Innovative Projects Realized

Evaluating Non-Market Investment Benchmarks and Liquidity Premiums in Canadian Pension Funds

Le projet de recherche proposé vise à étudier comment les fonds de pension canadiens peuvent mieux évaluer la performance de leurs investissements, en particulier ceux qui ne sont pas cotés en bourse, comme l’immobilier ou les infrastructures. Le stagiaire fera une revue des études existantes pour identifier des indices de référence (ou benchmarks) qui permettraient de mesurer ces performances. Il se penchera aussi sur la prime de liquidité, une compensation pour les investisseurs qui placent leur argent dans des marchés moins liquides. Ce projet bénéficiera non seulement au Régime de retraites de l’Université de Montréal (RRUM), mais aussi à d’autres fonds de pension au Canada en les aidant à prendre de meilleures décisions d’investissement pour garantir les pensions à long terme.

Remote Patient Blood Glucose Monitoring using rPPG

The project will enable contactless measurement of blood glucose using remote Photoplethysmography (rPPG) technology using patients’ face or finger videos which is a comparatively new artefact. There is a lack of training data and the blood volume pulse (BVP) signal extracted from the videos suffer from a lot of noise resulting in poor measurement accuracy. The proposed research will develop novel signal extraction and noise reduction techniques, new machine learning models to measure blood glucose, and collect new training data to improve the reliability of the methods for remote video-based blood glucose monitoring. The technology can contribute to patient wellbeing by enabling non-invasive blood glucose measurement, improve the quality of remote healthcare provisioning by allowing physicians to remotely check patients’ blood glucose levels, improve wellbeing of the caregivers by simplifying the task, and prevent serious health problems and hospitalization due to improper blood glucose levels.

Stabilisation géochimique des fosses remblayées et ennoyées avec du Bauxsol

Ce projet de recherche porte sur l’étude approfondie des propriétés du Bauxsol™, un produit dérivé de résidus de bauxite, pour améliorer la qualité de l’eau dans les fosses de mines à ciel ouvert. Ces fosses sont généralement remplies d’eau après la fin des activités minières et contiennent des résidus miniers et des stériles susceptibles de libérer des métaux lourds et d’acidifier l’eau. Le projet se concentrera sur l’évaluation de l’efficacité du Bauxsol™ à neutraliser l’acidité et à immobiliser les métaux lourds, comme le fer, l’aluminium et le manganèse, pour éviter qu’ils ne contaminent l’eau des fosses. L’objectif est de proposer une solution durable pour la gestion des sites miniers après leur fermeture, en réduisant les impacts environnementaux à long terme. De plus, le Bauxsol™ présente l’avantage d’être un produit dérivé de déchets industriels, ce qui permettrait de réduire les coûts associés à l’achat de produits chimiques traditionnels, tout en valorisant ces résidus. Les résultats attendus du projet pourraient ainsi offrir à l’organisation partenaire une approche innovante et rentable pour la restauration des sites miniers, contribuant à une gestion plus responsable des ressources et à une réduction de l’empreinte écologique des activités minières.

Smart MLOps: Supporting Machine Learning Pipelines with Drift Detection and Model Adaptation

This project aims to enhance responsible AI in dynamic environments by leveraging data drift detection and model adaptation techniques. By collaborating with IFS Canada, this project seeks to synergize academic exploration with real-world application, creating a dynamic partnership that bridges the gap between theoretical advancements and practical solutions. This project, focused on developing reliable AI solutions, seamlessly aligns with IFS’s core values of innovation and optimizing business processes. Key among IFS’ principles is ‘Trust’. In this collaboration, we commit to reinforcing this value by prioritizing AI model reliability and transparency. Through rigorous validation and accountability, our research aims to create AI models that consistently deliver accurate insights. This mirrors IFS Canada’s ‘Trust’ value, reinforcing their reputation as a dependable provider of enterprise software solutions.

Amélioration de l’analyse de la qualité des semences bovines par cytométrie.

DMV GénétiQ est une PME qui œuvre dans le domaine de la reproduction animale spécifiquement en exploitant un centre de récolte de semence de taureaux. Ses activités se résument en la récolte, la congélation, le sexage de la semence ainsi que la vente au niveau local et international. Chez DMV GenetiQ, les taureaux sont des sujets génétiquement supérieurs qui transmettent leurs qualités à leur progéniture, ce qui se traduit par une augmentation des performances à l’intérieur des troupeaux où leur semence est utilisée. La congélation de la semence de taureaux demeure un défi important et les résultats de nos recherches antérieures nous ont permis de mettre au point des procédés de cryopréservation améliorés. Nous voulons poursuivre sur cette lancée, en évaluant l’effet du plasma riche en plaquettes sur certaines structures précises des spermatozoïdes ainsi que sur leur motilité. La recherche au niveau de notre entreprise est d’une importance primordiale. C’est un domaine dynamique et en constante évolution et les avancées qui en découlent nous permettent de développer de nouveaux procédés et/ou produits. La recherche agit comme un moteur d’innovation et se veut un levier incontournable pour la croissance d’une entreprise.

CLIMB: Co-operators LLM-driven Interface to MLOps for Business

Machine Learning (ML)-based software quickly becomes complex due to being developed by multiple teams using different programming languages, with documentation stored in various locations. This complexity introduces communication and collaboration challenges, specially due to the fact that Co-operators Business Intelligence department manages over 1,150 assets, which includes ML models, APIs, databases, and more. The current tool for centralizing information, BAM PowerApps, suffers from performance issues, which limits its adoption by developers. Consequently, when maintaining and integrating code into ML projects, developers still face challenges in finding information and documents from other teams. The objective of the project is to compare the User Experience (UX) of using the Co-operators’s BAM PowerApps interface against the proposed CLIMB Chatbot for finding relevant information. This chatbot tool applies advanced AI techniques, such as Large Language Models and Retrieval-Augmented Generation, to find information quickly and easily across multiple document. If the CLIMB Chatbot demonstrates superior usability and faster query resolution, the BI department can streamline operations, reduce time spent search for information, enhance cross-team collaboration, and prevent duplicated work. This efficiency gain will allow developers to focus on higher-value tasks, resulting in improved productivity.

The Discourse of Decentralization: Understanding the Influence of Political Competitionand Development Outcomes In India

Lokpriy is studying decentralization policies in the developing world, with a primary focus on India. His research topic is “Three Essays on Discourse of Decentralization: Understanding the Influence of Political Competition and Development Outcomes in India”. His research focuses on, examining the global political and economic context for decentralization and how the different components of political competition and decentralization impact public policy outcomes in India. He is particularly interested in the interaction of political competition and governance at the national and sub-national levels. Of particular importance are the ideas of emerging political competition, the development of new political parties and the interplay of political and governance institutions in determining the shape and nature of decentralization. The ultimate purpose of the study is to explore, within the context of a rapidly developing nation, how political competition affects public service delivery and, ultimately, the quality of public policy and policy outcomes/

Desjardins-Rotman: Predicting Contributing Factors To Premium Leakage

Desjardins Insurance is a subsidiary of Desjardins Group and provides a broad spectrum of insurance products and services. This includes life insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, and various other types of coverage. It’s known for its strong presence in the Canadian insurance market and its commitment to customer satisfaction.

Our organization has been successful at identifying past instances where we collected the wrong client information regarding its automobile insurance policy leading to premium inadequacies and leakage. This can come from many different sources, including a simple misunderstanding of insurance processes all the way up to insurance fraud. Although we are able to timely flag policies that are most likely to have the wrong information and cause leakage, we still haven’t developed predictive models to better understand the contributing factors that can lead to this leakage. By providing a combination of different data sets and the indicator about a policy being flagged or not for leakage, we are expecting the Rotman students to use predictive analysis techniques to help us figure out which variables strongly contributes to having a policy being flagged or not. This information will equip leadership in many ways, as such – navigating decisions and will provide overall benefits from a performance lens, enhancing business practices, and behaviours that contribute to sustainable growth.

Neurodiversity in the Workplace

This project aims to promote workplace inclusivity by addressing the specific challenges and opportunities associated with neurodivergent employees. Through the development of a toolkit, we will support our partner, CPHR Alberta, by providing HR professionals with actionable strategies, tools, and programs designed to foster inclusive work environments. Key focus areas will include recruitment, retention, policy development, and specialized training for neurodiversity. By bridging knowledge gaps and offering resources tailored to the needs of neurodivergent individuals, this project will equip HR professionals to drive innovation, improve retention rates, and uphold the highest standards of ethical, inclusive human resources practices.

Globalink research award: Thematics call

Herein, we propose the lead optimization of novel antitubercular quinolone compounds targeting the DprE1 enzyme; an important enzyme in Mtb cell wall biosynthesis. The previously synthesised compounds exhibited sub-micromolar activity against the wild type (H37Rv) Mycobacterium (Mtb) strain. The lead compound in the series further exhibited activity against resistant fluoroquinolone Mtb strains and it binding affinity proved to be similar to the current DprE1 suicide inhibitors drugs. Unfortunately when the the ADME properties of these compounds were evaluated, they displayed poor aqueous solubility and metabolic stability. Thus, we herein propose optimization of the previously identified molecules by appending different groups at C-3 of the quinolone nucleus to improve aqueous solubility and metabolic stability.

Relentless support: Defining a Métis career development model

The Gabriel Dumont Institute Training & Employment (GDITE) project aims to formalize its innovative “Relentless Support” career development model, which focuses on Métis strengths, community-based development, and cultural alignment. Unlike traditional, individualistic career development models, GDITE’s approach emphasizes reciprocity, joy, and long-term local workforce sustainability. This project will document the fluidity and success of the model, creating resources and best practices that can be shared with other organizations. By defining and articulating the model, GDITE will enhance its ability to serve Métis communities while contributing to the broader development of Indigenous career support frameworks.

Development and testing of canine and human positioning devices for phase contrast CT imaging at the Canadian Light Source Synchrotron

The purpose of this research is to develop improved diagnostic and treatment tools for prostate cancer in humans through the use of a canine (dog) model and a synchrotron-based x-ray source for imaging and therapy at the Canadian Light Source (CLS). Novel techniques in synchrotron x-ray imaging, specifically in-line phase contrast CT (PC-CT), will be explored as a valuable method for research and clinical imaging of spontaneous canine prostatic diseases as a model for human diseases. This intern project will aid in the investigation of prostate disease by developing protocols and tools for PC-CT imaging of dogs and humans. This includes the development of a canine positioning device so we can perform PC-CT imaging of dog prostates on live animals, and to image the prostate of a human cadaver using PC-CT through the development of a human positioning device. We believe that successful completion of the aims of this study will pave the way for greatly improved imaging of the changes in the prostate gland, including cancer in humans