Global Research Excellence – Funded Projects

2024 – 2025 Call Highlights (Launch: May 2024)

No. of Projects Engaging York Current/Emerging Research Clusters (Based on investments in ORUs, CRCs, YRCs, Endowed Chairs, Connected Minds etc.): 4

No. of Projects Focused on International Graduate/PDF Training (All projects are required to have some form of trainee engagement): 2

No. of Projects Engaging International Non-Academic Partners (Research Institutes, NGOs, Indigenous Organizations, UN, Arts & Cultural Organizations etc.): 1

Funded Projects

Children and Women Knowledge Revitalization in Times of Climate Crisis

• York Project Lead: Dr. Cristina Delgado Vintimilla, Faculty of Education (MCR)
• Project Partner: Museo del Centro de Investigacion e Interoretacion de Ingapirca, Ecuador

Project Summary: The critical question of how to respond to times of ecological crisis and land devastation has yet to be addressed outside the business-as-usual responses that caused it. These capitalist and colonial approaches have offloaded the burden of ecological precarcity and land destruction, particularly onto women and our younger generations, threatening their health, education, security and lives. This project will address the pressing global challenge of the climate crisis and the related problem of land degradation within the (indigenous) Cañari-Campesinxs peoples of Ecuador.

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Extreme Weather and Travel Behavior Changes

• York Project Lead: Dr. Mahtot Gebresselassie, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (ECR)
• Project Partner: Dr. Dwayne M. Baker, Queens College, City University of New York, United States of America

Project Summary: The proposed research aims to investigate whether, how, and why people modify their travel behaviour during extreme weather (extreme heat, flooding, snowstorm, and heavy rains) by taking case studies of New York City and Toronto. In addition to understanding overall changes to travel pattern, we are interested in examining whether socioeconomic and demographic attributes of travelers affect any travel behaviour modification.

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Shaping the Future of AI: Artificial Intelligence Governance in Global Dynamics

• York Project Lead: Dr. Muyang Li, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (ECR)
• Project Partner: Dr. Wenhong Chen, University of Texas at Austin, United States of America

Project Summary: Artifical Intelligence (AI) holds transformative potential but raises concerns about surveillance, data ethics, social inclusion, digital colonialism, and national security. This project explores the diverse regulatory approaches to AI governance in regions including the U.S., E.U., China, and Canada. By examining the geopolitical and technopolitical dynamics influencing these strategies, this project aims to foster a holistic understanding of AI Governance and its global implications.

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Deepening International Collaboration on Essential Technologies for Autonomous Systems

• York Project Lead: Dr. Jinjun Shan, Lassonde School of Engineering
• Project Partner: Professor Marcus Ryll, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Project Summary: While the field of autonomous unmanned vehicles (UAVs) has made tremendous progress in recent years, many questions remain unanswered. The increased popularity of data-driven algorithms in both perception systems and planning systems require a second wave of innovation; verifiability, safety and explainability are key requirements to allow the transition from systems suitable for showcases towards production-ready autonomous vehicles. This collaborative project seeks to advance essential technology in UAVs to promote cooperative control, high-precision navigation and decision making in areas such as self-driving and cooperative drone transportation.

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Probing the early University using Large Scale Radiation Hydrodynamic Simulations

• York Project Lead: Dr. Rahul Kannan, Faculty of Science (ECR)
• Project Partner: Prof. Mark Vogelsberger, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States

Project Summary: Galaxies are vast self-gravitating systems, making them the basic building blocks of structure in the University. Understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies is vital to discerning the history of the Universe. Fortunately, the recent advent of the James Webb Space Telescope as led to a flood of observational data. This project and GRE grant builds off Dr. Kannan and Prof. Vogelsberger’s recent mapping of galaxy formation by the hiring of a joint post-doctoral researcher to study reionization and the back-reaction of radiation on galaxy formation.