Funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada allows UWindsor researchers to pursue their lines of inquiry, says the recipient of a $210,000 Discovery Grant announced Monday. Aaron Fisk, a professor in the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and Canada Research Chair in Trophic Ecology, also received a further $110,000 for a shallow draft boat to conduct work near to shore.

“This funding will allow my research team to study the mechanisms and processes that shape the aquatic ecosystems of the Great Lakes and Arctic,” he said. “Ultimately this research will contribute to protecting the valuable ecosystem services they provide, ensuring Canadians continue to enjoy and benefit from our vast aquatic resources.”

Dr. Fisk’s award was part of $3.5 million for UWindsor researchers announced Monday on campus by Ed Holder, minister of state for science and technology. Those funds include Discovery Grants, Discovery Accelerator Supplements, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships, part of a $340 million commitment to more than 3,500 researchers and students across Canada.

“Our government is providing the right kind of help to push the frontiers of knowledge in science and engineering and ensure Canada’s leadership for years to come,” Holder said. “In so doing, we are developing, attracting and retaining the world’s most talented researchers who carry out the scientific research that creates jobs and prosperity and improves the quality of life of Canadians.”

UWindsor president Alan Wildeman extended congratulations to all the University’s research grant recipients.

“Research and the knowledge it inspires are vital to understanding the world around us and to uncovering ideas and innovations that address matters related to health, the environment, sustainability and more,” Dr. Wildeman said. “I thank NSERC for its ongoing support.”

The Discovery Grants are distributed over five years. This year’s UWindsor recipients include:

• Walid Abdul-Kader, “Optimal Design and Operations of Reverse Logistics Enterprises”

• Percy Brill, “Stochastic Methods and Models in Operations Research and Related Areas”

• Xiang Chen, “Robust and Optimal Control of Physical Systems with Networked Communication Structures”

• Stephan Eichhorn, “Design, synthesis, and properties of self-organizing dyes”

• Robin Gras, “Machine Learning and Individual-Based Simulation for Theoretical Biology”

• Daniel Heath, “Evolutionary Genetics of Early Life History Variation in Salmon: Non-additive Genetic Effects and Local Adaptation”

• Jerald Lalman,“Microbial methane production using intermedeiates produced from the photocatalytic reforming of lignincellulosics”

• Chris Lee, “Understanding Passenger Car-Heavy Vehicle Interactions and Conflicts on Roadways for Developing Proactive Traffic Safety Strategies”

• Jianguo Lu, “Mining Online Social Networks and Hidden Web Data Sources by Sampling”

• John McConkey, “Electron and photon collision phenomena in atoms and molecules”

• Mitra Mirhassani, “Real-Time Signal Processing using Hardware Implementation of Bio-Inspired Systems”

• Xueyuan Nie, “Development of Nanostructured Coatings for Lightweight Materials with Enhanced Properties”

• Sévérien Nkurunziza, “Optimal Inference in model subject to changes and modeling in ecological systems via differential equations”

• Ali Polat, “Petrogenetic and geodynamic investigation of Archean anorthosite-bearing layered intrusion and greenstone belt associations: implications for the early evolution of the Earth”

• Lisa Porter, “Role of Tuberin in Mitotic Progression”

• Luis Rueda, “Integrative machine learning methods for prediction of protein-protein interactions and analysis of the dynamics of interactomes”

• Christina Semeniuk, “The role of behavioural plasticity in shaping the responses of organisms to the cumulative effects of multiple stressors”

• Michael Siu, “Gas-Phase Chemistry of Biological and Metal-Containing Ions”

• Edwin Tam, “Complex Consumer Products, their Impacts on End-of-Life Waste Management, and Extended Producer Responsibility”

• Guoqing Zhang, “Supply Chain Configuration and Optimization for Dual-Channel Commerce”

• Barbara Zielinski, “Activation and connectivity in the olfactory system of a basal vertebrate”

The Discovery Grants Program funds research in science and engineering disciplines to build a broad base of capacity across Canada.