The Connaught Fund supports University of Toronto researchers through its ten programs that provide a broad scope of funding opportunities across the disciplines.
Qui AlexanderOntario Institute for Studies in EducationConnaught New Researcher Award 2023-2024 Professor Alexander’s research explores pedagogies of abolitionist praxis in the lived experience of Black trans people and the mobilization of Black trans ways of knowing. Their research and teaching interests include Black trans studies, abolition and transformative justice, queer Black feminist praxis, critical pedagogies and queer and trans youth of colour. Complementing their academic work, they are also actively engaged in organizing, building advocacy, programming development and executing health education for the LGBTQ2S+ community. |
Carolina ArteagaDepartment of Economics, UTMConnaught New Researcher Award 2023-2024 Professor Arteaga’s research studies the effects of experiencing adversity, inequality and marginalization in the microeconomic context of health, education, crime and political economy. Past works include the study of the enduring economic and political effects of the opioid epidemic in the United States. Her research has been cited in policy briefings such as the 2024 CEA Economic Report of the President of the United States and reports from the United States Congressional Budget Office. |
Tayebeh AsadimofarahDepartment of LinguisticsConnaught International Doctoral Scholarship 2022-2023 Ms. Asadimofarah’s research is centered on Iranian linguistics, with a primary focus on the inflection case and agreement systems in Tarqi, a subdialect of Râji language spoken in the Isfahan province of Iran. Serving as a Research Assistant in an initiative called the Linker Project, she is exploring linker patterns across several Iranian languages. She is also working on an experimental syntax project aiming to advance the understanding of syntactic diversity by investigating the linguistics concept of wh-movement in Persian. |
Sergio de la BarreraDepartment of PhysicsConnaught New Researcher Award 2023-2024 Professor Barrera’s research focuses on the low-temperature physics of electrons in quantum materials, particularly in atomically thin materials like graphene. He is interested in how electrons behave and arrange themselves in extreme conditions at fractions of a degree above absolute zero and in large magnetic fields. He aims to understand the emergent phenomena of when electrons act collectively to yield new behaviour at a quantum scale, comparable to when water molecules act together to give rise to waves and tides. |
Amy BiltonDepartment of Mechanical & Industrial EngineeringMcLean Award 2024 Professor Bilton’s research focuses on the innovation of water and energy technology to aid sustainable global development. This includes sustainable aeration technology for aquaculture environments, treatment systems for oil contaminated water, energy conversion for powering sensors using the ocean’s currents and sanitation technologies for peri-urban environments. Throughout her research career, she has partnered with several industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) globally, most notably in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Mexico and Nicaragua. |
Élyse Caron-BeaudoinDepartment of Health and Society and Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, UTSCCommunity Partnership Research Program 2024-2025 Professor Caron-Beaudoin develops transdisciplinary community-based research projects investigating adverse human health outcomes and mechanisms of toxicity from natural gas exploitation in Northeastern British Columbia. In close partnership with local Indigenous communities, she initiated the first studies on the Canadian natural gas industry exploring the health effects of community exposure to environmental contaminants such as asthma and birth complications. The collaboration is now establishing a community-led program monitoring trace metals in traditional, land-based foods |
Maryam FaizDepartment of SurgeryConnaught Innovation Award 2023-2024 Professor Faiz studies astrocytes, a group of cells that regulates neuronal circuitry and communicates with other cells to control the transmission of electrical impulses and the immune response in the central nervous system. Her research focuses on understanding the diversity of astrocytes in disease and development to find new approaches to brain repair. This includes how astrocyte heterogeneity is established in development, its response to injury, the relationship with the gut microbiota and reprogramming it to repair the central nervous system. |
Frank GuDepartment of Chemical Engineering & Applied ChemistryConnaught Innovation Award 2023-2024 Professor Gu’s work focuses on nanotechnology engineering to innovate important advances for medical and life science applications. His leading-edge projects have produced new materials and tools for targeted drug delivery, rapid pathogen detection and passive water treatment. His research impact includes developing mucoadhesive nanoparticles for the treatment of dry eye disease, wastewater treatment technologies that operates through exposure to light and diagnostic platforms for the detection and identification of pathogens using nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles. |
Darren HamiltonFaculty of MusicConnaught New Researcher Award 2023-2024 Professor Hamilton’s research explores the perceptions and benefits of curricular gospel choir programs for students at Canadian postsecondary institutions. His research interests lie in formal gospel music pedagogy, popular music pedagogy, hip hop music education, anti-Black racism in music education and equity, diversity and social justice in music education. He is the visionary and co-author of the national MusiCounts Learn teacher resource, #BlackMusicMatters: Hip Hop & Social Justice in Canada, which engages students in the critical inquiry of social justice themes through Canadian Hip Hop music. |
Devon HealeyOntario Institute for Studies in EducationConnaught New Researcher Award 2022-2023 Professor Healey’s research is grounded in her experience as a blind woman. This is guided by a desire to show how blindness specifically, and disability more broadly, can be understood as offering an alternate form of perception and is thus, a valuable and creative way of experiencing and knowing the world. She is the author of Dramatizing Blindness: Disability Studies as Critical Creative Narrative, and is an award-winning actor and the co-founder of Peripheral Theatre. |
Notisha MassaquoiDepartment of Health & Society, UTSCConnaught Major Research Challenge for Black Researchers 2022-2023 Professor Massaquoi is an advocate for advancement in healthcare for Black communities. She is one of Canada's leading experts in developing equity-responsive organizations, and her research and advocacy have supported Canadian institutions in addressing anti-Black racism and the collection of race-based data. Most notably she co-chaired the Anti-Racism Advisory Panel of the Toronto Police Services Board and was responsible for producing the first mandatory race-based data collection policy for a police service in Canada. |
NerveX Neurotechnologies--University of Toronto Early Stage Technology (UTEST) 2023 Co-Founded by Chief Executive Officer Dr. Gerard O’Leary and Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Taufik Valiante, Department of Surgery, NerveX uses artificial intelligence to automate the generation of comprehensive medical records by integrating real-time medical transcriptions with physiological data collection. Beginning in the veterinary sector, their first product is the NXSCOPE device—a stethoscope attachment that measures animal vital signs to provide diagnostic insights that enhance efficiency and patient care. Looking ahead, NerveX plans to translate their technology into human healthcare to address broader medical applications. |
Mercedes SobersDalla Lana School of Public HealthConnaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellowship Program 2024-2025 Ms. Sobers’ research focuses on mental health disparities among Black people in Canada, with an emphasis on improving mental health service access and outcomes. She leads the Black Joy Art Project, a community-based initiative celebrating wellness and resilience within the Black community. She is passionate about creating equitable, inclusive mental health interventions and her work integrates both academic research and community engagement to drive meaningful change. Through her work, she strives to improve mental health outcomes for historically marginalized and under-resourced communities. |
Brett StoryCinema Studies InstituteConnaught New Researcher Award 2023-2024 Professor Story is an award-winning filmmaker, geographer and writer. Her interests across the fields of documentary and critical theory include experimental cinema and essay films, prisons and abolition, political geography, critical theory, racial capitalism and Marxist political economy. Her films have screened in film festivals around the world including the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival, South by Southwest and Sheffield DocFest. Story’s most recent feature documentary, Union, co-directed with Steve Maing, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize for the Art of Change. |
Jaris SwidrovichLeslie Dan Faculty of PharmacyConnaught Community Partnership Research Program 2023-2024 Professor Swidrovich’s areas of research and practice include pain, HIV/AIDS, substance use disorders, 2SLGBTQ+ health and Indigenous health. He is also studying Indigenous Peoples’ experiences with pharmacy education in Canada as a PhD Candidate in Education at the University of Saskatchewan and recently founded the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada. He is a queer, Two Spirit, disabled, Saulteaux and Ukrainian pharmacist from Yellow Quill First Nation, and is the first and only Indigenous faculty member in pharmacy in North America. |
Tabiat Care--University of Toronto Early Stage Technology (UTEST) 2023 Co-founded by Chief Executive Officer Daniyal Liaqat and Chief Technology Officer Salaar Liaqat, Tabiat is building artificial intelligence to power proactive healthcare tools. Their clinician dashboard and patient mobile app manages efficient clinical workflow and centralizes patient data required for effectively treating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the third leading cause of death worldwide. With low-overhead costs and a turn-key platform design integrated with insurance billing codes, Tabiat improves patient care, reduces readmissions and generates new revenue for providers. |
Lily TakeuchiInstitute of Biomedical EngineeringConnaught PhDs for Public Impact Fellowship Program 2024-2025 Ms. Takeuchi’s public scholarship initiative facilitates educational outreach on complex topics in neuroscience, bringing educational tools to marginalized communities and empowering the public to understand and advocate for personalized care and sex equity in scientific research. The work will result in the creation of a laboratory kit with instructional materials to make neuroscience accessible to those experiencing barriers to STEM education. Her doctoral research aims to improve neurological drug discovery through the development of in vitro models of Alzheimer’s disease using patient stem cells. |
Laura TozerDepartment of Physical & Environmental Sciences, UTSCConnaught New Researcher Award 2023-2024 Professor Tozer directs the IMPACT Lab, a community-based and policy-engaged research group focused on environmental politics and governance to address climate change. She is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist drawing on the fields of geography, environmental science, political science and environmental studies. Her research efforts include the planning and implementation of just, zero carbon and resilient transitions in cities, the politics of transnational urban climate governance and justice in the transition to renewable energy. |