An innovative new program that provides financial support, mentorship and networking to Black and Indigenous PhD students has been chosen to represent the University of Waterloo in a federal competition for bold and potentially game-changing projects to address persistent systemic barriers in the research ecosystem and academia.
The Indigenous Black Engineering Technology (IBET) PhD Project, led by Tizazu Mekonnen, associate professor of chemical engineering, is aimed at rapidly increasing the presence of Indigenous and Black academics in engineering and computer science across Canada. Launched only 18 months ago, the program has expanded to 15 universities across Canada with 28 Momentum Fellows in the 2021 and 2022 cohorts.
IBET was chosen as the University’s nomination for the inaugural Robbins-Ollivier Excellence in Equity Award following an online vote for Waterloo employees and students in May and an internal selection committee deliberation. Two other applications, Becoming Coalition and Structured Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), were also part of the online campus vote.