Researchers win funding to maximize their impact

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Two researchers at Waterloo Engineering have been awarded funding through a federal program designed to advance and maximize the impact of “established, superior research programs.”

Kyle Daun, a mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor, and Luis Ricardez-Sandoval, a professor of chemical engineering, will each receive $120,000 over three years through the Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS) program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

Daun’s research involves laser-based diagnostics for aerosolized nanoparticles. Ricardez-Sandoval is working on optimal design, scheduling and control of chemical processes and emerging energy systems for sustainable and flexible operations under uncertainty.

'Working to make the world a better place'

They are among 10 winners of DAS grants campus-wide. More than 100 researchers at the University of Waterloo will also receive funding through the Discovery Grants, Research Tools and Instruments Grants, Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships programs at NSERC.

It’s all part of a $558-million, country-wide funding commitment to almost 4,300 researchers and students that was announced this week by Kirsty Duncan, the federal minister of science and sport. Recipients at Waterloo will get a total of about $29.5 million.

“These remarkable researchers and students we are celebrating are working to make the world a better place and to secure a brighter future for all Canadians,” Duncan said in a media release.