Supporting emerging research leaders

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship are among Canada’s most prestigious awards for emerging scholars. On May 29, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced a total of 236 awards to support Canada’s next generation of research leaders.

Six Queen’s students and fellows are among this year’s recipients recognized for their exceptional research achievements.

“Canada is a world-leader in research and innovation, and the individuals we are recognizing today are a testament to that,” says Minister Holland. “Their research holds tremendous promise for making our lives better and healthier in a variety of ways.”

Funded through the three federal granting councils – the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), these awards recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional scholarly achievement and leadership in their research fields. Banting Fellows receive $140,000 in funding over two years and are among the highest ranked postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, whose research will positively contribute to Canada’s economic and social growth. Vanier Scholars are supported over three years with $150,000 and recognized their leadership skills and high standard of scholarly achievement in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, or engineering and health.

“We look forward to welcoming this year’s Vanier Scholars to Queen’s,” says Fahim Quadir, Vice-Provost and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. “We are committed to fostering a culture where they can build a supportive community, refine their research, and advance their academic and professional skills to reach their full potential. Their exciting and important research will lead to new ways of thinking and knowledge, guiding us toward a better future for our local, national, and global communities.”

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

NSERC: 
Fanwang Meng (Chemistry – Physical Chemistry): Drug Discovery with Machine Learning: Model Development and Applications

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

CIHR: 
Tashifa Imtiaz (Cancer): miRNA-375 as a Diagnostic and Regulatory Marker in Common Neuroendocrine Neoplasms

NSERC:
Jacob Ewaniuk (Physics and Astronomy – Optics): Large-Scale Entanglement Generation using Quantum Photonic Neural Networks

Sierra Legare (Civil and Mechanical Engineering – Fluid Mechanics): Modelling the Transport of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) by Wind-Driven Turbulence in Lakes

Michael Trolio (Chemistry – Analytical Chemistry): The Removal of Interferences Using a Greener Approach to Sample Introduction in Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Analysis

SSHRC:
Bahar Orang (Interdisciplinary Studies): Understanding the Relationship Between Psychiatry and Policing in Canada: A Critical Genealogy of Acute Psychiatric Care at CAMH

For more information on this year’s recipients, visit the Vanier Scholarship program and Banting Fellowship websites.

Note: This story originally appeared in the Queen's Gazette.