From strengthening health care and food systems to advancing responsible technology use and Indigenous-led water stewardship, University of Guelph researchers and their projects will be supported by more than $5.3 million from the federal government.
This investment is part of more than $168 million in federal funding announced on May 13 in Ottawa by Karim Bardeesy, parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry on behalf of Mélanie Joly, minister of industry and minister responsible for Canada economic development for Quebec regions.
In total, U of G researchers will receive the following funding:
- $4.6M from the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program
- $488,125 from the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) – Exploration stream
- $277,366 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF)
“This investment from the federal government reflects the strength and diversity of research excellence at U of G,” says Dr. Shayan Sharif, interim vice-president (research and innovation). “Across disciplines, our researchers are advancing innovative and collaborative programs that will generate new knowledge in critical areas including human health, food safety, sustainability, public policy and Indigenous-led environmental governance. This support will help drive impactful discoveries and strengthen our capacity to improve life for communities in Canada and beyond.”
“The government of Canada invests in University of Guelph researchers because they are leaders tackling some of the planet’s most challenging issues,” says Guelph MP Dominique O’Rourke. “These Canada Research Chairs and research funding lead to a healthier, more sustainable, more food secure, safer and fairer world and a better Canada. My heartfelt congratulations and my thanks go out to the recipients.”
Canada Research Chairs
The CRC program, supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), helps Canadian postsecondary institutions attract and retain outstanding researchers in various fields, advancing excellence in research and training.
Tier 1 Chairs, recognized as world leaders in their fields, receive $200,000 annually for seven years. Tier 2 Chairs, recognized as exceptional emerging leaders in their fields, receive $100,000 annually for five years with an additional $20,000 annually for first-term Tier 2 Chairs.
Dr. Hai Nguyen, CRC in Health, Environment, and Well-being
Dr. Hai Nguyen, Department of Economics and Finance, Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics will hold a new Tier 1 Chair in Health, Environment, and Well-being.
Nguyen is investigating how major health policies, including national pharmacare initiatives and substance use interventions, affect health behaviours, medication use, access to care and public health outcomes in Canada. Using health economics and policy evaluation methods, Nguyen will examine the impacts of the first phase of national pharmacare covering diabetes, menopausal hormone therapy and contraception medications, as well as public preferences for potential future expansion to high-cost drugs for high-burden conditions such as obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.
His research will also evaluate opioid-related and other substance use policies for their effectiveness, unintended consequences and broader impacts on population health. This work will generate rigorous, timely evidence to inform more effective and equitable approaches to medication affordability, addiction treatment, harm reduction and access to care, while contributing to broader national and international discussions on health policy and population well-being.
Dr. Paula Miotto, CRC in Immuno-Metabolism and Tissue Communication
Dr. Paula Miotto, Department of Human Health Sciences, College of Biological Science will hold a new Tier 2 Chair in Immuno-Metabolism and Tissue Communication. With her CRC, Miotto will also receive $130,532 in funding from CFI JELF.
Miotto is exploring how extracellular vesicles (EVs), small particles released by cells, help tissues communicate to regulate metabolism. Focusing on insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and exercise, her work will advance understanding of how EVs influence blood sugar and fat metabolism in both healthy and diseased states. This knowledge could help identify new approaches for preventing and treating metabolic diseases.
Dr. Daniel Onwude, CRC in Computational Food Systems and Precision Nutrition
Dr. Daniel Onwude, Department of Food Science, Ontario Agricultural College will hold a new Tier 2 Chair in Computational Food Systems and Precision Nutrition. With his CRC, Onwude will also receive $146,834 in funding from CFI JELF.
Beginning with the Canadian fruit sector, Onwude is examining ways to reduce food waste, preserve nutrition and promote sustainable, equitable food systems using a hybrid physics-based, AI-driven virtual modeling approach. By creating a digital twin (virtual replica) of food supply chains, Onwude will track how food moves from production to a person’s stomach in real-time, exploring how factors like climate, storage, transport, processing, retail practices and consumer habits affect losses and nutrient retention along the way. These actionable insights will support more informed decision-making across the supply chain, strengthening sustainability, food security, food system resilience, equity and health outcomes.
Dr. Alana Saulnier, CRC in Technology, Crime, and Public Policy
Dr. Alana Saulnier, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences will hold a new Tier 2 Chair in Technology, Crime, and Public Policy.
Saulnier is investigating how police use emerging surveillance technologies, such as body-worn cameras, drones, predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence, with the goal of enhancing system fairness, accountability, transparency and efficiency. Working together with police and community partners, Saulnier will explore the use of these tools in practice and determine how they affect decision-making, community relationships and policing outcomes. Having a better understanding of these impacts will help inform policies and best practices for responsible technology use by police that serves communities.
Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, will also receive renewed support for her existing Tier 1 Chair in Human Gut Microbiome Function and Host Interactions.
New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration
Led by SSHRC, the NFRF program supports world-leading Canadian-led research. The Exploration stream provides opportunities for researchers to conduct innovative, interdisciplinary research with high-risk/high-reward potential.
Dr. Maria G. Corradini, Ontario Agricultural College
Dr. Maria Corradini, Department of Food Science, is developing a digital twin of Salmonella to enable real-time forecasting of food contamination risks.
Working with Drs. Daniel Onwude and Lawrence Goodridge, the team will use this virtual replica to simulate pathogen behaviour across dynamic food production environments, predicting how Salmonella responds to changing temperatures, processing methods and storage conditions. Outcomes of this research could transform how contamination risks are managed in perishable, ready-to-eat foods, including low-moisture foods helping to improve food safety, protect public health and reduce waste. The project brings together microbiology, chemistry, systems biology, food processing, data science and computational modelling in a highly interdisciplinary approach.
Dr. Beth Parker, College of Engineering
At the request of Sipekne’katik First Nation and the Clan Mothers and Women of Oneida Nation of the Thames (the Yukwanulha Yukwanikuhliyo), Dr. Beth Parker, Department of Civil, Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, College of Engineering, is supporting the co-creation of a scalable place-based methodological framework for water management that braids Indigenous knowledge with non-conventional, innovative Western science.
Through the Morwick G360 Groundwater Research Institute and IndigenERA lab, the Indigenous-led project, supported by Dr. Diana Lewis and senior research scientist Dr. Sophie Bhalla, aims to develop a culturally relevant framework for water governance and risk assessment that bridges Indigenous knowledge with field-calibrated hydrological monitoring of groundwater and surface-water systems informed by advanced monitoring technology. Guided by ongoing collaborations, the project takes a high-risk, high-reward approach by rethinking conventional water risk models through community-led, transdisciplinary co-design.