The WIN Research Leader Award recognizes outstanding faculty members whose research excellence, leadership, and impact have significantly advanced nanotechnology and interdisciplinary innovation at the University of Waterloo.
This award recognizes contributions made during the extended period of May 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025, reflecting a combined recognition cycle following the previous award period ending April 30, 2024. Eligible achievements include major research funding, national and international honours, impactful scholarly work, and leadership through prestigious research appointments. Beginning this cycle, the WIN Research “Leader” Award is presented as part of a combined WIN Research Celebration and WIN Day, creating a more unified and visible recognition of excellence across the WIN community.
The awards were formally presented during WIN Day, where recipients were honored by Sushanta Mitra, Executive Director of WIN, in front of colleagues, students, and research partners. The event brought together the WIN community to celebrate research excellence and collaboration. The WIN Research Awards highlight the institute’s commitment to advancing cutting‑edge research in nanotechnology, sustainability, health, and materials science, while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and driving real‑world solutions to global challenges.
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Travis Craddock (Biology): Recognized for research leadership through securing over $1.8 million in major research funding, appointment as Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Quantum Neurobiology, and high‑impact publication in Science Advances advancing the frontiers of quantum mechanisms in brain science. |
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Emmanuel Ho (School of Pharmacy): Recognized for research leadership through international and national honors, including induction as a Fellow of the Controlled Release Society and the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences, and a Silver Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva for pioneering nanoplatforms advancing treatment of retinal diseases. |
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Milad Kumar (Chemical Engineering): Recognized for research leadership in soft matter engineering through receipt of multiple major international awards in 2025, including the Materials Horizons Emerging Investigator and American Chemical Society PMSE Early Investigator award, alongside high‑impact publication in Advanced Functional Materials advancing innovation in polymeric and functional materials. |
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Kevin Musselman (Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering): Recognized for research leadership as Principal Investigator of a $1.4 million NSERC‑, Mitacs‑, and industry‑supported initiative advancing atmospheric‑pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP‑SALD) to enable high‑performance sustainable packaging and significantly reduce plastic waste and associated emissions. |
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Hamed Shahsavan (Chemical Engineering): Recognized for research leadership through securing a $1.3+ million grants, including CFI‑JELF‑ORF and NFRF Exploration as Principal Investigator, alongside major international honors from the American Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry, advancing globally impactful research in smart materials and microrobotics. |
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| Roderick Slavcev (School of Pharmacy): Recognized for research leadership as editor and contributing author of the landmark volume Bacteriophage‑Based Vectors in Gene Therapy and for high‑impact innovations in phage‑ and phagemid‑based gene delivery systems advancing translational nanomedicine and synthetic biology. |
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| Yimin Wu (Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering): Recognized for research leadership through receipt of a Government of Ontario Early Researcher Award, advancing artificial leaf technologies that convert carbon dioxide into sustainable fuels and support the development of carbon‑neutral energy solutions addressing climate change. |
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