Projets novateurs réalisés

A Systematic Design and Hardening of a High-Speed Transimpedance Amplifier in 65nm CMOS

High-speed communication systems used in satellites and advanced physics experiments face a significant challenge: they must be both incredibly fast and resilient enough to survive intense radiation. Often, the techniques used to make microchips radiation-proof also make them slow. This research project aims to solve this dilemma by designing a specialized microchip that acts as the “front-end” for optical signals. The central goal is to study the trade-off between speed and durability systematically. By applying state-of-the-art radiation-hardening techniques and precisely measuring their impact on performance, I will develop a clear design guide that helps future engineers build circuits that achieve the best possible balance of both. This collaboration benefits both institutions by advancing cutting-edge research at Polytechnique Montréal in electronics for harsh environments, while transferring valuable skills and knowledge back to Zewail City of Science and Technology. Crucially, it establishes a new international research partnership, paving the way for future joint projects and student exchanges.

Reinforcement Learning Based Assistive Robotic Arm Control and Path Planning Automization

This project aims to make assistive robots smarter and easier to use for people with limited mobility. Researchers will develop a new type of control system for a wheelchair-mounted robotic arm that helps users complete everyday tasks like grabbing objects, opening drawers, or pressing buttons. Using advanced artificial intelligence, the system will learn through realistic computer simulations how to adjust automatically to changes, such as different object weights or the tilt of a wheelchair, without needing manual fine-tuning. The research will be done in collaboration with Sielo Robotics, an Ottawa-based company focused on creating affordable assistive technology. The results will help Sielo improve the reliability and usability of their robotic arm, making it more adaptable for real-world use. Ultimately, this project supports greater independence for people with disabilities while strengthening Canada’s leadership in robotics and accessibility innovation.

Transportation Optimization in the Forestry Sector

The proposed research project aims to enhance transportation logistics in Quebec’s forestry sector by developing models that incorporate economic, environmental, and social factors. The intern will identify and measure key indicators, including transportation costs, CO2 emissions, and community impacts, using tools such as GIS and expert consultations. These indicators will be integrated into decision-support models to assist forestry sector in making more sustainable and efficient choices. The anticipated benefits include improved resource management, reduced environmental impact, and increased international collaboration between Canada and Mexico.

L2M – BSI Proposal Lukas Grasse

Reverb Robotics provides an end-to-end auditory awareness solution for robots, but needs to validate the industrial market for its product beyond its initial sales to research labs. This project will involve an intern participating in the Lab2Market program to perform customer discovery and test the company’s business-to-business (B2B) assumption. The intern will then work to identify and validate the most promising target customer market and develop a comprehensive sales strategy, sales deck, and business model to target this new profile. The primary benefit to Reverb Robotics will be a clear market validation and a strategic plan to acquire industrial customers, helping to launch their technology into the market.

TRLUP – Aegisnova

The Healthcare Kiosk Project aims to enhance access to timely medical care by deploying self-service, automated kiosks that enable patients to conduct virtual doctor consultations, perform basic blood tests, and collect blood samples for laboratory analysis—all without the need for an appointment. By placing these kiosks in accessible locations such as pharmacies, hospitals, and walk-in clinics, starting with five pilot units across Halifax, the project seeks to reduce clinic wait times, alleviate pressure on healthcare providers, and offer on-demand point-of-care services.

Moderniser l’évaluation foncière commerciale : modélisation des attributs, régressions quantiles spatio-temporelles et approche de nowcasting

Le projet cherche à moderniser la façon dont on évalue la valeur des immeubles commerciaux au Québec. Aujourd’hui, ces évaluations sont souvent basées sur des méthodes anciennes ou adaptées du marché résidentiel, ce qui ne reflète pas bien la réalité plus complexe du secteur commercial. L’équipe de recherche développera donc de nouveaux outils d’analyse capables de traiter automatiquement de grandes quantités de données — comme la localisation, le taux d’occupation ou la qualité des bâtiments — pour obtenir des estimations plus justes et plus réactives aux conditions du marché.

Ce projet est réalisé en partenariat avec CMSD, une entreprise québécoise spécialisée en évaluation immobilière. En combinant leur vaste base de données et des méthodes statistiques avancées, l’objectif est d’améliorer la précision, la rapidité et la fiabilité des évaluations. Ces innovations permettront à CMSD et à ses clients de mieux comprendre les dynamiques du marché et de soutenir des décisions plus éclairées en matière d’investissement et de planification urbaine.

Community Engagement Project

This project goes beyond routine marketing activities by establishing a data-driven, strategic approach to community building and social media platform engagement. The initiative will provide us with the insights, tools, and strategies needed to transform Tribe’s marketing media into an active one. By increasing engagement, we will be better positioned to deliver on Tribe’s mission of supporting racialized entrepreneurs, creating more opportunities for meaningful connections and founder-to-founder collaborations, knowledge sharing, and collaborative growth within the community.

Evaluation of Registered Nurse Prescribing in Ontario

This project, led by Women’s College Hospital’s Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV), will evaluate the implementation of Registered Nurse (RN) prescribing in Ontario. Through focus groups with prescribing and non-prescribing RNs, the project will identify barriers and enablers to adoption, as well as organizational and system-level factors influencing uptake. Findings will generate practice-based evidence to inform regulatory policy, workforce planning, and strategies to support equitable implementation of RN prescribing. This project will provide timely insights to guide policy and practice, contributing to improved access, equity, and sustainability within the health system.

Effet du type d’agent compensateur de retrait sur le comportement des mortiers à base de sable de recyclage

L’enjeu de cette recherche est double : approfondir la compréhension scientifique des mortiers intégrant des sables recyclés et adjuvants compensateurs de retrait et identifier les conditions (type et dosage d’adjuvants) permettant d’obtenir des performances comparables aux mortiers traditionnels. Le manque actuel de connaissances, combiné à la sévérité des normes en vigueur, freine encore la commercialisation de tels matériaux. Une des retombées attendues de ce projet serait de contribuer à l’intégration progressive des sables recyclés dans les référentiels normatifs, au Canada, en Europe et ailleurs dans le monde.

Canadian-based investment product solution for personalized direct indexing of client-specific requirements.

One of the fastest growing product categories in the investment industry in the United States is personalized direct indexing. This is a meaningful innovation that allows client specific requirements to be included in the delivery of investment solutions, such as considering concentrated risk positions held by the client, environmental social and governance related preferences, and the tax situation of the investor. To date, there are only two providers of this capability for Canadian enterprises, and both are US based firms. This project will help PICTON Investments bring to market the first Canadian based solution, and further innovate and expand on the capabilities available to Canadians by implementing Canada-specific considerations that have not been considered by the US based solution providers.

PICTON Investments is positioned to be the first to market, ahead of Canadian firms. They were the first to buy access to technology from a US vendor that is a key part of the workflow. They have a unique combination of talent in place to execute on the project because their Second Engine Division enables them to tap into a group of technologists with the skills needed to deliver this capability at scale. They are also the market leader in Canada for expertise in the specific investment discipline required to create this innovative solution.

They have sourced talent from University of Toronto’s Master of Mathematical Finance program who has strong quantitative expertise and the ability to create scalable and efficient workflows. The intern will create a robust backtest of the proposed solution by working in close partnership with an associate from PICTON’s portfolio construction team, together they’ll create a proposal tool allowing investment professionals to create simulations of the solution specific to an individual’s unique circumstances, and optimize the design of the solution in partnership with senior PICTON stakeholders.

Multi-model platform set-up and development of multi-model framework, integrating new and existing Wealth Management asset allocation models

Picton Mahoney Asset Management (PICTON Investments) was founded in 2004 to provide unique investment solutions to institutional, retail and high net worth investors in Canada and around the world. They are 100% employee-owned and manage approximately $15.3 billion in sub-advisory, pension plan and hedge fund assets on behalf of their clients. The Multi-Strategy Team at PICTON Investments uses various models to determine asset allocation preferences across time during different macroeconomic regimes. The primary objective of this projects is to learn about and set up their existing allocation models for use in a multi-model platform. The updated platform will use Python and integrate into their SQL database. This will allow for models to automatically update and have a report generated to alert users of a new update and the required asset allocation change. The second objective is to develop a Multi-Model framework that can take and integrate the signals from the input models in step one and blend them into one final allocation recommendation. This will also include developing a weighting scheme for the models that will use a conviction signal to adjust each model’s contributing weight over time. Additional levers will be explored to shift each model’s weights, as well as a secondary set that only apply to individual asset classes. The third objective is to evaluate by back testing the new multi-model framework and compare its performance to their existing model. This includes applying their standardized statistical analysis that looks at such performance variables as Sharpe ratio, drawdown and hit rate and well as our existing stress testing platform. The new framework will also be used to create allocation recommendations for 40/30/30 and the Wealth management end uses.

L2M-Reinventing Drug Discovery and Cell Therapy Discovery, Validation and Safety Testing

To improve how diseases are treated, our team has developed a single, versatile platform that supports rapid drug discovery, therapeutic safety testing, and evaluation of cell-based therapies. In the longer term, the same technology will enable the bioengineering of transplantable human organs. Our initial work targets the kidney, pancreas, and lung—organs central to major chronic diseases. Current testing systems for drugs and cell therapies are inefficient and often fail to predict human outcomes, leading to high attrition in clinical trials. Our platform generates living three-dimensional organs that reproduce the complexity of animal models while allowing direct observation and measurement in real time. This provides faster, more reliable results, reduces research costs, and accelerates the translation of new treatments from the laboratory to patients.