The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada presented a grant worth $52.6 million to 350 University of Toronto researchers.
The NSERC presents its largest annual funding to aid researchers through financial means by equipment grants, scholarships, and research enhancements. The range of research topics that the grant was provided for include the formation of galaxies and planets, producing safer drinking water, and improving neural networks to increase the popularity of artificial intelligence.
“By giving scientists the opportunity to pursue the answers to some of their most profound questions, our government is investing in a wealth of new knowledge and innovation that will help us build a bolder, brighter future for all people,” said Chrystia Freeland, the foreign affairs minister in a U of T news release.
One of the 350 researchers from U of T that were granted funding was Miriam Diamond, an earth sciences professor. Diamond’s work extensively surrounds the ways to lessen chemical exposure on Canadian households.
From UTM, 15 faculty researchers were the recipients of the NSERC funding such as professor Michael Philips from the Department of Biology.
Philips’ project focuses on the “control of flux and adaptive responses at the interface of primary and secondary plant metabolism.”
From UTM’s Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, professor Jochen Halfar is “reconstructing centuries of Arctic climate and sea ice conditions using annually-banded coralline algae.”
Professor Stanislav Volgushev from UTM’s Mathematical and Computational Sciences is focusing on the “distributional effects and computational challenges in modern data analysis.”
Psychology professor Keisuke Fukuda is researching “EEG-based real-time monitoring and intervention of human memory.”
Both University of Toronto president, Meric Gertler, and vice-president, Vivek Goel, voiced their support of the university’s investments in research.
“It remains important for the federal government to act on all 35 of the recommendations made by the Canada’s Fundamental Science Review panel,” stated Gertler in a U of T news release.
“We’re extremely proud of the students and faculty who are among the recipients of this year’s NSERC grants. Not only are they current and future leaders in their fields, their research is also a major reason for why the University of Toronto is consistently ranked one of the top research universities in the world,” Goel added.
The $52.6 million grant for U of T is part of the federal government’s larger $515 million research fund initiative to expand research opportunities.
