University of Toronto Mississauga

Twelve researchers at the University of Toronto are receiving Connaught Innovation Awards to help accelerate the development and commercialization of promising technologies with strong socio-economic potential that will have a positive impact on society.

“The University of Toronto congratulates this year’s recipients, whose work is addressing some of society’s most important challenges,” said Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “From energy-saving windows to the use of plant hormones as appetite suppressants or the development of therapeutic targets that hold promise for a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases, these researchers’ inventions have the potential to make life-changing impacts here in Canada and around the world.”

This year's recipients are:

Julie Audet, Institute of Biomedical Engineering: A tool to optimize complex formulations based on evolutionary computation accelerated by artificial neural networks
Denise Belsham, department of physiology: The use of a plant hormone CX as an appetite suppressant
Alan Cochrane, department of molecular genetics: Development of broad-spectrum, host-directed antivirals
Kevin Golovin, department of mechanical and industrial engineering: Reducing microplastic fibre pollution using low friction polymer brush as textile coatings
Glenn Gulak, department of electrical and computer engineering: A hardware accelerator for fully homomorphic encryption-based machine learning applications
Patrick Gunning, department of chemical and physical sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga: Development of an artificial intelligence-driven platform to explore the undruggable genome
Benjamin Hatton, department of materials science and engineering: Smart building facades for scalable operational energy management
Ronald Kluger, department of chemistry: Production and evaluation of hemoglobin-bis-tetramers for oxygen transport to increase supply of lungs for transplant by enhancing ex vivo perfusion of donor lungs
Eugenia Kumacheva, department of chemistry: A platform for safety evaluation of chemical agents
Janice Robertson, department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology: Targeting TDP-43 aggregation as therapeutics for TDP-43 proteinopathies
Paul Yoo, Institute of Biomedical Engineering: Novel electrodes for non-invasive electrical nerve stimulation
Yu Zou, department of materials science and engineering: Autonomous additive manufacturing system

The Connaught Innovation Award, which provides one-time seed funding to support the development and commercialization of the researchers’ innovative technologies, is backed by the Connaught Fund – the largest internal university research funding program in Canada. Established 50 years ago through the sale of Connaught Medical Research Laboratories, which is known for the discovery and production of insulin, the fund supports U of T scholars through programs such as the Connaught New Researcher Award, the Connaught Community Partnership Research Program, the Connaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers, the McLean Award and international doctoral scholarships.

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Fiona Rawle receives 2022 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award

lanthierj — Fri, 06 May 2022 20:33:44 +0000

Fiona Rawle receives 2022 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award

Teaching

lanthierj Fri, 05/06/2022 - 16:33

Faculty

Mississauga

3M Teaching Fellowship

Department of Biology

University of Toronto Mississauga

landscape

(photo by Lucas Rawle)

University of Toronto Mississauga biology professor Fiona Rawle has been recognized with a 2022 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award - Canada’s most prestigious recognition of excellence in educational leadership and teaching at the post-secondary level.

“Professor Rawle’s dedication to a teaching philosophy emphasizing kindness, empathy and flexibility has made her an invaluable member of UTM,” says U of T Mississauga’s Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean Rhonda McEwen. “This recognition is richly deserved.”

The fellowships are sponsored by 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Maclean’s magazine, the awards’ media sponsor, announced the honours May 3.

“The 3M National Teaching Fellowship is so meaningful to me,” says Rawle, who is also U of T Mississauga's associate dean, undergraduate, and the director of the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre (RGASC). “I’m really looking forward to meeting and collaborating with the other award winners. It’s a reminder to me about what is so important in scholarly work and teaching practice – relationships with colleagues, collaborators and students.”

In 2018, Rawle received the University of Toronto President’s Teaching Award and the OCUFA (Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations) Teaching Award. She’s also a past recipient of the E.A. Robinson Teaching Excellence Award and the University of Toronto Early Career Teaching Award.

Read the U of T Mississauga story

Read about Rawle in University of Toronto Magazine

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David Dunlop receives John Adam Fleming Medal for lifetime achievement in geophysics

lanthierj — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:13:45 +0000

David Dunlop receives John Adam Fleming Medal for lifetime achievement in geophysics

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Fri, 09/24/2021 - 10:13

Faculty

Mississauga

St. George

University of Toronto Mississauga

John Adam Fleming Medal

Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences

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University of Toronto Mississauga Professor Emeritus David Dunlop has won the John Adam Fleming Medal for outstanding contributions to fundamental Earth and space science from the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Awarded for “original research and technical leadership in geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, aeronomy, space physics and related sciences,” the Fleming Medal recognizes Dunlop’s lifetime achievement in the field of geophysics.

“David has been a dedicated and invaluable member of our community for many years,” says Lindsay Schoenbohm, chair of U of T Mississauga’s department of chemical and physical sciences. “It is wonderful now to see this highest-level recognition for his scholarly achievements.”

Dunlop's best-known research has been in the fundamental magnetic properties of rocks and minerals and in Precambrian paleomagnetism and plate tectonics. During a 36-year career at U of T Mississauga and the St. George campus, Dunlop has taught and mentored countless students and early career professionals who have gone on to careers in geological and physical sciences. He has been the sole author of 63 papers and has co-authored more than 150 papers in scholarly journals and books. With his wife, Özden Özdemir, also a physics professor, he co-wrote what would become known as “the bible” in their field, Rock Magnetism: Fundamentals and Frontiers

“It’s a wonderful life we’ve had,” says Dunlop, who continues to publish research.

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University of Toronto professors honoured with top research awards from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

lanthierj — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 15:55:18 +0000

University of Toronto professors honoured with top research awards from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 11/11/2020 - 10:55

Faculty

St. George

NSERC

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

University of Toronto Mississauga

Department of Computer Science

Department of Biology

landscape

(Photos by Sylvie Li)

University of Toronto professors are being recognized with the John C. Polanyi Award, the Brockhouse Canada Prize, two E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships, and the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering – top research prizes from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

“The University of Toronto congratulates these extraordinary researchers on this important recognition of their path-breaking work,” said University Professor Ted Sargent, U of T’s vice-president of research and innovation and strategic initiatives. “Their leadership and dedication is having a significant impact on the lives of people across Canada and around the world.”

The prizes were announced Nov. 10 by Governor General Julie Payette, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains, and Professor Alejandro Adem, president of NSERC.

“These researchers exemplify Canada’s culture of curiosity and innovation, and are making the breakthroughs that have the power to improve the lives of all Canadians,” Bains said.

University Professor Molly Shoichet of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering received the $1 million Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal in recognition of her breakthrough invention of hydrogels which have led to game-changing applications in the areas of tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical testing – and fundamentally advanced biomedical engineering research.

Professor Karen Maxwell of the Termerty Faculty of Medicine received the John C. Polanyi Award in recognition of her ground-breaking discovery and ongoing contributions to the field of biochemistry.

Assistant Professor Tovi Grossman of the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and Associate Professor Marc Johnson of the department of biology at U of T Mississauga each received an E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, which recognizes early career achievements of promising scientists and supports their efforts to enhance their research.

The NETCARE project led by Professor Jonathan Abbatt with Professor Jennifer Murphy of the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science received the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering for its contribution to climate research in Canada’s Arctic.

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Connaught Innovation Award recognizes 10 leading U of T researchers

lanthierj — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:58:44 +0000

Connaught Innovation Award recognizes 10 leading U of T researchers

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Tue, 03/10/2020 - 07:58

Faculty

Mississauga

St. George

Connaught Innovation Award

Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

University of Toronto Mississauga

Women in STEM

landscape

Ten University of Toronto researchers are receiving Connaught Innovation Awards to help accelerate the development and commercialization of their promising technologies.

The winning projects were selected for their strong socio-economic and commercial potential and are expected to have a positive impact on society.

“The Connaught Innovation Awards are building on the legacy of Connaught Labs which produced insulin, vaccines and anti-toxins that saved lives – and which continues to fund innovative research at U of T today,” said Vivek Goel, U of T's vice-president of research and innovation and strategic initiatives.

“I congratulate all the winners of this year's awards for the important contributions they're making both locally and globally.”

The ten winners are:
• Sanja Fidler of the department of mathematical and computational sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga and the Vector Institute
• Molly Shoichet of the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research
• Timothy Bender of the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
• Eyal de Lara of the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science
• Benjamin Hatton of the department of material science and engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
• Glen Hibbard of the department of materials science and engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
• Michael Hutchison of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education
• Hoi-Kwong Lo of the department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science
• Karan Singh of the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science
• Yu Sun of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering and the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

The Connaught Fund, the largest internal university research funding program in Canada, has awarded almost $7 million in ten competitions for the Connaught Innovation Award program. This year's winners will share a total of $500,000.

University of Toronto Mississauga

12 U of T researchers recognized with Connaught Innovation Awards

Fiona Rawle receives 2022 3M National Teaching Fellowship Award

Read the U of T Mississauga story

Read about Rawle in University of Toronto Magazine

David Dunlop receives John Adam Fleming Medal for lifetime achievement in geophysics

Read the U of T Mississauga story

University of Toronto professors honoured with top research awards from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Connaught Innovation Award recognizes 10 leading U of T researchers

Read more about The Connaught Fund