York University, in partnership with Queen’s University, has been awarded a monumental grant of nearly $105.7 million from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). The funding from the Government of Canada is the largest single federal grant ever awarded to York and is in support of Connected Minds: Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society. This historic CFREF grant awards York University with $82.8 million and $22.8 million to Queen’s University.
Led by York, Connected Minds brings together experts from multiple fields, including humanities, engineering, law and life sciences. Some of the program’s proposed projects include explorations into a more inclusive metaverse, virtual reality and community organizing, neurotechnologies for healthy aging, Indigenous data sovereignty, and how human brain function changes when people interact with AI versus each other.
We, at Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, would like to congratulate and celebrate our researchers who will be at the forefront of this revolutionary effort.
| Names | Department/School |
|---|---|
| Anna Agathangelou | Department of Politics |
| Allen Kenzie | Department of English |
| Angele Alook | School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies |
| Aryn Martin | Department of Sociology |
| Bernard Lightman | Department of Humanities |
| Bonita Lawrence | Department of Humanities |
| Brock Pitawanakwat | Department of Humanities |
| Chandan Narayan | Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics |
| Denielle Elliott | Department of Social Science/ Dept of Anthropology |
| Eric Kennedy | School of Administrative Studies |
| Fuyuki Kurasawa | Department of Sociology |
| Ganaele Langlois | Department of Communication & Media Studies |
| Ian Stedman | School of Public Policy & Administration |
| Idil Boran | Department of Philosophy |
| Jacob Beck | Department of Philosophy |
| James Williams | Department of Social Science |
| Jennifer Pybus | Department of Politics |
| Jesse Thistle | Department of Humanities |
| Jimmy Huang | School of Information Technology |
| Joan Steigerwald | Department of Humanities |
| Jonathan Obar | Department of Communication & Media Studies |
| Kelly Bergstrom | Department of Communication & Media Studies |
| Kevin Lande | Department of Philosophy |
| Kristin Andrews | Department of Philosophy |
| Leo Baskatawang | Department of Social Science |
| Maggie MacDonald | Department of Anthropology |
| Manar Jammal | School of Information Technology |
| Marin Litoiu | School of Information Technology |
| Ozgun Topak | Department of Social Science |
| Ravi De Costa | Office of the Dean/Office of Associate Dean |
| Regina Rini | Department of Philosophy |
| Ruth Green | School of Social Work |
| Sandra Widmer | Department of Anthropology |
The total value of the Connected Minds projects when combined with the contributions (including in-kind) from multi-sector partners, municipal governments, and collaborating institutions, is $318.4 million, making Connected Minds the biggest York-led research program in the University’s history.
Learn more about Connected Minds on the official website.
To read more, visit York’s newsroom.