Three Trent University Researchers Receive $643,477 For Advanced Research Infrastructure

Three Trent University researchers have received a combined $643,477 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund for advanced research infrastructure, announced on Friday.

Faculty and student researchers conducting investigations in Trent's Water Quality Centre will benefit from a new state-of-the-art mass spectrometry instrument supported by JELF funding. Photo courtesy of Trent University.

The money allows the researchers to acquire advanced tools and equipment that will strengthen scientific investigation in fields of growing importance to Canada, including aging and dementia care, environmental contaminants and medical innovation, according to Dr. Cathy Bruce, Trent president and vice-chancellor

“The federal government is supporting important research for Canada – a nation that values knowledge creation, innovation, and productivity grounded in deep research,” she said. “Thanks to the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Trent researchers can equip campus spaces and labs with state-of-the-art tools and equipment that help attract world-class talent to the University and push discovery further.”

Psychology professor Dr. Raheleh Saryazdi is using the funding to support research in her Cognition, Health, Aging, and Technology (CHAT) Lab at Trent University, Durham. Research includes examining how sensory and cognitive changes affect communication as people age. Using tools such as eye-tracking equipment and a social robot, her team will study communication between people and how older adults interact with emerging technologies. Research findings will help inform new interventions for people experiencing hearing loss or dementia and support the design of more effective technologies for Canada’s aging population.

Chemistry professor Dr. Michael Burt plans to build a globally distinctive laboratory with a titanium-sapphire laser, allowing researchers to observe how complex molecules change during chemical reactions. Research at the Spectroscopy and Optics Lab at Trent Lightsource (SPOTLIGHT) will advance applications in greenhouse gas storage and medicinal chemistry and provide students with training on ultrafast spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and scientific computing.

Dr. Mary-Claire Buell, assistant professor in the Trent School of the Environment and Forensic Science, is using funding to acquire a new high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer to be housed in Trent’s Water Quality Centre (WQC), Canada’s most comprehensive mass spectrometry facility. The new instrument will advance the work of her 14-person research lab working to detect and analyze per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—known carcinogens often referred to as “forever chemicals’—and other emerging contaminants in freshwater and coastal systems.

“Modern scientific tools are essential to producing the reliable data that communities need to understand potential risks and consider approaches to mitigation,” said Professor Buell. “The new mass spectrometry equipment has greater sensitivity that will allow researchers to identify contaminants at very low concentrations and determine how much is present in water, soil and traditional food sources. The new instrument will help us train the next generation of researchers while producing evidence that communities can use.”

Shared access to the new mass spectrometer in the WQC expands research and training opportunities for other programs at Trent, including Chemistry, Forensic Science, Biology, Anthropology, and Physics disciplines, as well as for collaborators in government, other universities and the private sector. Over the past year, more than 75 faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral researchers used facilities in the WQC supporting research across Canada and internationally.

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