UBC Applied Science research projects awarded $1M by New Frontiers in Research Fund

Research projects led or co-led by UBC Applied Science faculty members have been awarded $1 million through the Exploration stream of the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).

The Exploration stream aims "to inspire high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research" by supporting projects that “bring disciplines together", "propose to explore something new, which might fail" and "have the potential for significant impacts.”

“Research that takes great risks advances the way we think about the issues that impact Canadians," said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, in the federal news release. "The Government of Canada is supporting researchers who are exploring bold new directions that could change lives and position Canada at the forefront of global research and innovation.”

UBC Applied Science-affiliated research projects account for four of the seven projects involving UBC researchers that were awarded funding under the 2020 NFRF Exploration competition, which awarded a total of $14.5 million to 117 research projects across Canada.

The UBC Applied Science-affiliated projects are:

Catcher of the Rye: Spray-on Netting for Increasing Yield in Grain Harvesting ($250,000)
Principal Investigator: John Frostad (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
Co-applicants: Mark MacLachlan (Chemistry); Andrew Riseman (Land and Food Systems)

Laser Ablation Spectroscopy using Dual Frequency Combs for Rapid Ore Sorting ($250,000)
Principal Investigator: David Jones (Physics & Astronomy)
Co-applicants: Jason Jones; Bern Klein (Mining Engineering)

Developing Artificial Trees for Extreme-Weather-Resilient Cities ($250,000)
Principal Investigator: Jongho Lee (Civil Engineering)
Co-Principal Investigator: Feng Jiang (Wood Science)
Co-applicant: Simcha Srebnik (Chemical and Biological Engineering)

Understanding the seasonal impacts of microplastic inhalation on health ($250,000)
Principal Investigator: Sepideh Pakpour (UBCO School of Engineering)
Co-Principal Investigator: Kirk Bergstrom (UBCO Department of Biology)
Co-applicant: Edward Grant (Chemistry)