Innovation | Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS)

Olympiad victory positions 91��ɫ grad student among world’s top young engineers

vinish — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 11:26:24 +0000

Ali Ramezani’s relentless pursuit of excellence earned him global recognition when he outperformed more than 1,000 competitors in a prestigious microelectronics contest. Ramezani’s victory positions him among the world’s emerging young leaders in microelectronics, showcasing his expertise among engineers and students under 30. The competition, designed to recognize and inspire young talent, aims to build a global community of microelectronics specialists. As a research assistant at 91��ɫ, Ramezani has engaged in research projects on power electronics, smart grids, renewable energy and deep learning applications. He has contributed to multiple IEEE conference and journal papers, including studies on AI applications in smart grids, as well as connected technologies making energy systems safer and more efficient.

AI drone developed by 91��ɫ U student targets urban litter

vinish — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:09:22 +0000

91��ɫ Lassonde School of Engineering student Garnet Maxwell has created a drone that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and map litter, offering cities a faster, more precise approach to waste management. City waste management departments across Canada face a costly bottleneck: before cleanup crews can be deployed, workers must manually survey litter, walking predetermined routes with clipboards to estimate quantities and types of trash. The process takes hours, costs thousands in labour and produces inconsistent results, as surveys can be subjective and variable.

It’s in the air: art, science and engineering merge to light up airborne pollution

vinish — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:44:09 +0000

91��ɫ researchers are working to make invisible air pollution visible through an innovative project that merges art, science and engineering. Focusing on the threats of airborne black carbon—a pollutant resulting from vehicle exhaust and wildfire smoke—the team will create wearable technology that detects these harmful emissions in real time. With the World Health Organization reporting an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths each year caused by ambient air pollution, the “SensingChange: Black carbon air pollution detection and critical artworks” project aims to develop a novel measurement tool and increase public awareness.

91��ɫ U researchers design wearable device to monitor health

vinish — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:31:27 +0000

Ever wonder what secrets sweat holds about health? A team of researchers at 91��ɫ is working to make this a reality by designing a simple wearable device that decodes those secrets in real time. Led by Razieh Salahandish, an assistant professor in 91��ɫ’s Lassonde School of Engineering, the research team is developing a wearable biosensing device that promises to revolutionize preventative health care through the use of sweat. The non-invasive wearable device integrates microfluidic technology and advanced sensors to offer real-time insights into various physiological states by analyzing sweat—a readily accessible body fluid that researchers believe can offer a wide scope of health information.

Celebrating Innovation and Collaboration in Biotechnology

vinish — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 16:31:11 +0000

On November 29, our Biotechnology Graduate Students proudly showcased their exceptional work-integrated-learning projects, which they diligently developed throughout the semester. Thanks to funding from CEWIL Canada and the close collaboration with our industry partners, each student team had the unique opportunity to work with industry mentors, tackling real-world challenges and creating innovative solutions.

Our students addressed a variety of industry challenges, including:

Management Challenge with
Alternative Proteins in Pet Food with
Project Management Challenge with Dalton Pharma Services
AI in Clinical Trials with
Training Management Challenge with Dalton Pharma Services
AI Identification of Bio-active Peptides with

_{A group photo of Biotechnology Graduate Students during the event.}

Grad student research recognized with thesis, dissertation prizes

vinish — Wed, 15 May 2024 15:48:02 +0000

91��ɫ’s Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) has awarded six graduates with 2024 Thesis and Dissertation Prizes for their outstanding contributions to the local and global community. The prizes, valued at $2,000 for doctoral dissertations and $1,000 for master’s theses, are given out every spring to honour theses defended in the previous calendar year. The award-winning work among the early-career scholars ranged from high-risk data collection to an award-winning film.

Doctoral Dissertation Prizes

Alison Humphrey (PhD, cinema and media studies) for “The Shadowpox Storyworld as Citizen Science Fiction: Building Co-Immunity through Participatory Mixed-Reality Storytelling”

Humphrey’s dissertation involves a mixed-reality storyworld—a fully immersive, interactive storytelling experience—co-created with young people on three continents, imagining immunization through a superhero metaphor.

The research-creation dissertation recounts the design and testing of three experiments in a single science fiction storyworld, titled “Shadowpox.” Humphrey’s first experiment was a full-body video game exhibited at the UNAIDS 70th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, and at Galleri KiT in Trondheim, Norway. The second was a networked narrative – a story created by a network of interconnected authors – which was workshopped and presented at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and with the Debajehmujig Storytellers, a multidisciplinary arts organization in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve in northern Ontario. The third component, an online video game necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, was available worldwide, and was included in the United Nations COVID-19 Response Creative Content Hub in 2020.

The examining committee praised the project and described it as “careful theory-building through sound methodological praxis” and “a new standard for research-creation dissertations in Canada.”

_{A photo of Alison Humphrey}

Inbar Peled (PhD, law) for “Professionalizing Discrimination: Legal Actors and the Struggle Against Racialized Policing in Multicultural Societies”

Through her project, Peled examines the role of lawyers in perpetuating racialized police violence in multicultural societies. While much of the work on racialized police killing and police violence focuses on the police themselves, the role of lawyers in enabling these incidents is often ignored. To unpack the ways lawyers and judges support, resist and confront racism in their practices, Peled interviewed prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges in Israel. Her groundbreaking work argues that the solution to the problem of racialized policing will have to include transformation within the legal profession.

Her defence committee unanimously commended the work, saying, “the real genius of Peled’s project is that it merges theories of identity (self and others) with professionalized role competence. This combination demonstrates not just that lawyers are – like all people – influenced by race and racism in their decision making but also that legal norms and rules also play a role in the failure to address racialized police violence.”

_{A photo of Inbar Peled}

Jennifer Porat (PhD, biology) for “RNA methyltransferases Influence Noncoding RNA Biogenesis and Function Through Catalytic-Independent Activities”

Porat’s innovative study encompasses various aspects of ribonucleic acid (RNA) biology – a molecule essential for most biological functions – while focusing on the lesser-studied functions of a set of eukaryotic RNA modification enzymes. The dissertation provides evidence supporting the multifaceted nature of these enzymes and underscores their importance in many fundamental biological processes. The pinnacle recognition of Porat’s scholarly excellence is exemplified by her recent Scaringe Award that acknowledges outstanding achievement of young scientists engaged in RNA research presented by the RNA Society, an international scientific society with more than 1,800 members dedicated to fostering research and education in the field of RNA science.

The examination committee Chair, Professor Emanuel Rosonina, stated that Porat’s work “fundamentally changes how we think about RNA-modifying enzymes.” He continued, “It is not common that a student forges new ground and concepts like this. Hers is among the most impressive PhD theses and defenses that I have seen at 91��ɫ and beyond.”

_{A photo of Jennifer Porat}

Master’s Thesis Prizes

Pooya Badkoobeh (Master’s, film) for “Based on a True Story”

Badkoobeh’s thesis film, Inn, is a 20-minute minimalist short film set in Tehran, Iran, inspired by the real-life story of an old couple who planned to commit suicide together. The film’s central theme revolves around the core meaning of life in the face of planned and seemingly certain death. Employing minimalist storytelling and a hybrid of fiction and documentary style, the film uses long takes and distant camera placements for a distinctive effect. The script features very little dialogue and long silences, illustrating the characters’ inner lives and allowing the viewer to fill in their background. The same year of his defense, Badkoobeh’s thesis film was named North America’s Best Film by CILECT, the International Association of Film & Television Schools.

“His film embraces the core value of what it means to be human in the cinematic form,” shared Manfred Becker, Pooya’s supervisor. “It is an exceptionally sensitive and disciplined work of art, executed in a minimalist style, which matches the complexity of its subject matter.”

_{A photo of Pooya Badkoobeh}

Nina Garrett (Master’s, biology) for “Measuring neotropical bat diversity using airborne eDNA”

Garrett’s thesis develops the novel technique of capturing airborne environmental DNA (eDNA) for the detection of tropical bat species. Garrett successfully demonstrates that airborne eDNA can accurately characterize a mixed-species community with varying abundances and that the type of sampler does not impact DNA concentration or read count. This study was extremely high-risk science because no one had ever attempted this type of work under field conditions with wild animals. At the time she started, there were only three published scientific works in existence demonstrating that airborne eDNA collection was even possible and all had been conducted under extremely controlled and artificial conditions (i.e. in a zoo).

Garrett’s two data chapters were published in PeerJ and Environmental DNA journals. Additionally, she has been acknowledged for her advanced academic and research leadership, having received prestigious awards for her master’s studies, including the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Master’s graduate scholarship and recognitions for her research presentations at provincial and national conferences.

_{A photo of Nina Garrett}

Haider Shoaib (Master’s, electrical engineering and computer science) for “Performance Modeling and Optimization of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles With Reliable Wireless Connectivity”

Shoaib’s cutting-edge project tackles vehicular network connectivity challenges, which are expected to be of increasing concern with the rise of electric vehicles. The project explores the fundamental question of how to maximize vehicle traffic flow while maintaining a minimum network connectivity requirement. Specifically, Shoaib’s thesis develops innovative network performance models for 5G- and 6G-enabled vehicle communications that consider critical parameters such as traffic flow, wireless channel impediments and network density.

This type of optimization has not been considered to date in either the telecommunications or transportation domains, and it includes several important constraints to ensure quality of service and to avoid collisions.

_{A photo of Haider Shoaib}

Additional prize

In addition to the above Thesis and Dissertation Prizes, FGS nominated Humphrey and Porat for a dissertation prize presented by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS). The CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award recognizes Canadian doctoral dissertations that make significant and original contributions to their academic field. Winners receive a $1,500 cash prize, a certificate of recognition and an invitation to attend the Annual CAGS Conference.

For more information about the prizes and how they are awarded, visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

FGS reflects on the positive changes 2021 brought to our community!

vinish — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 21:25:40 +0000

Even though 2021 has been a year full of challenges and uncertainties, the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) has been able to create meaningful opportunities and innovative programs to support students, postdocs, faculty and staff. It is difficult to capture all the accomplishments, events and contributions of FGS, but a few important highlights deserve a special celebration for creating positive change in our community!

Launching the Academic Excellence Fund (AEF): This innovative fund embodies 91��ɫ’s commitment to promote a positive educational experience and foster personal growth by supporting students in advancing their research and scholarly objectives. The fund is unique due to its no-claim process, students are now able to access funding before expenses are incurred!

New Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black and Indigenous Scholars at 91��ɫ: The important initiative, which helps promote diverse perspectives and tackle complex societal challenges, creates opportunities and career support for the next generation of Indigenous and Black scholars. The initiative offers 2-year postdocs with an individualized, career-developmental focus and an innovative pre-doc program to enable PhD completion en route to a postdoctoral fellowship or full-time employment.

Enhancing graduate student recruitment through Experience Grad 91��ɫ (EGY): The multi-day, virtual event presented a range of learning options and meaningful career pathways that 91��ɫ has to offer. The sessions were a success, attracting over 2,000 potential graduate students, with a demonstrated increase in domestic applications. FGS is excited to welcome new members to the 91��ɫ community! Learn more about our upcoming EGY event.

Launching Knowledge Now: Graduate Research @ 91��ɫ: This innovative showcase of all the diverse graduate scholars, brought to life the unique and socially engaging research happening at the university. Discover Grad Research @ 91��ɫ Videos, which present collections of new ideas while embracing collaboration within and outside our community.

Increased participation in our Personal Wellness & Learning Skills certificate program: FGS partnered with Learning Skills Services to arm graduate students with proactive tools to protect and improve their personal wellness. This year, there was a 200% increase in participation as graduate students connected with their peers and became familiar with the support network available at 91��ɫ. Check out FGS’ to hear what past participants have to say about their experience in the program.

Continuing to offer Cost-Free Completion: Graduate studies is already stressful without the additional administrative issues. FGS wants all its students to enjoy the educational experience without that added stress. In partnership with all Faculties, FGS is proud to now offer cost-free completion for those graduate students who are over their program time limit.

Announcing Indigenous Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Awards: FGS declared six OGS Awards annually for Indigenous graduate scholars! By empowering students with the support they need, our community creates positive change and prepares students for a successful future. We take pride in being a part of a diverse community of scholars presenting cutting-edge research.

Launching the Individualized Development Plans (IDP): Through this initiative, FGS was able to create meaningful opportunities for graduate students to enhance their professional skills development. With the help of the IDP, students can now design the types of professionalization and knowledge transfer skills that they need for success after graduation by taking advantage of an enhanced range of workshops both in-program and 91��ɫ-wide.

Broadening Formats of Theses and Dissertations: 91��ɫ strives to ensure that students have the ability to pursue the scholarly work and research that will foster ground-breaking results. By ensuring that thesis and dissertation formats align with new disciplines and pioneering types of research, including multi-modal formats, FGS is motivated to promote experiential education opportunities.

Modernizing the policies and procedures of FGS: Student-focused changes have been introduced to make graduate education more accessible. FGS is pioneering innovative concepts and practices including principled approaches to micro-credentials, non-degree studies and life-long learning.

Engaging in the Student System Renewal Program (SSRP): The SSRP initiative focuses on creating a seamless experience for students to easily plan and manage their learning journey, with personalized academic and financial supports. From Steering to Fit/Gap evaluation work, FGS has been an energetic partner in making 91��ɫ a truly future-oriented, student-centric and program-supportive place to study and work.

Through the support of the graduate community and the tolls provided by the University, 2022 will see an expansion on the vital work already performed. FGS is dedicated to continuously fostering collaboration and inclusivity while tackling any challenges along the way.