies alumni have received national awards from prestigious Canadian scholarly associations for research examining how systems and policies influence access, opportunity and equity in communities affected by global development challenges. Patrick Abure (MA’26), who graduated from the Development Studies (DVST) program, received the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID) Institutional Membership Prize for his student essay Institutionalising Legitimacy: Gendered Gatekeeping, Women Refugee-Led Organisations, and the Limits of Localisation in Uganda. Valerie Lawson (MA’25), also a graduate of DVST, received the 2026 Fraser Taylor Prize from the Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS), which recognizes the best graduate student paper presented at the previous CAAS conference and supports publication of the winning paper in the Canadian Journal of African Studies.

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Greenbelt critical to Ontario’s ecological future, 91��ɫ U report finds

qings — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:07:22 +0000

Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change Professor Eric Miller as well as lead author and PhD student Peri Dworatzek have published a report titled The Ecological Value of Ontario’s Greenbelt which examines the protected natural and agricultural lands through the lens of biocapacity – the ability of land and ecosystems to provide resources and absorb environmental impacts. Prepared by the 91��ɫ Ecological Footprint Initiative for the Greenbelt Foundation, the report finds the Greenbelt provides significantly greater ecological biocapacity per hectare than the rest of Ontario, averaging 2.8 global hectares versus 1.02.

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91��ɫ researchers help drive close to $15M in SSHRC partnership funding

qings — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:43:25 +0000

91��ɫ researchers are at the forefront of six major Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)-funded partnership grants worth close to $15 million, including a 91��ɫ-led international network examining how AI is transforming refugee decision making and access to justice worldwide. The Partnership Grants funding, announced by SSHRC on July 21, supports large-scale partnerships that bring together universities, governments, community organizations and international collaborators to address complex social, environmental and policy challenges.

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AI tool developed at 91��ɫ U signals breakthrough for movement research

qings — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:37:37 +0000

At 91��ɫ, Faculty of Health researchers are addressing this challenge through the development of ATHENA (Automatically Tracking Hands Expertly with No Annotations), an AI-powered motion-tracking system that captures natural hand movements without requiring markers, sensors or wearable devices. The project is led by Jonathan Michaels, assistant professor at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, alongside Daanish (Dan) Mulla, a postdoctoral fellow and lead researcher on the project. "We wanted a way to measure natural hand movement as it actually happens, without attaching anything to the person," says Michaels.

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Continuing a legacy: A student, a mentor and a study of wild bees

qings — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:31:34 +0000

A new study by postdoctoral researcher Briann Dorin illustrates how agricultural landscapes can support wild bees, and continues the conservation science research legacy of the late Professor Sheila Colla. When Dorin was a doctoral student in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change and began discussing potential PhD research projects with Colla, her supervisor and one of Canada's leading pollinator conservation scientists, she already knew the questions she wanted to pursue. With a background in wildlife biology, Dorin had followed growing concern about bee declines and understood the significance of the issue given the critical role pollinators play in maintaining healthy ecosystems and supporting food production.

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91��ɫ research reveals climate change impact in Arctic

qings — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:17:59 +0000

As climate change reshapes the Arctic, 91��ɫ researchers are shedding new light on how declining sea ice affects the health of the ringed seals and polar bears that depend on them. Understanding how climate change affects Arctic wildlife is becoming urgent as the North warms faster than the rest of the planet. “Climate warming is a global problem but it’s most severe in the North, where the climate is warming about four times faster than the global average,” says Gregory W. Thiemann, a professor in the Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change.

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Can AI be trusted to assess climate risks? A 91��ɫ study investigates

qings — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:37:43 +0000

As AI is increasingly applied to fields studying how climate change affects the conditions beneath the Earth's surface, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) postdoctoral fellow Adedibu Sunny Akingboye is helping ensure the technology is used responsibly and reliably. Scientists in environmental geophysics and geotechnical engineering study underground conditions that influence groundwater resources, landslide risks and the stability of critical infrastructure. As climate change increases flooding and other extreme weather events, understanding what goes on beneath the Earth's surface is becoming more important.

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91��ɫ prof explores AI safeguards for youth mental health

qings — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:21:11 +0000

As AI chatbots become a growing source of advice, guidance and emotional support for young people, 91��ɫ postdoctoral researcher Abeer Badawi from the Faculty of Health is investigating the risks associated with these interactions and how the technology can be made safer. Drawing on recent research findings, usage statistics and her own work, Badawi has observed that chatbot use is increasing, with many people turning to these tools not only for information and practical assistance, but also for advice, emotional guidance and support with personal decisions.

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