Half a dozen Simon Fraser University research projects—from brain scanning for concussions to simulating wind turbines for energy—will benefit from more than $1 million in funds from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

The CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (formerly the Leaders Opportunity Fund) is providing $ 48.4 million to 37 universities across Canada. Another $14.6 million will go towards operating support through the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund.

The Hon. Greg Rickford, Minister of State (Science and Technology) made the announcement today at SFU’s Burnaby campus.

The funds go towards acquiring infrastructure to enable research and provide enriched research training. The researchers are recognized leaders in their field or emerging future leaders.

“As Canada’s ‘engaged university,’ and as a leader in knowledge mobilization and research impact, we at SFU are delighted to be hosting this announcement,” said SFU President Andrew Petter.

SFU Vice-President, Research, Mario Pinto added: “This funding enables researchers to take their programs to the next level, and train students on the latest tools and techniques, ensuring that Canada maintains its world-class reputation for research and innovation.”

Researchers to share in today’s funding announcement include:

Ryan D’Arcy, an SFU professor and neuroscientist whose portable brain scanner could soon be used to detect brain injuries such as concussions remotely, including at hockey rinks. D’Arcy, who holds a research chair at Surrey Memorial Hospital, will use new CFI funding to help establish his medical imaging lab at the hospital, where it will serve as a cornerstone to Surrey’s new health sciences initiative Innovation Boulevard. His emphasis is on the translation from critical care instruments to point-of-care technologies for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Krishna Vijayaraghavan, an assistant professor in the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering (MSE) at SFU’s Surrey campus will establish the Advanced Nonlinear Control Laboratory for Clean Energy Technology (ANCLCET). Vijayaraghavan’s focus on wind energy will bring new research capacity to SFU with infrastructure to simulate wind turbines and smart grids or wind turbine drivetrains.

Uwe Glässer, a computing science professor, will create a new secure-High Performance Computing Laboratory (sHPC lab) at SFU. It will enable Glasser and SFU criminologists Patricia Brantingham and Martin Andresen to store and analyse large volumes of crime data entrusted by agencies such as the RCMP and Vancouver Police Department. The research will look at areas such as organized crime, cybercrime, border security, and drug and human smuggling and help in developing policy on mitigating risks from crime and terrorism.

Janet Marontate, an associate professor in the School of Communication, will create a facility for digital cultural heritage research. Together with Kate Henessey in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT), researchers will address the need for strategies to document, preserve and control access to cultural heritage resources in art worlds and Indigenous communities, including developing protocols and content management systems.

Damon Poburko, an assistant professor in the department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology (BPK), will acquire infrastructure to further his cardiovascular physiology research program. Poburko’s research aims to identify early molecular changes in blood vessels that promote high blood pressure/hypertension.

Matthew White, an associate professor in BPK, will establish a new climatic chamber in the Laboratory for Exercise and Environmental Physiology. It will enable him to carry out research on human cardiorespiratory and thermoregulatory responses at tightly controlled temperatures. The lab will have the capacity to study human function in a wide range of simulated extreme environments, and contribute to developing health care and safety management policy for those working in extreme climates, such as search and rescue operations.

Simon Fraser University is consistently ranked among Canada's top comprehensive universities and is one of the top 50 universities in the world under 50 years old. With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey, B.C., SFU engages actively with the community in its research and teaching, delivers almost 150 programs to more than 30,000 students, and has more than 125,000 alumni in 130 countries.

CFI release: http://at.sfu.ca/noenjH

Photos: http://at.sfu.ca/leVXjV

Story credit/ SFU Public Affairs and Media Relations