Innovative Projects Realized

Caractérisation de filtres d’air biosourcés à base de cellulose par la technique d’électrofilage pour la captation de contaminants particulaires

La pollution de l’air causée par les particules fines constitue un enjeu majeur de santé publique et environnemental. Les filtres à air conventionnels, généralement fabriqués à partir de polymères synthétiques non biodégradables, posent des problèmes de durabilité et de gestion en fin de vie. Dans ce contexte, ce projet vise à développer des filtres à air biosourcés à base de cellulose en utilisant la technique d’électrofilage pour la captation efficace des contaminants particulaires. La cellulose, polymère naturel abondant, renouvelable et biodégradable, représente une alternative prometteuse pour la conception de matériaux de filtration respectueux de l’environnement. L’électrofilage permet de produire des réseaux nanofibreux caractérisés par une forte porosité, une grande surface spécifique et une distribution contrôlée de la taille des pores, des propriétés essentielles pour améliorer l’efficacité de filtration tout en maintenant une faible perte de charge. Il propose également une solution innovante et durable pour la purification de l’air, adaptée aux applications intérieures et extérieure.

Décharge nanoseconde dans les liquides : Interaction plasma – surface

Ce projet s’inscrit dans le développement de procédés plasmas pour la synthèse de nanomatériaux et le traitement de surface en milieu liquide.

L’objectif est d’approfondir la compréhension du comportement des décharges électriques dans les liquides, en particulier des liens entre les phénomènes électriques et les transformations qui se produisent à la surface des électrodes immergées. Pour cela, une impulsion de tension très brève est appliquée à l’aide d’un générateur entre une électrode pointe et une électrode plane dans un liquide.

Ces connaissances sont essentielles pour concevoir, par exemple, des procédés de fabrication plus propres et plus efficaces dans un contexte industriel.

AI-Enhanced Personalized Step Detection Algorithms for Older Adults Using Wearable Sensors

Current step-counting algorithms in wearable devices are inaccurate for older adults because they were designed and tested on younger populations. This creates measurement errors that undermine physical activity monitoring for the group that needs it most. This project will analyze accelerometer data from older populations to identify gait characteristics such as cadence, walking speed variability, and movement patterns unique to seniors. Machine learning models will be trained and benchmarked against existing algorithms, with an emphasis on accuracy at slower walking speeds and during real-world activities. Additionally, the project will create a reproducible, open-source analytical pipeline compatible with standard wearable devices used in Canadian research. The University of Saskatchewan will gain advanced expertise in wearable sensor analytics and AI-based health monitoring. At the same time, the Oxford Data Science Institute will extend the application of its methods to Canadian aging populations and digital health contexts. The resulting algorithms will directly support the Gerofit application and improve the accuracy of physical activity measurement for older Canadians, contributing to chronic disease prevention and healthy aging initiatives.

Population genetics of an obligate mutualism: swollen-thorn acacias and their ants

Mutualisms, interactions in which two species benefit one another, are universal. It is estimated that every species engages in at least one mutualism. Mutualisms play key roles in natural ecosystems–providing essential ecosystem services, like pollination and nitrogen fixation–and even influence where species live. Despite their importance, very little is known about how mutualisms influence the genetic structure of populations. To build knowledge in this area, we will leverage the iconic mutualism between neotropical swollen-thorn acacias and their ant mutualists. In this system, acacia host plants house and feed colonies of aggressive Pseudomyrmex ants in exchange for their defense against herbivores. We will sample interacting pairs of acacias and their ants across Panama, where these species are common in dry forest fragments, and sequence their genomes to characterize their population structures. Particular attention will be given to how distance, climatic variation, and land use may contribute to the genetic divergence of populations. This project will strengthen a collaboration between the University of Toronto and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, expanding the networks of both institutions. The project will also constitute a chapter of the intern’s PhD dissertation, and will thereby provide invaluable training, mentorship, and learning experiences.

L2M – SocialEyes: multi-person eye-tracking in real-world, social contexts

Eye-tracking reveals otherwise invisible aspects of human attention, emotion, and social interaction, but current systems are limited by expensive hardware and complex analysis workflows that restrict use to small, controlled groups. SocialEyes is a peer-reviewed research technology that enables synchronized eye-tracking across large co-located groups by aligning multiple data streams in time and space. The system has already been validated in a study with 30 participants and adopted by several research labs in Canada and the United States, with applications spanning classrooms, concerts, museums, film screenings, and other real-world social environments.

This project aims at transitioning SocialEyes from an academic prototype to a scalable commercial solution. It targets at improvements in usability, deployment workflows, robustness across environments, and documentation, as well as clearer validation of customer needs, value propositions, and pricing. The Lab2Market Validate program will support this transition by providing a structured framework for customer discovery, market validation, and commercialization planning. Through systematic engagement with potential users across research, creative, and technology sectors, the project will refine problem–solution fit, test delivery and licensing models, and identify pathways for sustainable deployment.

Motor unit identification during fatigue using high density electromyography

La capacité du système moteur humain à produire et à contrôler la force repose sur l’interaction dynamique entre le système nerveux et les muscles squelettiques. Lors de tâches prolongées ou exigeantes, cette interaction s’adapte afin de maintenir la performance malgré la diminution progressive des capacités neuromusculaires associées à la fatigue.

Ce projet vise à comprendre comment le système nerveux ajuste la commande motrice lorsque les capacités contractiles du muscle diminuent, en s’appuyant sur l’analyse des unités motrices humaines. Les unités motrices constituent l’interface fonctionnelle entre le système nerveux central et le muscle, et leur comportement fournit une information directe sur les stratégies de contrôle neural mises en œuvre en situation de fatigue. Le projet utilisera des méthodes avancées d’électromyographie de surface haute densité (HD-EMG), une approche non invasive permettant d’identifier et d’analyser l’activité d’unités motrices individuelles chez l’humain.

Le stage se déroulera à l’University of Colorado Boulder, au sein d’un laboratoire reconnu pour son expertise en physiologie neuromusculaire et en contrôle moteur. Les compétences acquises seront transférées à l’Université Laval et au CIRRIS, renforçant la capacité de recherche canadienne et favorisant des collaborations scientifiques durables entre le Canada et les États-Unis.

Functional Profiling of Antigen-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies to Define Determinants of Fc-Mediated Immunity

This project will study how different human antibodies help protect us from viruses such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV by working with individual immune cells and producing their antibodies in the lab. The student will grow and purify these antibodies, test how well they bind to viruses, and measure how effectively they activate important immune responses that help clear infections. The project will strengthen collaboration between the University of Toronto and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research by combining Toronto’s expertise in immune system research with advanced antibody analysis tools available in Germany. The skills, techniques, and data the student brings back will support Canadian research on vaccines and antibody-based therapies.

Characterization of coinfections with atypical and typical variants of Melissococcus plutonius

In this project, we will investigate the strain dynamics and antimicrobial sensitivity of the bacterial pathogen of honey bees, Melissococcus plutonius, which causes European foulbrood disease of honey bees.

From Smart Water Narratives to Operational Reality: Digitization and Urban Water Service Delivery in India

This study examines how digital tools, such as household water meters, sensors, and monitoring dashboards, are being used in urban water utilities, and whether they are actually improving everyday service delivery. Focusing on medium-sized cities in India and drawing comparative insights from Canada, the study looks beyond technology installation to understand how governance arrangements, staffing and institutional capacity, infrastructure conditions, and day-to-day operating practices shape what these digital systems can (and cannot) achieve. The project will generate practical insights for utilities and policymakers on when and how digitization can improve accountability, service quality, and public trust. Participating institutions will benefit from collaborative research, comparative learning across India and Canada, and evidence that can support more effective, context-specific approaches to digital water management that are adaptable and scalable.

Vancouver Heritage Shift for a Critical Cultural Landscapes Understanding of Urban Planning History and Future

The intern will assist Heritage Vancouver Society in documenting and evidencing a cultural landscapes based approach to urban heritage planning, consultation and advocacy, using site-based archival research, urban sketching, and the production of companion digital stories documenting sites of cultural heritage value in the City of Vancouver. The research and site visual documentation will be paired with other media and engagement activities to lead to web publication of a series of interpretive digital stories prepared for public exhibition and use by educational and heritage institutions.

L2M – A novel bioresorbable stent design for targeted support and regeneration of coronary artery vessels post myocardial infarction

The goal of this project is to create a next-generation biodegradable coronary stent for people treated after a heart attack. It will provide strong but temporary support to keep the artery open while it heals, then gradually dissolve over time to prevent a long-term implant. It also has a surface coating to speed the formation of a healthy inner lining of the artery, which reduces the risk of clotting and minimizes re-narrowing. The design also targets difficult calcified arteries where current stents can heal poorly and fail late.

L2M – Rapid Fabrication of Cell Sheets for Advanced Burn Care

This project will help reduce the market and adoption risk for our rapid-manufacture, bioactive dermal regeneration cell-sheet technology for complex wounds such as extensive full-thickness burns. Over four months, the intern will speak with key stakeholder to confirm the most important unmet needs, identify the best first clinical use case, and clarify what proof and documentation hospitals would need before they can approve and buy the product. The intern will also translate the product’s technical and preclinical advantages into a clear value story that matters to decision-makers. The partner organization will benefit by receiving an evidence-based business model and a clear, practical summary of what the market needs, what barriers must be addressed for adoption, and what the next steps should be to move the technology toward real-world clinical use.