Supporting Big Ideas: 15 StFX faculty among federal research funding announcement

Congratulations to the 15 StFX faculty members who were among the successful research funding recipients announced today by the Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.  

Minister Champagne announced investments of more than $635 million in science, research and engineering to support more than 4,800 lead researchers and their teams during a zoom announcement held from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. 

The announcement included:
• The recipients of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grants, Partnership Development Grants, Insight Grants and Insight Development Grants (last year’s cohort), supporting more than 1,315 research projects across Canada.
• The latest cycle of Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program announcement of 156 new and renewed chairholders at 36 institutions across Canada.
• The recipients of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grants, including NSERC’s largest one-year investment in fundamental research, awarded to more than 2,000 recipients.

“I would like to congratulate all StFX recipients of federal tri-agency grants as part of today's announcement by Minister Champagne,” says Dr. Richard Isnor, StFX Associate Vice President, Research and Graduate Studies. 

“The success of our researchers in the 2020 NSERC discovery grant competition and the 2020 SSHRC program competitions was outstanding and several StFX applications ranked at the top or near the top of their competitions. Several StFX researchers have received their first very first tri-agency grants, which is particularly gratifying to see. I would also like to also congratulate Dr. Jonathan Langdon on the renewal of his Canada Research Chair for a second five-year term.”

Central Nova MP Sean Fraser says, “Supporting researchers in Canada is important to maintaining a strong foundation for continued innovation and job growth, which is why I am excited to be able to recognize and celebrate the work of talented grant recipients in my own backyard at StFX.”

StFX funded research from the announcement includes:

Discovery Grants (results released April 14, 2021) 
(Amounts are per year for five years):  

Donnelly Archibald, Earth Sciences, Timescales of magmatic processes in accretionary orogens: Implications for crustal growth, $25,000 (plus one-time ECR Launch supplement of $12,500)  

Marcia English, Human Nutrition, Flavour Profiles and Nutrient Quality: Determining the roles of lipid modifying enzymes, protein-aroma active compound interactions, and protein stability in plant-based food systems, $28,000 (plus one-time ECR Launch supplement of $12,500) 
 
Erin Mazerolle, Psychology, Improving reproducibility of functional magnetic resonance imaging, $28,000 (plus one-time ECR Launch supplement of $12,500)  

Shah Razul, Chemistry, Unravelling the chemical physics of carbohydrate cryoprotectants for use in food using novel molecular dynamics methodologies, $28,000  

Jantina Toxopeus, Biology, The cellular mechanisms of insect physiological plasticity and freeze tolerance, $33,000 (plus one-time ECR Launch supplement of $12,500)  

Robert van den Hoogen, Mathematics and Statistics, Alternative and averaged theories of gravity, $24,000

Karine Le Bris, Physics, Determination of the radiative properties and detection of organofluorine compounds, $15,000 (This is a two-year Development Discovery Grant)   

SSHRC Insight Grants (results released April 1, 2021) 

John Corbit, Psychology, The development of cooperation toward the common good, $98,990 

Peter Kikkert, PGOV, Lessons Learned or "Fantasy Documents?":  Lessons Management, Disasters, Emergencies, and Canada's North, $99,690 

SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants (various release dates) 

Cathy MacDonald, Nursing, Walking in Two Worlds: Indigenous Students Success in Undergraduate Education, Partner: Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation, $22,346 

Ann Fox, Human Nutrition, Catalysing Dietetics: Exploring the experiences, needs and emerging roles of dietitians in Nova Scotia during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Partner: NS Advanced Education and Labour, $24,561

Chris Gilham, Education, Increasing Educator Mental Health Literacy and Self-Efficacy For Inclusive Practices During COVID-19 with a Self-Directed Online Mental Health Literacy Course, Partner: Strait Regional Education Centre, $24,262 

Norine Verberg, Sociology, What Works?: The strategies of Community Volunteers Facilitating the Economic Transitions of Refugee Newcomers Living in Rural Nova Scotia, Partner: Syria-Antigonish Families Embrace (SAFE) Society, $25,000 

SSHRC Insight Development Grants (results released July 6, 2020)  

Fraser Summerfield, Economics, Intergenerational Mobility in Canada: Historical patterns and the role of education, $42,204 

Canada Research Chair Renewal (Tier 2) (results released Jan 11, 2021) 

Jon Langdon, Canada Research Chair in Sustainability and Social Change Leadership (five years, 2021-2025, institutional award valued at $500,000), and associated CFI research infrastructure grant for “Trans-local Sustainability & Social Change Learning & Collaboration Network,” $30,000. 

This research is, in part, made possible by the Government of Canada Research Support Fund.