Canada’s top funding agencies have announced the recipients of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, one of the most prestigious national awards for doctoral students. Five Queen’s students are among this year’s recipients recognized for their exceptional research achievements and leadership skills.

Announced as part of a $960M funding suite, the Vanier program helps Canadian institutions attract highly qualified doctoral students by investing $50,000 per year for three years during their doctoral studies.

"My best wishes to all of the recipients of these grants, awards, and scholarships," says the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health. "The government is pleased to invest in your diverse array of health, natural sciences and engineering, and humanities and social sciences research projects because we know that your ideas, passion, and hard work, as well as the evidence you uncover, are instrumental in improving the health and quality of life of people in Canada, and your findings contribute to the international research effort around the world."

Jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), these awards recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional scholarly achievement and leadership in their research fields. This year, 166 students across Canada will be receiving an investment of $24.9M in funding over three years to support their top-tier research.

"Queen's University is proud to welcome exceptional individuals who were awarded prestigious Vanier scholarships," says Fahim Quadir, Vice-Provost and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. "These remarkable students have earned national acclaim as beacons of excellence, charting a path to a brighter future. These scholars represent the tangible results of cutting-edge research, the impactful expansion of knowledge, and visionary leadership. We are profoundly honoured to be part of their academic journey."

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

CIHR

Dilakshan Srikanthan (Translational Medicine) – Distinguishing Radiation Necrosis from Recurrent Glioblastoma Using Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry

NSERC

Mahzabeen Emu (Computing) – Optimizing Beyond 5G Communication with Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence

Daniel Reddy (Chemistry) – Design, Fabrication, and Testing of a Volumetrically-Accurate Nanoliter Metering Device for Liquid Handling and Microfluidic Applications Coupled with Liquid Microjunction Surface Sampling Probe – Mass Spectrometry

SSHRC

Ahmed Ismaiel (Film and Media) – Saving Goddess Isis: The Crisis of Egyptian Rural Women Breadwinners in the Post-Arab Spring, and Collective Myth-Telling as Resistance Tool

Julia Moreau (Psychology) – Promoting Socioemotional Wellbeing with Indigenous Post-Secondary Students: A Mixed Methods Approach to Evaluate a Mentorship Intervention

For more information on this year’s recipients, visit the Vanier program website. You can also read about Queen’s success in recent SSHRC Insight and Partnership, NSERC Discovery, and CFI JELF grant competitions, in the Queen's Gazette.