Innovative Projects Realized

Investigating food web rewiring under drought

Human activities are modifying the planet in many ways, via climate change, land use change, and environmental contamination. This is accelerating species extinction across the tree of life. Safeguarding biodiversity requires an accurate understanding of how nature is organized—species interact with each other in complex networks, such as when a predator consumes a prey, or a pollinator visits a flower. If one species disappears from the system—or begins behaving in novel ways—this can have a ripple effect across the network. This project investigates how climate change rewires ecological networks due species extinctions and novel predatory behaviour. This project will use an emergent method, amino acid stable isotope analysis, to robustly measure dietary shifts, and document the resilience of biodiversity to drought intensification in a biodiversity hotspot.

Feasibility and Usability Testing of a Digital Reminiscence Platform

This project will test and improve Voiced Memories, a Canadian-made digital storytelling tool designed for older adults and caregivers. The platform allows people to pair personal photos with recorded voice stories, creating “digital memory galleries” that can be revisited, shared, and used to spark conversation. The research will take place in two settings: Memory Cafés powered by Voiced Memories, group storytelling sessions in community or care settings. Home use, where individuals or families use the platform on their own to share family memories. An intern will work with older adults, caregivers, and program facilitators to see how easy the platform is to use, how it makes people feel, and how it can best be delivered. Feedback will be gathered through observation, surveys, and short interviews. The results will help the company refine the design and features, improve training for facilitators, and strengthen delivery for both group and home settings. By making storytelling more accessible and enjoyable, the project aims to help older adults stay mentally active, emotionally connected, and socially included, while positioning Voiced Memories for wider adoption in Canada’s healthy aging sector.

Developing a newly tunable Phase-Mask Interferometer for Fiber Bragg Grating inscription

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) have attracted considerable interest in the past three decades as a key technology in different applications. The intention of this project is to develop a FBG writing technique based on a scanning tunable Phase-Mask Interferometer using different UV lasers. The project includes optimizing the tunability of the interferometer, and analyzing the specific problem situations encountered in the process in order to develop the interrogation methods of the proposed technique. The candidate will improve the flexibility and the ease of use of the device to fabricate different types of FBGs and to adapt many FBGs based applications. Also, the candidate will design the strategic planning of the product to the particular circumstances. The project helps the partner to offer a wider selection to the target customers taking particular pride in more efficient services such as special orders as well as a stable, and knowledgeable sales.

Sunless Tanning Product Development – Spa Dent – F2025

SD will be undertaking a large development project for new sunless tanning products. This will involve the formulation, sample preparation, brand approval, assay method development, and stability testing of 15 products. An expertise in chemistry, formulation, and cosmetics would allow for SD to develop these products for sale in the North American market in the timeline presented. There are 15 unique sunless tanning formulas that are to be developed over a 12-week period. These formulas include 6 tanning drops, 3 tanning mousses, 4 hydrating lotions, and 2 tanning sprayers. A successful internship will result in the development of 15 new sunless tanning products. These products will allow for SD to expand within the North American market. A successful internship will also have the intern play a pivotal role in developing both analytical testing methods, as well as innovative manufacturing procedures alongside the R&D Manager and Production Engineering team. This project will bring additional manufacturing opportunities to the Canadian market through the creation of new Canadian sunless tanning products as part of a partnership with a brand that distributes across North America. This project will support SD further expanding in both the domestic and international markets, with a potential growth into European markets with these products after the conclusion of this project. As part of this project, SD aims to enhance their productivity and rapidly grow their manufacturing capabilities of sunless tanning products. SD aims to accomplish this through the development of improved manufacturing processes for the products developed as part of this project.

Horizon Business Analytics Internship

Interns will work within the Business Analytics team to build and optimize reports and dashboards to monitor performance indicators related to the Health network

AI-Assisted Information Retrieval for Network Operations Centres

This project aims to make it easier for people to access valuable information stored in complex company databases—without needing to know technical coding languages like SQL. Today, many employees and customers can’t easily search these databases because doing so requires specialized skills, which creates delays and extra training costs. Our research will explore ways to use advanced artificial intelligence, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), to let users simply type questions in everyday language and receive accurate answers directly from the database. We will focus on improving both the accuracy and reliability of this “Text-to-SQL” technology so that it works consistently in real-world settings. For the partner organization, this means faster access to information, more efficient workflows, and the ability for a wider range of staff and customers to make data-driven decisions. In the long run, this project can help the company save time, lower costs, and create tools that can benefit many other industries facing similar challenges.

Technical Interns working within cross functional teams to commercialize AI-powered solutions in the Agriculture Tech industry

AltaML builds artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled solutions to business problems. We work with organisations, bringing together their data and domain expertise with our AI expertise, to develop AI solutions that are deployed in their operations. We also commercialize AI-enabled products business via industry-specific ventures, yielding scalability from our investment in the first solution. AltaML’s Venture Studio is an incubator program that works with founders and co-founders in the emerging tech industry to scale ideas, build venture products, and launch AI/ML startups across numerous industries; this includes our venture partners at Brilliant Harvest who are striving to innovate the Agriculture Technology space.
The interns listed (Chase Lloyd, Divit Singhal, and Zongxin (Galvin) Liu) on this particular application will be working directly alongside one of our Venture Partners, Brilliant Harvest, to further develop and optimize the ‘Performance of their AI Assistant,’ where they will look to innovate and revolutionize the technology in the AgTech industry:
? Focus: The focus of this project will be the ongoing effort to enhance the application stack by expanding on its features, increased leverage of our AI Assistant. This involves improving the data ingestion pipeline for better AI Assistant performance and overall usability improvements removing friction for end users. Chase will be working in a variety of areas in the stack such as the FE apps, BE integrations and our AI assistant development.
? Value: With numerous and varying kinds of documentation floating around the industry, this can make it difficult for those in the industry to accurately and efficiently find the information they need. This includes operating manuals, policy documents, product specifications, and everything in between, when it comes to documentation in the Agriculture industry. By being able to train the model to be able to analyze and classify these documents, the value of this solution comes with the newfound ability of those in the industry, to be able to quickly find answers and information related to their most pressing needs. Further, optimizing how the AI Assistant interacts with the end user reduces friction and increases the value of service overall.

Quantum Machine Learning for Sustainable Aerial RIS-ISAC Networks: Minimizing Electromagnetic Exposure through Intelligent System Design

This research project explores the use of quantum machine learning (QML) to optimize aerial reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted networks that integrate sensing and communication (ISAC). The goal is to enhance the sustainability and efficiency of these advanced wireless systems by intelligently minimizing electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure. By leveraging quantum-enhanced algorithms, the project aims to design next-generation aerial ISAC networks that are both environmentally conscious and technically robust, contributing to the development of safer and more adaptive wireless infrastructures.

Bourse de stage de recherche à l’Université de Sherbrooke

« Optimisation du couplage magnétomécanique pour les technologies quantiques ». Dans
le groupe, nous travaillons sur l’optomécanique en régime microonde en utilisant une interaction
magnétomécanique. Cette interaction permet d’obtenir un couplage record entre un résonateur
microonde et un système micro- mécanique. Dans le contexte de ce projet, vous aurez l’opportunité
d’explorer différentes approches, telle que l’utilisation d’aimant doux, afin de mieux contrôler le
champ magnétique lié au système mécanique. L’objectif est d’obtenir un fort couplage tout en
maintenant d’excellentes propriétés de cohérence du circuit microonde. Une approche alternative
basée sur l’utilisation de supraconducteurs pourra aussi être explorée. Ce stage touchera à la
physique de l’électrodynamique quantique des circuits (une branche ‘microonde’ de l’optique
quantique) et l’optomécanique quantique, incluant des aspects expérimentaux et techniques avec
des aspects de la théorie de l’optique quantique et de l’optomécanique.

SSE MBA – QV Studio – Team Vahid

The MBA intern will support a quantum startup currently incubated at Quantum Venture Studio (QV Studio), a venture studio dedicated to turning academic research in quantum technologies into viable startups. Over the four-month internship, the intern will work closely with the startup team to help build a clear and realistic three-year roadmap, including business milestones, market development, team needs, and funding strategy. This project will allow the intern to apply strategic planning and analytical skills in a deeptech context, while providing the partner organization with valuable structure and business support during a critical early stage.

Communications Plan – Madhu Verma Migrant Justice Centre

The Madhu Verma Migrant Justice Centre’s main program is operating a migrant worker legal clinic that assists migrant workers in accessing legal aid and social services in New Brunswick. We also coordinate the NB Sanctuary Network that connects precarious-status migrants with social services. Our legal clinic is innovative in that the services we provide are done so virtually, which better meets the needs of the migrant populations we serve who are mostly found in rural areas and spread out across the province and have challenges with transportation. Operating virtually also avoids some of the administrative tasks and costs that come with operating in a physical environment, which is important given the Madhu Centre currently does not have core funding and relies on project-based funding.

This project will address challenges that have arisen in relation to our digital infrastructure, namely, enabling various databases to effectively communicate and meet both the short-term and long-term mission of our centre, which involves advancing migrant justice and supporting migrants with precarious status in New Brunswick, including migrant workers, refugee claimants, international students, and people with irregular immigration status. The interns will be expected to lead innovations in our internal and external communication channels that further our mission of a more equitable New Brunswick and Canada.

Business Development Internship

Foodiepages is a leader in premium, customizable corporate gifting, connecting Canada’s most impressive companies with thoughtful, small business–sourced gifts. The Business Development Intern will work closely with our Head of Sales to qualify leads, excite prospects, and clearly differentiate our offering in the marketplace. This role will focus on increasing conversion rates, optimizing lead flow, and driving revenue by generating and nurturing high-quality prospects – primarily through targeted email campaigns. By playing a key role in shaping first impressions and showcasing why Foodiepages is a cut above, the intern will directly contribute to business growth and strengthen our position as the go-to partner for values-driven corporate gifting.