UBC Applied Science research awarded over $22M from CFI, NSERC and SSHRC

Aerial view of Main Mall on UBC Vancouver campus — Thirty-nine UBC-led engineering and nursing research projects have received federal funding on work to understand develop solutions to the challenges that Canadians face.

March 13, 2024

UBC Faculty of Applied Science-affiliated research projects have been awarded over $22 million in federal funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Innovation Fund, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance 2022-23, and Social Sciences and Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grants.

This investment into 39 UBC-led engineering and nursing research projects supports work to understand and develop solutions to the challenges that Canadians face, particularly when it comes to climate change and the need to build more resilient, sustainable communities.

CFI Innovation Fund

Two engineering projects co-led by UBC have received over $11 million from the CFI Innovation Fund to help Canada reach its net zero emissions targets and achieve a circular economy.

More than $7.4 million has been awarded to an interdisciplinary team, co-led by materials and manufacturing engineering experts Dr. Ben Britton and Dr. Amanda Clifford, to develop new materials that will enable and support the clean energy transition. The project address three critical areas: building towards a hydrogen economy, reducing and converting carbon dioxide into useful products, and developing more efficient batteries and materials for electrification.

“This project will catalyze our work in the energy sector, provide opportunities to develop and spin out new technologies, train highly qualified personnel, and ultimately support the robust and emerging Canadian clean tech sector,” said Britton.

“Many people are uncertain about how to transition to clean energy – this project is a roadmap to guide us,” said Clifford.

A project co-led by Dr. Orlando Rojas, a professor of chemical and biological engineering, was awarded nearly $3.8 million to develop innovative, renewable bioproducts from naturally abundant plant biopolymers. These plant materials are often considered waste products, but have the potential to help Canada achieve a circular green economy.

CFI Innovation Fund recipients

NSERC Alliance 2022-23

Thirty-four projects led by UBC engineers across both Vancouver and Okanagan campuses were awarded over $11 million in NSERC Alliance Grants in the 2022-23 cycle.

Funding went towards a wide variety of projects around artificial intelligence, developing more resilient buildings and infrastructure, and developing solutions to help achieve a more sustainable future.

NSERC Alliance Grants recipients

Graphene-enhanced natural fiber reinforced composites for protective footwear and other high-performance applications
Yasmine Abdin (Materials Engineering)
$210,592

Crack detection and prediction of RC piers during earthquakes using machine learning and artificial intelligence
Shahria Alam (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$25,000

Toward resilient operation of large-scale systems
Ahmad Al-Dabbagh (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$25,000

Real-time visualization of CO2 electrolysis
Curtis Berlinguette (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
$1,086,160

UV LED Light Controlling Elements for Photoreactor Applications
Kenneth Chau (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$25,000

A novel approach to study occupant kinematics, muscle activity and cervical spine posture in vehicle rollovers
Peter Cripton (School Biomedical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering)
$20,000

Towards Net-Zero Emissions: mechanics, processes and materials to support risk-based well decommissioning
Ian Frigaard (Mechanical Engineering)
$1,200,000

Well Integrity Canada 2030
Ian Frigaard (Mechanical Engineering)
$992,000

Anti-splash additives for reducing pollution and increasing yield with agricultural sprays
John Frostad (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
$25,000

Automated Low-Cost Change Detection of Road Infrastructure Assets Using Remote Sensing and AI
Suliman Gargoum (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$218,900

Modelling and Control for the Advancement of Biologics
Bhushan Gopaluni (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
$201,000

Adaptive Machining of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites Informed by Prior Manufacturing Processes
Xiaoliang Jin (Mechanical Engineering)
$25,000

Development of hydrogen safety codes and standards through a collaboration between UBC and the University of Groningen: Design of reacting flow facilities
Sina Kheirkhah (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$25,000

Thermal modeling of material deposition in melt extrusion 3D printing of fiber reinforced polymer composites
Sergii Kravchenko (Materials Engineering)
$25,000

Physical Limnology of Base Mine Lake
Gregory Lawrence (Civil Engineering)
$576,000

High-performance quasi-solid-state zinc-ion capacitors coupling carbonaceous electrodes with eutectic hydrogel electrolytes
Jian Liu (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$25,000

Multi-Modal ILI Data Fusion for Combined Diagnostics of Pipeline
Zheng Liu (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$100,000

FLEXOVENT: An active metastructure to support artificial ventilation
John Madden (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
$298,350

Public Transit Fleet and Energy Transition: A Road Towards Net-Zero
Walter Mérida (Mechanical Engineering)
$1,492,000

Development of protocols and photoreactors for UV-LED disinfection of indoor air
Madjid Mohseni (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
$256,000

Occurrence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their removal using novel regenerable ion exchange resins
Madjid Mohseni (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
$893,000

Artificial Intelligence for Smart Cities and Intelligent Transportation
Panos Nasiopoulos (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
$300,000

Strengthening Floc Structure During Pressure Filtration of Flocculated Tailings
Marek Pawlik (Mining Engineering)
$20,000

Engineered 3D Microstructures for Automotive Aluminum Extrusions
Warren Poole (Materials Engineering)
$ 400,000

Energy Recovery: Connecting Core Performance to Building Systems
Steven Rogak (Mechanical Engineering)
$134,601

Enhancing Sustainability Performance in Aquatic Centres: A Life Cycle Approach
Rehan Sadiq (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$432,000

Development of iron-biochar amendments for oxidation of toxic contaminants in urban stormwater runoff
Rachel Scholes (Civil Engineering)
$25,000

Bio-mediated treatment of organic soil with fungal strain Penicillium Chrysogenum and wood fly ash
Sumi Siddiqua (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$25,000

Creation of Defect Phase Diagrams for Ordered Laves Phases
Chadwick Sinclair (Materials Engineering)
$25,000

Advanced Sensing Layer for the Selective Detection of Organic Contaminants in Water
Fariborz Taghipour (Chemical and Biological Engineering)
$25,000

Performance-Based Design of Tall Mass Timber Buildings Under Earthquake and Fire Loads
Solomon Tesfamariam (UBC Okanagan School of Engineering)
$120,000

Development of High-Performance Modular Steel Systems for Seismic Applications
Tony Yang (Civil Engineering)
$44,800

Performance Assessment and Enhancement of Reinforced Concrete Elements with use of Welded Wire Mesh
Tony Yang (Civil Engineering)
$635,200

MICRO-BODD: A Miniaturized Intelligent Construction Robot for Optimal Building Operations and Defect Detection
Zhengbo Zou (Civil Engineering)
$1,089,640

SSHRC Insight Development Grants

Three projects led by researchers from the School of Nursing and School of Engineering have received over $200,000.

Researchers’ work includes looking at digital technologies designed for promoting sexual well-being, exploring engagement and citizenship in nursing homes through resident and family councils, and a new approach to exploring and analyzing how the Canadian food industry performs.