Innovative Projects Realized

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.

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.

AI Integration in Next-Generation Cybersecurity Operations

The University of Guelph and eSentire are partnering to improve how cybersecurity teams use AI. The project focuses on:
– Securing AI-generated code – Identifying and fixing new types of security risks introduced by tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot.
– Enhancing Security Operations Centres (SOCs) – Automating repetitive analyst tasks so teams can focus on critical threats.
This work will help Canadian organisations detect threats faster, reduce breach risks, and create new high-skill cybersecurity jobs. Two Mitacs interns will gain practical experience working with industry and academic experts on cutting-edge AI security solutions.

Councils of AIs: A Multi-Agent Approach to Strategic Decision Support with Large Language Models

This research project develops an innovative approach to decision-making assistance by leveraging teams of AI-based agents, known as “councils of AIs”. These councils utilize large language models to collaboratively provide strategic advice and support for complex managerial decisions. The project aims to significantly improve the quality and effectiveness of strategic decision-making processes within organizations. The research will advance our understanding of effective human-AI collaboration, potentially leading to improved decision-making practices across various industries and public sectors, ultimately benefiting the broader community.

SSE MBA – QV Studio – Team Shirin

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.

Optimization of porewater extraction techniques to evaluate thiosalts formation and mobility in unsaturated tailings

Large volumes of mineral waste are inevitably generated as mineral resources are critical for economic development, technology innovation and energy transition. Tailings storage facilities (TSF) store mineral waste that initially remain exposed to precipitation and atmospheric conditions. This leads to a series of geochemical reactions releasing dissolved constituents in tailings porewaters. Hydrogeological conditions play a key role in controlling tailings moisture content, oxygen diffusion, and the subsequent mobilization of dissolved constituents in tailings. In particular, sulfide minerals undergo oxidation in surface and partially saturated tailings, releasing metastable reduced S intermediates called thiosalts. Thiosalts can further oxidize to sulfate; however, this process increases porewater acidity with the release of protons (H+). The latent acidity of tailings porewaters in relation to elevated concentration of thiosalts represents a challenge for the mining sector which needs to be properly assessed for mine reclamation planning. This project aims at closing knowledge gaps on the formation and mobility of thiosalts in the active layer of TSFs undergoing freeze-thaw periods. Results from this study are beneficial for the partner and the mining sector working with Canada’s critical minerals, providing knowledge of the reactivity and S cycling within TSF under Arctic climate conditions.

Full Stack Internship

PopIn is a mobile platform that helps people discover and connect with others at live events and local venues. Whether someone is at a networking mixer, tech meetup, or community event, PopIn shows who’s around, what they’re up for, and who wants to meet — making real-world connections easier and more inclusive.

This internship will focus on advancing PopIn’s technical development and preparing the platform for broader pilot testing. The intern will work on intelligent attendee matching, event engagement insights, real-time notifications, and deployment of a fully functional app. This project contributes to solving modern challenges around social isolation, community-building, and event engagement through mobile-first technology.

Identification of distinct regulatory mechanisms of circadian transcription programs across the circadian neuronal network.

Behavioural disorders are linked to circadian rhythm disruption. Circadian rhythms are behavioural responses to daily environmental changes, like light/dark cycles. Such behavioural responses are regulated by circadian clocks, which are biochemical time keeping machines that control the daily expression of several hundred genes. There is a circadian clock hypothesis of behavioural disorders that offers a framework to understand behavioural disorders, but how they are linked to each other is unknown.

Mutations in circadian clocks that cause behaviour problems also cause the several hundred circadian-regulated genes to oscillate with different amplitudes, phases and periods in different brain cells. This means that the oscillating genes become uncoupled from each other, because the oscillations all look different. We think that this uncoupling causes behaviour disorders. For a single mutation to cause such differences in gene expression can only be explained by differences in the regulatory proteins made in different brain cells. We will identify the regulatory proteins that act on the circadian clock in the different brain cells using unique methods that we developed. Once we identify the regulatory proteins in different brain regions, we have an opportunity to intervene with these proteins to realign uncoupled gene oscillations, hoping to restore behavioural disorders.

Fundamental understanding of brewing phenomena and shelf-life extension of single-serve coffee – Year two

Brewing of premium coffee in single-serve capsule is challenging due to many design and machine constraints.
Moreover, parameters that affect the brew quality are not fully understood. By collaborating with Mother Parkers Tea
and Coffee Inc., this project will systematically evaluate the brewing parameters on the physical and sensorial
properties of drip and espresso coffees. Building upon the increased understanding of the single-serve brewing
process, and the research findings derived from a previous collaborative project with the industrial partner, novel
methodologies will be developed to enhance the quality of coffee brew, through applying creative designs on capsule
and brew system, as well as exploiting spent coffee ground – a significant by-product generated by the coffee
industry. Single-serve coffee capsule products have witnessed considerable growth over the past few years. Findings
from this project will allow the industrial partner to differentiate their products from those of their competitors.