55 U of T scholars receive research infrastructure support from CFI's John R. Evans Leaders Fund

Fifty-five scholars from the University of Toronto will receive research infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund.

The fund, named for former U of T President John Evans, aims to support universities’ research infrastructure and help them compete in recruiting and retaining exceptional researchers.  

U of T projects will receive more than $19 million across the recent funding rounds, which were announced on Oct. 10 and on Oct. 22. 

“I am delighted to congratulate the outstanding scholars whose efforts are being recognized and supported through this vital investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation,” said Leah Cowen, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. 

“From advanced metabolomics for cancer therapy to architectures to advance superconducting quantum computing, these researchers are pushing the boundaries of discovery and redefining what is possible at the cutting edge of science and innovation.”  

The recipients of John R. Evans Leaders Fund support at U of T are: 

• Aereas Aung in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Improving vaccine efficacy through novel antigen design and quantitative tools
• Ashton Anderson in the department of computer and mathematical sciences at U of T Scarborough – Bridging the gap between human and artificial intelligence: Custom architectures for human-AI collaboration
• Mohammed Basheer in the department of civil and mineral engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Water resources management from data to decisions
• Neil Bennett in the department of Earth sciences at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Simulating planets like Earth: SimPLE Lab
• Mamatha Bhat at University Health Network and in the department of medicine at the Faculty of Temerty Medicine – LIFT-AI: Leveraging AI for transplant longevity or long-term survival
• Benjamin Blencowe in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Isoform-resolution functional genomics in health and disease
• Boris Braverman in the department of physics at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Precision metrology with a continuously operating optical lattice clock
• Caleb Browne at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and in the department of psychiatry at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Decoding neural network dynamics driving relapse in opioid use disorder
• J. Rafael Montenegro Burke in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Advanced metabolomics for cancer therapy and metabolite discovery
• Don Butler in the department of anthropology at U of T Scarborough – Advanced instrumentation for revolutionizing northern human-environment coevolution
• Jennifer Campos at University Health Network and in the department of psychology at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Advanced driving simulation to support the safe and independent mobility of older adults
• Nathanael Caveney in the department of pharmacology and toxicology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Structure guided engineering of cellular signalling
• Priyank Chandra at the Faculty of Information – Community Design and Advocacy Space (CDAS) – Co-Designing technologies to support marginalized workers
• Ali Dolatabadi in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Advanced multifunctional powder synthesis, coating, component manufacturing, and material characterization facilities
• Shannon Dunn at Sunnybrook Research Institute and in the department of immunology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Investigating lifestyle and sex-specific factors in the incidence and progression of multiple sclerosis 
• Daniel Durocher at Sinai Health and in the department of molecular genetics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Genome maintenance biology in cells and tissues
• Paul Frankland at the Hospital for Sick Children and in the department of psychology at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Molecular and cellular determinants of memory function and dysfunction
• Samira Ghorbani in the department of biology at U of T Mississauga – A Single-Cell Analysis Lab to investigate the aging mechanisms of oligodendrocyte precursor cells
• Rob Gillezeau in the department of management at U of T Scarborough – Assimilation and un-assimilation: Indigeneity across the Canadian censuses from 1861 to the present 
• Delaney Glass in the department of anthropology at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Biocultural Lab for the study of Inequality and Social Stress (BLISS)
• Maged Goubran at Sunnybrook Research Institute and in the department of medical biophysics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – From neurons to networks: Modelling functional and structural neurovascular dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease
• Eyal Gruntman in the department of biological sciences at U of T Scarborough – Studying behavioural adaptations in parallel pathways of the visual system using expansion microscopy
• Felix Gunawan in the department of cell and systems biology at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac tissue patterning and morphogenesis
• Diane Haakonsen in Mount Sinai Hospital and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Mechanism and function of stress response silencing in health and disease
• Rachel Harding at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy – Target validation for repeat expansion disorders
• Ben Hatton in the department of materials science and engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Smart surfaces for building energy efficiency and carbon capture
• Marc Johnson in the department of biology at U of T Mississauga – Building a comprehensive understanding of urban environmental change: Infrastructure for interdisciplinary research
• Freeman Lan in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Understanding complex microbiomes using ultrahigh-throughput experimentation
• Christopher Lawson in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Automated microbial isolation and characterization platform for microbiome-based therapeutics and bioprocesses
• Warren Lee at Unity Health Toronto and in the department of medicine at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Elucidation of endothelial and epithelial functions in chronic disease using advanced light microscopy methods
• Aviad Levis in the department of computer science at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Physics constrained neural fields for scientific imaging
• Yun Li at the Hospital for Sick Kids and in the department of molecular genetics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Next generation platforms for immune-competent organoid models of human disease
• Tara MacDonald in the department of physiology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Physiology and mechanisms of stress in skeletal muscle and pancreatic islets
• Tricia McGuire-Adams in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education – Health Education and Resurgence Theory (HEART) Lab
• Kozeta Miliku in the department of nutritional sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Life course determinants of cardiovascular health: A comprehensive approach from preconception to childhood
• Joshua Milstein in the department of chemical and physical sciences at U of T Mississauga – Single-molecule imaging in cells and cellular assemblies
• Bertrand Neyhouse in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Process intensification for electrochemical manufacturing
• Justin Nodwell in the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Chemical biology platform for drug discovery
• John Parkinson at the Hospital for Sick Children and in the department of molecular genetics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – The role of the microbiome in maternal and child health
• Colin Raffel in the department of computer science at the Faculty of Arts & Science – A closed-loop system for collaborative and continual development of large language models
• Aryan Rezaei Rad in the department of civil and mineral engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Integrated design for digital fabrication in mass timber engineering and construction
• Nicholas Rhinehart in the Institute for Aerospace Studies at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Foundational world models and efficient reward learning for robotics
• Timothy Ross at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and in the department of geography and planning at the Faculty of Arts & Science – Creating inclusive play opportunities in pediatric healthcare environments
• Benjamin Sanchez-Lengeling in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – The chemical cognition lab: AI-driven tools and robotics for chemical innovation 
• Lindsay Schoenbohm in the department of chemical and physical sciences at U of T Mississauga – Advanced analysis rock and mineral processing facility
• Eli Sone at the Faculty of Dentistry – Molecular to material scale characterization of protein assemblies
• Katherine Stewart at Mount Sinai Hospital and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Stem cell biology
• Daphne Tan at the Faculty of Music – INSPIRE Music Lab
• Kelsie Thu at Unity Health Toronto and in the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – The role of extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated crosstalk between cancer cells and platelets and in tumor progression
• Kâmil Uludağ at Sunnybrook Research Institute and in the department of medical biophysics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Hardware for advanced 7T imaging of the human brain
• Chen Wang in the department of physics at the Faculty of Arts & Science – New building blocks and architectures to empower superconducting quantum computing
• Jay Werber in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Hollow fiber membrane development for energy-efficient brine treatment
• Nicole Weckman in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and the Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Synthetic biology-based micro/nanoscale sensing systems for antimicrobial resistance
• Daniel Winer at Unity Health Network and in the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Understanding mechanical force effects on immune cell biology
• Daifei Zhang in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – ZPEL: Innovating power conversion for a sustainable future

Read the Oct. 10 CFI announcement

Read the Oct. 22 CFI announcement