Dr. Lei Wang's pioneering research uses advanced neuroimaging and computational neuroscience to uncover how the brain changes with age and in conditions like Alzheimer's disease. His work identifies early biomarkers of cognitive decline, helping pave the way for earlier diagnosis, targeted prevention and more personalized care, advancing Baycrest's mission to defy dementia and promote healthy aging for all.

Dr. Lei Wong
Vice-President of Scientific Affairs
Baycrest Academy for Research and Education (BARE)

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's can be treated more effectively at the onset but there currently aren't any rapid clinical tests that provide early diagnosis. Individuals must show significant cognitive and physical deterioration before they receive a diagnosis, usually through spinal tap or PET scan. Our research is changing this by providing a non-invasive test that needs only finger-prick blood or a saliva swab to detect disease biomarkers and can be administered at memory clinics or doctor's offices.

Ravi Prakash
Electrical and Biomedical Engineer and Lead Researcher
Carleton's Organic Sensors and Devices Lab

Dr. Albert Tu, pediatric neurosurgeon and researcher at CHEO, is the captain of the Mind Matters research team and leads innovative work in brain injury and cerebral palsy. His research integrates AI to enhance diagnosis, communication, and quality of life for children and youth with cerebral palsy, while exploring pharmacological and clinical interventions to improve neurocognitive outcomes. His work also advances care for congenital craniospinal anomalies and pediatric brain tumors, driving transformative approaches in pediatric neurosurgery.

Dr. Albert Tu
Pediatric Neurosurgeon and Researcher
CHEO/CHEO Research Institute
Associate Professor
University of Ottawa

Dr. Elaine Wiersma is a leader in collaborative dementia research and support. Partnering with community members like 85-year-old Bill Heibein, who is living with dementia, Wiersma's research has established critical grassroots programs, including the Dementia Café: A Place to Belong and the North West Dementia Working Group. These initiatives provide vital social connections to combat the stigma that often accompanies a diagnosis. Wiersma calls her work "a collective endeavour" to co-create knowledge that empowers individuals with dementia to remain involved in important community work.

Dr. Elaine Wiersma
Chair & Associate Professor, Department of Health Sciences
Lakehead University

Philosophy professor Sandra Lapointe, recipient of the 2025 Trailblazer Award for Innovation Policy, is a driving force in advancing social innovation and science policy in Canada. Through initiatives like the Canadian Collaborative for Society, Innovation and Policy and The/La Collaborative, she has mobilized social sciences, humanities, and arts expertise to address complex societal challenges. Her work continues to connect universities, governments, non-profits, and communities, fostering impactful partnerships and providing students with meaningful opportunities to develop career-relevant skills.

Sandra Lapointe
Professor, Philosophy
McMaster University
Director, The/La Collaborative

Mohawk College researcher Stephen Adams was recently recognized by the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association for novel application of artificial intelligence (AI) to make their collection more accessible. This work dovetails with his ongoing research project "Remembering Their Faces" within the Centre for Emerging Research Initiatives. Supported by NSERC, the project uses AI to identify veterans in archival photographs. The team have detected 225,000 faces, and made 13,000 matches to date, enriching museum archives across Canada.

Stephen Adams
Professor, School of Engineering Technology and Aviation
Mohawk College

With hate crime, extremism and identity-based hostility rising over the past decade, Dr. Perry's research offers essential insight into the forces shaping these trends. Her work informs collaborative efforts across Canada and internationally, deepening understanding of hate and bias and helping communities strengthen their prevention and response strategies.

Through her leadership of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism, Dr. Perry has positioned Ontario Tech as a leading voice in this field, advancing research, guiding public conversations and supporting the development of informed, practical action.

Dr. Barbara Perry
Director, Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism
Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
Ontario Tech University

Lindsey practiced as an advanced care paramedic in urban, rural and northern settings for more than a decade prior to becoming an educator. She currently is a research manager at Sask Polytech and a PhD candidate. She is the principal investigator for the Virtual Interventions and Community Connections for Indigenous Youth (VICCIY) Initiative, which utilizes VR to support the mental health and well-being of Indigenous youth in rural and remote communities.

Lindsey Boechler, PhD(c)
Research Manager
Centre for Health Research, Innovation and Scholarship (CHRIS)
Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Atefeh (Atty) Mashatan is a leading global expert in cryptography, quantum-resistant solutions, blockchain technology and Internet-of-Things (IoT) security. Her innovative work identifies emerging threats critical to cybersecurity and provides sector-specific mitigating solutions. The founder and director of Toronto Metropolitan University's Cybersecurity Research Lab (CRL), Mashatan investigates the threats that stem from the growing adoption of new technology such as IoT and blockchain, and develops new security solutions protecting users' privacy, networks and devices.

Dr. Atefeh Mashatan
Associate Professor, Information Technology Management
Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Quality of Security Framework for Internet-of-Things
Member of the National Quantum Advisory Council
Toronto Metropolitan University

Professor Alexandre Caron and his team at Université Laval discovered a new population of brain neurons linked to the appetite-suppressing effects of drugs like Wegovy. This groundbreaking discovery positions Canada at the forefront of obesity research and opens the door to developing next-generation weight-loss therapies that are safer, more effective, and longer lasting.

Dr. Alexandre Caron
Canada Research Chair in Neurometabolic Pharmacology
Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec - Université Laval Research Centre

Dr. Carolyn Emery is a physiotherapist, epidemiologist, and Canada Research Chair focused on injury prevention and concussion in youth sport. Emery's research informed Hockey Canada's policy disallowing bodychecking in U12 hockey and non-elite older adolescent leagues. Emery chairs the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre and co-leads UCalgary's Integrated Concussion Research Program and the UCalgary Concussion Research Centre, a transdisciplinary initiative integrating research, community-engagement, and clinical practice to reduce concussions and their consequences across the lifespan.

Dr. Carolyn Emery, PT, PhD
Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Cumming School of Medicine
Scientific Director, Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship
University of Calgary

University of Ottawa Professor Xiaoyi Bao is transforming how we monitor and protect the systems we rely on every day. Her pioneering photonics research uses fibre-optic sensing to make infrastructure - like bridges, pipelines, and fibre-optic networks - smarter and more resilient. By analyzing the power, phase, polarization, and spectrum of light, her technology detects stress, temperature changes, and vibrations in real time, helping improve public safety, environmental monitoring, and engineering performance across Canada and beyond.

Xiaoyi Bao
Full Professor
Faculty of Science, Department of Physics
University of Ottawa

Dr. Sebastian Fischmeister is working to safeguard Canada's economic future by bolstering critical infrastructure against the threat of cyber-attacks and developing new security controls that shield against potential threats within the energy sector's vital supply chains. In collaboration with Natural Resources Canada and Defence Research and Development Canada, and as co-founder and CEO of the startup Palitronica, he and his team aspire to translate laboratory developments into solutions, cementing Canada as a cybersecurity leader.

Dr. Sebastian Fischmeister
Professor, University of Waterloo and NSERC/Magna Industrial Research Chair in Automotive Software for Connected and Automated Vehicles

Dr. Christopher Abeare's lab seeks to improve the assessment of sport-related concussion and traumatic brain injury through improving existing assessment tools and procedures and developing new instruments. Of particular interest is improving our understanding of the cognitive and emotional consequences of sport-related concussion and traumatic brain injury in order to improve assessment and treatment methods.

Dr. Christopher Abeare, PhD, C.Psych.
Clinical Neuropsychology
Professor, Psychology
University of Windsor