Innovative Projects Realized

Application of Advanced Oxidation Processes for Removing Emerging Contaminants, with a Focus on Anticancer Pharmaceuticals and PFAS from Water

This project focuses on the removal of emerging contaminants (ECs), including anticancer pharmaceuticals and PFAS, from water using advanced oxidation processes such as photocatalysis and UV-based treatments.It will explore how the molecular structures of these persistent pollutants influence their degradation pathways and the formation of transformation by-products. The internship integrates Concordia University’s environmental engineering expertise with the University of Gdansk’s advanced laboratory facilities to enable systematic experimentation, detailed chemical analysis, and optimized treatment development. This collaboration will improve scientific understanding of ECs degradation, provide the intern with hands-on experience in analytical and experimental facilities unavailable at Concordia, and support the timely completion of the PhD thesis. For both institutions, the project strengthens international research partnerships, produces high-quality data for joint publications, enhances capacity in sustainable water treatment, and fosters knowledge exchange between Canadian and European teams.

Analyzing Driver Reaction Times in Vehicle-Pedestrian Interactions Through Simulator-Based Experiments

The proposed research focuses on improving road safety by studying how drivers react when encountering pedestrians in mixed traffic conditions. While most existing studies emphasize pedestrian behavior, little is known about how drivers respond in these situations. To address this gap, the project will use a driving simulator that replicates a real 5.5 km road section to observe driver actions during simulated pedestrian interactions under different traffic conditions. Key behaviors, such as slowing down, braking, or maintaining speed, will be measured using various performance indicators like speed, braking force, and reaction times. Advanced modeling techniques will then identify patterns in driver behavior, which will be validated through real-world driving experiments. For the partner organization, 30 Forensic Engineering, this research offers valuable insights for accident reconstruction, root cause analysis, and understanding human factors in collisions. These findings can enhance the accuracy of forensic investigations, support expert testimony, and inform the design of safer road environments and driver assistance systems. Ultimately, this collaboration will strengthen evidence-based solutions that reduce pedestrian-related accidents, improve liability assessments, and contribute to safer communities.

Temperature-Dependent Raman Spectroscopic Investigation of High-Performance Bi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O3 -PbTiO3–BiScO3 Piezo/-Ferroelectric Single Crystals

This project aims to develop new high-performance materials that can operate reliably in extreme environments, such as jet engines, nuclear reactors, and the automotive industry. Many modern technologies rely on piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials, which convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa. However, most of today’s materials lose performance at high temperatures, limiting their use in advanced industrial applications.
To address this challenge, the project investigates a promising class of bismuth-based perovskite single crystals. These materials exhibit strong electrical performance and unusual “relaxor” behavior, but the origins of this behavior are still not well understood. Gaining insight into their structure is essential for designing next-generation high-temperature devices.
At Simon Fraser University (SFU), single crystals will be grown and tested to evaluate their functional properties. The project will then continue at the University of Hamburg, where advanced temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy— not available at SFU—will be used to study how the atomic structure evolves with temperature. These measurements will reveal how local lattice distortions influence the material’s electrical response.
This international collaboration will deepen our understanding of high-temperature functional materials, support the development of more efficient technologies, and strengthen Canada’s research capacity in advanced materials.

Mineral chemistry as a tool for exploration – insights from the Kinkaid project, Nevada

This study will investigate the potential to use mineral chemistry to develop vectors around poorly understood Au and Cu mineralization in Nevada. We will combine traditional mapping methods with state-of-theartmineral chemistry techniques to assess the alteration halo around a complex array of mineralized systems. The research will be completed by a master’s students, who will be trained in advanced research methods, making them highly skilled assets for industry, academia, or government surveys. This study has the potential to lead to new discoveries by developing tools that can be used to vector towards mineralisation in covered terranes that can be applied elsewhere within Canada and by Canadian companies working overseas. At a broader scale, the tools generated by this project will help Canadian mining companies enhance exploration efficiency and reduce both the time and capital cost for the discovery of mineral resources.

Organic gunshot residue as forensic evidence

Organic gunshot residue (OGSR) is a trace residue released during firearm discharge. It includes unburned, partially burned, and pyrolyzed components of the propellant (smokeless powder) and other organic substances (stabilizers, plasticizers, flame suppressants). Recently, the forensic community has shown interest in complementing standard SEM-EDS methods for the detection of inorganic gunshot residue (IGSR), with analytical methods that can detect the organic constituents. Unlike IGSR, which consists mainly of microscopic particles released from the primer (i.e., Pb, Ba, Sb), OGSR offers direct evidence related to the propellant formulation. The main components yielding OGSR are the stabilizers, like diphenylamine (DPA), ethyl centralite (EC), and akardite (AKII)), and the energetic explosives, like nitroglycerin (NG)) and nitrocellulose (NC) used in the smokeless powder (SP). In this study, we hypothesize that partially burnt and neat smokeless powders will exhibit different stability and degradation products. Monitoring these products using mass spectrometry methods can expand the scope of current analytical OGSR detection and provide insights into the stability of these residues recovered from forensic substrates (skin, clothing, etc.).

Mining and Modeling Review-Priority Labels in Gerrit for Predictive Review Analytics

Code review is a critical step in modern software development, ensuring quality, preventing defects, and coordinating collaborative work. Large ecosystems such as OpenStack, which is hosted on Gerrit, receive a high volume of code changes every day, making it challenging for reviewers to decide which contributions should be handled first.

In response to this, OpenStack developers use a special review-priority label to indicate which changes are urgent or should be reviewed ahead of others. However, little is known about how consistently this label is applied, how it influences reviewer behavior, or whether it actually helps reduce review delays.

This project aims to study how developers use the review-priority label, understand the patterns behind its application, and explore how AI techniques can support and improve its effectiveness. We will mine OpenStack’s Gerrit data, extract features related to priority signals and review outcomes, and build predictive models that help teams identify when a change should be prioritized. The goal is to provide insights and AI-assisted recommendations that make priority-driven code review more consistent, reliable, and useful in large software ecosystems.

Smart Dream Home – Enhancing Housing Accessibility Through User-Centered App Innovation

Smart Dream Home is a forward-thinking startup developing an innovative mobile application designed to guide newcomers and homebuyers in Canada through every stage of the housing journey—from research and budgeting to purchase and settlement. The organization’s main activities center around designing an intuitive, data-driven digital platform that simplifies the often-overwhelming process of finding, financing, and settling into a new home. However, as a new product targeting a highly diverse and complex user base, Smart Dream Home faces a key innovation challenge: transforming raw ideas about user needs into a validated, user-friendly, and emotionally engaging experience. Traditional market research and product testing are not sufficient to capture the real challenges faced by newcomers and first-time buyers, who vary widely in digital literacy, cultural expectations, and housing priorities. This project aims to address that gap by introducing a structured user testing and customer experience research framework that integrates qualitative and quantitative insights directly into the product development cycle. The innovation lies in developing a continuous feedback and co-creation model where real users are not just test subjects but active collaborators in shaping product usability and emotional resonance. This approach goes beyond typical app development cycles, embedding empathy-driven design and behavioral insights into Smart Dream Home’s technology roadmap. To achieve this, expertise is required in marketing research, UX/UI testing methodologies, data analysis, and human-centered design, alongside strong communication skills to interpret complex feedback and translate it into actionable improvements. By developing this research-driven innovation process, Smart Dream Home will be able to refine its product with precision, increase user adoption, and position itself as a trusted digital companion for homebuyers across Canada.

Westland Insurance – Innovating from Within: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Change & Learning

Westland Insurance is a rapidly growing insurance organization committed to modernizing how learning is delivered, supported, and scaled across a national workforce. As the company expands, maintaining consistent, engaging, and accessible learning experiences has become an innovation priority. Existing learning plans, tools, and LMS workflows were originally designed for smaller teams and now struggle to keep pace with new products, roles, and regulatory requirements. The challenge is not simply updating content; Westland needs a more intelligent, efficient, and future-ready learning ecosystem that reduces administrative burden, improves learner engagement, and supports real-time capability development across the organization. This project goes far beyond routine L&D tasks by focusing on designing new learning automation methods, data-informed content mapping models, and next-generation microlearning assets that increase accessibility and scalability. Solving this challenge requires expertise in instructional design, learning analytics, digital content development, workflow optimization, and creative media tools. Through this internship, the intern will support the development of innovative learning assets, redesigned LMS structures, and modernized support tools that will strengthen Westland’s ability to efficiently train and upskill teams as the organization continues to grow.

OHME! Foods Inc. – Retail Operations Innovation and Process Optimization Project

OHME! Foods is a rapidly expanding Vancouver-based snack company specializing in freeze-dried fruits and yogurt crunches produced locally in British Columbia. As the company continues to scale its retail presence across Canada, it faces the challenge of managing and optimizing the complex process of retail onboarding, launch execution, and post-launch support across multiple grocery partners. Currently, retail activities are handled reactively, relying on manual coordination and ad-hoc processes that create inefficiencies, communication gaps, and inconsistencies between store launches. To sustain growth and ensure operational excellence, OHME! requires an innovative, data-driven approach to systematize and streamline its retail launch process. This project aims to design and implement a structured framework complete with standardized templates, workflows, and tracking tools that will enable OHME! to replicate successful retail launches efficiently and at scale. The initiative goes beyond day-to-day sales coordination by introducing process mapping, performance analytics, and technology-supported retail support models to drive continuous improvement. Solving this challenge requires expertise in business process design, sales operations, and retail analytics, combined with creative marketing and communication skills to bridge sales performance insights with consumer engagement strategies.

Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland – Designing and Implementing Data-Driven Process Improvements to Strengthen Fundraising and Operations

Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland is a non-profit organization dedicated to enabling life-changing mentoring relationships that ignite the power and potential of young people. Through its inclusive programs, the organization empowers female, female-identifying, non-binary, gender fluid, transgender, and Two Spirit youth to build confidence, resilience, and leadership skills. To sustain and expand these vital community programs, Big Sisters relies on dynamic fundraising strategies, donor engagement, and operational excellence that allow the organization to maximize resources and impact.
As the non-profit sector continues to evolve, Big Sisters has recognized the need to modernize and innovate its internal systems to keep pace with increasing data demands, donor expectations, and digital fundraising trends. Current administrative and fundraising workflows rely on traditional, manual processes that limit efficiency and scalability. The organization faces the challenge of transforming these processes into a more data-driven, technology-enabled, and strategically integrated model that strengthens operational performance and enhances community reach.
This project introduces an innovation-driven opportunity to research, design, and pilot new methods of operational improvement and donor management that extend beyond daily administrative tasks. The intern will analyze the existing workflows across fundraising and operations to identify inefficiencies, explore digital solutions such as automated tracking systems, and design frameworks that support data accuracy, faster reporting, and improved decision-making. By developing new processes and tools for cross-departmental collaboration and donor engagement, the project will help Big Sisters build an adaptable and sustainable infrastructure that supports long-term organizational innovation.

Understanding Green Bilayer Dielectrics through Advanced Characterization: A Canada–Finland Collaboration

This project focuses on developing environmentally friendly electronic materials by combining biodegradable polymers with semiconducting materials to develop degradable, flexible, and high-performance organic electronic devices. The work aims to improve device stability and sustainability, contributing to the advancement of green electronics. Through collaboration between participating institutions, the project will promote knowledge exchange in materials design, processing, and device fabrication, while providing students and researchers hands-on experience in sustainable technology development.

Finning – Digital Transformation of Onboarding and Sales Training Systems

Finning Canada is the world’s largest Caterpillar dealer, serving mission-critical industries such as mining, construction, energy, and forestry. As the company continues to modernize and scale its operations, Finning is undergoing two major transformation initiatives: the Finning Foundations Project, which is redesigning the employee onboarding experience, and the Sales Training Transformation Project, which is re-engineering how sales enablement programs are delivered across a distributed and hybrid workforce. The challenge Finning faces is that its legacy onboarding and sales training processes rely heavily on manual coordination, siloed tools, and inconsistent learning pathways, which creates delays, duplicated efforts, and variable employee experiences. With the company supporting thousands of employees across multiple provinces and business units, there is an urgent need for an integrated, digitally enabled onboarding and sales training ecosystem that improves internal efficiency, accelerates time-to-competency, and supports the consistency required for a large, geographically dispersed organization.