Researchers from the Faculty of Arts & Science are fusing their talent, expertise and passion for innovative research projects, thanks to the Arts & Science Collaborative Research Funding Program.
Launched in 2024, this program provides seed funding to support new cross-disciplinary research collaborations between tenure stream faculty members from across the faculty’s academic units and disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and sciences.
The program supports novel collaborative research projects that advance new ways of thinking about research questions, ideas, approaches and methods, while providing students and scholars with valuable experience in an interdisciplinary research environment.
“Research at the Faculty of Arts & Science is truly worldclass, so it’s a privilege to support and bolster interdisciplinary efforts,” says Stephen Wright, acting dean of the faculty.
“This program enables our top researchers to combine their skills to generate leading-edge research with real-world implications. This year’s projects are fascinating, combining fields such as statistical science and earth science, sociology and philosophy of science and technology, political science and computer science, and other intriguing partnerships. These opportunities span the breadth of Arts & Science disciplines, and enable new and important cross-talk across fields.”
“These exciting projects and their potential outcomes demonstrate the tremendous value of collaborative research,” says Jay Pratt, acting vice-dean of research & infrastructure. “My heartfelt congratulations to all of this year’s recipients who are clearly on the cusp of some very exciting advances.”
2025 Recipients
Jordan Brensinger, Sociology and Karina Vold, IHPST
Neurotech futures: disability, ethics, and society in Canada
This project explores the development and implications of neurotechnologies which interface directly with the human brain to interpret and influence brain activity. These technologies have significant medical applications — from managing tremors from Parkinson’s disease to aiding quadriplegics in regaining mobility.
This study combines methods and insights from philosophy, sociology, and science and technology studies to examine how neurotechnologies evolve from disability-focused solutions to broader cognitive tools.
Through interviews and participant observation, this study explores how stakeholders envision and shape neurotechnologies, addressing the societal and ethical questions that arise before they become deeply embedded in daily life.
Alex Mariakakis, Computer Science and Aaron Wheeler, Chemistry
Automated multi-modal forensic analysis of biological evidence
In today’s justice system, sexual assault evidence is analyzed by a forensic lab which typically takes weeks or months. This project is in collaboration with the Ontario Centre of Forensic Sciences, which identified this as one of the most challenging problems forensic labs face.
Forensic analysis of biological evidence includes cellular analysis and DNA analysis. To address cellular analysis, Mariakakis and Wheeler have developed a patent-pending generative AI model that performs virtual staining of cells.
For DNA analysis, they developed a liquid handling technology that uses digital microfluidics to perform semi-automated DNA analysis of sexual assault samples. The goal of this project is to advance these technologies and integrate them into a prototype.
Semra Sevi, Political Science and Yang Xu, Computer Science
The impact of AI-driven conversations on political attitudes
This project will explore how AI-driven conversations influence people's political beliefs on issues like climate change, conspiracy theories and public policies such as carbon taxes and tariffs in Canada.
The project’s goal is to understand if AI can change people's political opinions and whether these effects last over time. The research will also investigate why AI is effective, looking at factors like personalized content, trustworthiness and emotional appeal.
Combining insights from political science, psychology, computer science and cognitive science, this project will provide a deeper understanding of how AI can impact political discussions, especially in today’s polarized environment. This research has the potential to improve public policy, inform democratic processes, and help address challenges like misinformation.
Sebastian Jaimungal, Statistical Sciences and Andrei Swidinsky, Earth Sciences
Optimizing geological carbon storage with reinforcement learning
This project aims to optimize geological carbon storage (GCS) operations by utilizing a cutting-edge machine learning technique called reinforcement learning (RL). RL is an AI methodology for sequential decision making in complex environments, including those with uncertainty.
RL has already proven successful in solving stochastic optimal control problems in fields such as finance, robotics, industrial processes and games. In a GCS project, decisions on carbon dioxide (CO2) injection must be made in the presence of an uncertain subsurface model.
For example, managers of such operations may wish to maximize the total amount of CO2 stored while minimizing the risk of induced seismicity and/or reservoir leakage. Jaimungal and Swidinsky suggest that the machinery of RL is an ideal tool for the problems they often encounter and will study its potential in this project.
Keiko Yoshioka, Cell & Systems Biology and Shiho Satsuka, Anthropology
From lab to field: Social and technical pathways to sustainable agriculture
This collaboration aims to develop technologies that enhance crop performance, creating a technically and socially informed path to sustainable agriculture. Yoshioka and Satsuka hope to achieve this by utilizing naturally occurring beneficial bacteria of Canadian origin, innovative delivery methods and social studies.
Current conventional agriculture produces significant greenhouse gas emissions which account for over 25 per cent of global emissions.
Synthetic agrochemical production requires large inputs of petroleum-based energy, substantially emitting greenhouse gases. Climate change causes serious stress on crops, promoting further use of agrochemicals. Thus, there’s an obvious need to shift to sustainable agricultural practices.
The use of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria has long been recognized as an environmentally safer alternative to synthetic agrochemicals. However, the use of such bio-stimulants remains under-utilized due to knowledge gaps, regulation and a lack of trust and communication among scientists, manufacturers and farmers. Yoshioka and Satsuka hope to develop scientific and social solutions to these problems through this collaboration.
2024 Recipients
- Al-Amin Dhirani, Chemistry) and Xiang Li, Physics
- New class of plasmonic-enhanced, quantum optoelectronic devices based on metal nanoparticle nanosheets.
- Samuel Akinbo, Linguistics, Comfort Azubuko-Udah, English and Kariuki Kirigia, School of the Environment
- Ecology and oral narrativization in African Indigenous communities.
- John Calarco, Cell & Systems Biology and Haissi Cui, Chemistry
- Visualizing genetic code interpretation in living animals.
- Marsha Chechik, Computer Science and Jason Plaks, Psychology
- Eliciting and operationalizing ethical principles for intelligent systems: a case study with social chatbots.