Supporting Discoveries and Creating Jobs in Waterloo Region

(The following news release was issued by the office of John Milloy, MPP, Kitchener-Centre)

Ontario Researchers Finding Innovative Solutions to Global Challenges

Ontario is increasing its ability to attract and retain promising and recently appointed researchers to build teams focused on furthering innovative breakthroughs.

The province is providing $2.8 million in funding to 20 researchers at the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and the Perimeter Institute under the Early Researcher Awards program. It is also providing approximately $684,000 in funding to six researchers at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University under the Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure program.

The Early Researcher Awards Program helps promising and recently appointed researchers make new discoveries while creating jobs for graduate and undergraduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research assistants. The Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure provides research institutions with money to help cover the costs of modern facilities and equipment.

Building our knowledge economy is part of the government’s economic plan that is creating jobs for today and tomorrow. The comprehensive plan and its six priorities focus on Ontario’s greatest strengths – its people and strategic partnerships.

QUOTES

“Waterloo Region leads some of the most innovative research in this province. I am delighted to announce Ontario’s support for the ground-breaking, world-class research being conducted at three of our fine educational facilities right here in Waterloo Region. Their work will be instrumental to a dynamic and innovative business climate in Ontario, a climate that will draw investment and opportunity and build our province’s economic strength and competitive edge for generations to come.”

— John Milloy, MPP, Kitchener-Centre

“Our government is proud to support researcher’s scientific discoveries in Waterloo Region, a region that is renowned as a centre of collaboration and innovation and offers a dynamic and forward-thinking base for a wide range of industries. We are proud to partner with research facilities here to enhance our North American reputation for research excellence and amplify job creation and economic growth in Ontario.”

— Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation

“The University of Waterloo is a leader in ground-breaking research in a wide range of fields and disciplines. Our long history of collaboration with industry has created a strong foundation for future partnerships that support innovation in Ontario and around the world. From quantum computing and nanotechnology to clinical psychology and automotive, as well as humanities and health sciences research, we’re proud to partner with the Province of Ontario to advance innovations that improve quality of life and put research excellence on the world stage.”

— D. George Dixon, Vice-President, University Research, University of Waterloo

“At Laurier, we are proud of our reputation as a leading Canadian university with a strong reputation for academic excellence and a deep commitment to our community. The funding announced today will help to support our faculty's world-changing research in public policy and financial markets, investigating issues that will have a real effect on the lives of people in Ontario and all of Canada. We are delighted to partner with the Ontario Government to support this important work.”

— Abby Goodrum, Vice-President: Research, Wilfrid Laurier University

“Perimeter is very proud of our faculty members who are receiving Early Researcher Awards today. They are exploring some of the most basic questions in physics. They are each highly creative thinkers, cutting their own paths across disciplines, questioning established ideas, and moving the whole field forward.”

— Neil Turok, Director, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

QUICK FACTS

Ontario’s Early Researcher Awards program is providing almost $14 million to support 99 research projects at 24 research institutions across the province.
The Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure program, is providing over $16 million to 74 projects at 19 research institutions across the province
These programs help promising and recently-appointed researchers to build teams, benefit from modern infrastructure and equipment and drive the province’s ability to attract and retain the best and brightest researchers.

LEARN MORE

Learn more about the Early Research Awards

Find out how to apply for the Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure program.

At the University of Waterloo, the Ontario Government is providing $1,400,000 support for:

Backgrounder

Supporting Discoveries and Creating Jobs in Waterloo

Ontario is providing support to 20 Waterloo Region researchers under the Early Researcher Awards program.

At the University of Waterloo:

Professor Nandita Basu, who is investigating the ecosystem impacts of nitrogen and phosphorus on the ecosystem in an effort to improve water quality in Ontario
Professor Sebastian Fischmeister, whose work on embedded software will reduce costs and improve the competitiveness of an industry valued at over $100 billion around the world
Professor Frank Gu, whose research on new and more effective treatments for glaucoma will target a leading cause of blindness in Ontario
Professor Dana Kulić, whose study on movement of the human body will help improve rehabilitation technology and productivity and safety in advanced manufacturing operations in Ontario
Professor Matteo Mariantoni, whose study of quantum error correction will build Ontario’s reputation for excellence in the field of information technology
Professor Steven Mock, who is conducting research on the challenges our increasingly diverse family forms face when it comes to retirement planning in Ontario
Professor Markus Moos, who is exploring economic restructuring on the housing choices of young workers, with a view to positioning Ontario as a leader in innovative housing policy and infrastructure in the future
Professor Marina Mourtzakis, whose research on nutrition and exercise therapies will help improve the health of breast cancer survivors and reduce the recurrence of the disease among this group
Professor Sean Peterson, whose research focuses on restoring and improving voice quality for laryngeal cancer survivors post laryngectomy
Professor Jennifer Roberts-Smith, whose work will enhance audience engagement and theatre research at the Stratford Festival by developing online educational games, virtual learning environments, and digital interactions with the Festival's archives
Professor Susan Roy, who is exploring ways to deliver culturally appropriate research on the history and politics of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, to community-based researchers, academics, heritage professionals, policy makers and the public
Professor Matt van der Meer, who is conducting research on the human brain to identify ways to help problem gamblers curb their behaviour
Professor Christopher Wilson, whose work to develop a quantum network will significantly boost the province’s $85 billion information and communications technology industry
Professor Aiping Yu, who is working to develop next-generation clean energy devices to help reduce toxic and greenhouse gas emissions and provide social, environmental and health benefits for people in Ontario.

At Wilfrid Laurier University:

Professor Christopher Alcantara, whose research on emerging partnerships between Indigenous, local and regional governments in Canada will help foster stronger, more productive relationships between Indigenous peoples and all levels of governments across Canada and globally.
Professor Andriy Shkilko, whose research on high-frequency trading practices in financial markets will help to inform Ontario’s position on the impacts, fairness and appropriateness of these practices.

At the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics:

Dmitry Abanin, who is a pioneer in the theory of graphene, a revolutionary material now finding its first applications in a wide variety of devices. Abanin is working to develop a deeper theoretical understanding of the broader class of materials to which graphene belongs.
Bianca Dittrich, who is working to discover whether space itself is built out of some kind of fundamental building blocks, called spacetime atoms. This is one promising way to unify the theory of quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of gravity, into a theory of quantum gravity.
Davide Gaiotto, who works to extend the basic vocabulary of physics by discovering and defining new classes of quantum field theories. His research has led to unexpected progress in mathematics, and is aimed at a deeper understanding of the laws governing the universe.
Natalia Toro, who has invented ways to use existing particle accelerators to search for possible forces of nature beyond the four we know about, and who is developing a startling new theory about the way known forces might work.

Ontario is also providing support to 6 researchers in Kitchener-Waterloo under the Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure program:

At the University of Waterloo:

Professor Jennifer Clapp, whose work focuses on how we can continue to provide a steady and reliable supply of food around the world while protecting and preserving our environment
Professor Brad Fedy, whose examination of the impact of human activity and climate on our diverse wildlife will help to protect our province’s natural heritage
Professor Peter Johnson, who is conducting research on location-based applications for mobile devices
Professor Brian Kendall, whose study of metal concentrations and isotope compositions will improve natural resource exploration activities and reduce environmental contamination
Professor Derek Robinson, who is using unmanned aerial vehicles and simulator models to study land management techniques and the resulting impact on agriculture in Ontario.

At Wilfrid Laurier University: