UVic scholars lead diverse, innovative projects
August 29, 2023
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grants promote and maintain a diversified base of high-quality research capability in the natural sciences and engineering in Canadian universities. Typically administered over five years, Discovery Grants support ongoing research programs with long-term goals, and recognize the creativity and innovation at the heart of research advances.
The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced the results of the 2022 NSERC Discovery Grant competition.
UVic researchers are leading 27 of the long-term programs that advance a diversified base of natural sciences and engineering research. Twenty-five per cent of those are early-career researchers.
Mohsen Akbari, Mechanical Engineering, “Digitally-coded hydrogel microrods for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine”
Tarek Amer, Psychology, “Cognitive control regulation of memory content”
Thomas Baker, Physics and Astronomy, “Sparse-rank factorization methods for quantum problems”
Cornelia Bohne, Chemistry, “Supramolecular Dynamics of Complex Out-of-equilibrium Host-guest Systems”
Daniela Damian, Computer Science, “Towards more inclusive requirements engineering: Elicitation techniques and processes that address the end-user diversity factors”
Thomas Day Goodacre, Physics and Astronomy, “Producing exotic neutron rich radioactive ion beams”
Ruobing Dong, Physics and Astronomy, “Unveiling Planet Formation in Protoplanetary Disks”
Zuomin Dong, Mechanical Engineering, “Integrated Modeling, Design Optimization and Optimal Control of Electrified Marine Propulsion Systems”
Neil Ernst, Computer Science, “Towards AI-Supported Automated Software Design”
Reuven Gordon, Electrical and Computer Engineering, “Nanoaperture Optical Tweezers: Single Molecule Biophysics and Quantum Emitters”
Rishi Gupta, Civil Engineering, “Resilience of self-healing concrete made using extruded fibers surface coated with crystalline admixtures in CO2 sequestered cementitious matrices”
Roberta Hamme, Earth and Ocean Sciences, “Observing the ocean's changing biological carbon pump”
Christopher Kennedy, Civil Engineering, “Transformation of Canadian Energy Systems for Deep Decarbonization”
Marcelo Laca, Mathematics and Statistics, “Irreversible Quantum Dynamical Systems”
Cheng Lin, Civil Engineering, “Soil Erosion and Scour: Processes, Consequences, and Countermeasures”
Yun Lu, Computer Science, “Differential Privacy Trade-offs in Machine Learning and Social Choice”
Laura Minet, Civil Engineering, “Remote sensing of on-road vehicle emissions for mitigating population exposure to traffic-related air pollution”
Hiu Ming (Bosco) Yu, Mechanical Engineering, “The mechanical design and structure-property relationships of architected heterogeneous cellular materials (HCMs)”
Phalguni Mukhopadhyaya, Civil Engineering, “Climate Adaptive Building Envelopes with Dynamic Insulation”
Hausi Müller, Computer Science, “Software Engineering for Adaptive Hybrid Quantum Computing Systems”
Homayoun Najjaran, Mechanical Engineering, “Uncertainty Management Framework for Learning-based Intelligent Robotics”
Edwin Nissen, Earth and Ocean Sciences, “Illuminating earthquake rupture behaviour in BC and beyond”
Sophie Norris, Geography, “Risk, dynamics and geomorphic impact of glacial lakes and associated outburst floods in western Canada”
Ian Putnam, Mathematics and Statistics, “Dynamics and C*-algebras”
George Tzanetakis, Computer Science, “Computational modelling of sonic mimicry for music pedagogy, revitalization, and search”
Jens Weber, Computer Science, “Risk-Informed and Safety-performance Ensured Self-Adaptive Processes (RISEAP)”
Jordana Wynn, Psychology, “The role of eye movement reinstatement in memory retrieval”