This MITACS research project tackles two critical environmental challenges: the costly removal of invasive plants and the improvement of degraded urban soils. Municipalities currently invest substantial resources in removing invasive European buckthorn, which is often burned or sent to landfills, releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Additionally, many urban soils are compacted and lacking […]

Gene therapy is a cutting-edge treatment that can fix or replace faulty genes to treat diseases, but producing the necessary gene delivery cargo, called vectors, is currently expensive and complex. Many of today’s vectors also trigger immune responses in patients, limiting their efficacy. This project explores a new type of vector made from a harmless […]

This project will help improve the way a promising new cancer treatment protein, called Fc3TSR, is made in the lab. Fc3TSR has shown the ability to shrink tumors by changing how blood vessels grow in cancer, making treatments like chemotherapy more effective. However, making enough of this protein for further testing and future use is […]

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is a leading think tank focused on developing policy solutions to address the governance challenges of emerging digital technologies. My proposed research directly supports CIGI’s core areas of digital governance, platform regulation, and misinformation policy by analyzing how extremist and gendered misinformation adapts within the affordances of digital […]

Explore how adversarial bots can help players to progress in the mastery of the game through RL and player modeling.

In this proposed research project, we aim to address the question: How have nutrient levels in the St. Lawrence River (SLR) changed in response to historic anthropogenic activity? The project would aim to: 1) describe the changes in phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations over the past >70 years in the section of the SLR between Lake […]

Gas pipelines play a critical role in delivering natural gas safely to homes and businesses, but failures can lead to serious risks, including gas leaks and service disruptions. This research project aims to develop an advanced AI-powered system for monitoring the condition of gas pipelines. By using machine learning techniques, the system will analyze data […]

Workplace wellness programs often fail to improve mental health due to minimal uptake and engagement. Digital tools for mental health support are becoming increasingly popular; however, work programs are typically delivered through in-person formats and focus on more severe forms of support (e.g., offering leaves of absence) which often results in low engagement from the […]

The Halifax MacKay Bridge is a critical passage for maritime traffic, requiring accurate air gap predictions to ensure safe vessel clearance. This project will develop a machine learning-based forecasting model that estimates air gap values at 30-minute, 90-minute, and 72–96-hour intervals. Using data from the Port of Halifax, including tide levels, weather conditions, and traffic […]

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects movement, much like an orchestra losing its conductor; signals become uncoordinated, leading to tremors, stiffness, and difficulty moving. This happens when dopamine-producing cells in the brain’s substantia nigra die. A major cause of this cell death is oxidative stress, an imbalance between harmful molecules called free radicals and the body’s protective […]

The project’s purpose is to integrate Heliene’s solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with power electronics to create an integrated, high-performance solar module product for residential applications. The resulting AC solar module removes the need for external electronic components such as DC optimizers, inverters, diodes, and rapid shutdown devices. By integrating the external components, overall system reliability […]

Freshwater turtles are one of the most at-risk vertebrate groups, with nearly two-thirds of species facing extinction risk. Nest predation by mammals is a major threat to freshwater turtles, which has resulted in community-based nest protection efforts in many regions around the world, including Nova Scotia, Canada. Although widely implemented, the efficacy of nest protection […]