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Competition Results for the Discovery Accelerator Supplements Program 2018

NSERC is pleased to announce the 2018 competition results for the Discovery Accelerator Supplements Program (DAS).

The DAS Program aims to provide substantial and timely additional resources to accelerate progress and maximize the impact of outstanding research programs. In 2018, NSERC awarded $15 million to 125 applications in the DAS competition. These supplements are valued at $120,000 over three years.

The winners are listed below:

Discovery Accelerator Supplements Program
2018 Competition Results
Researcher Research title Institution
Holt, Jason Nuclear theory for fundamental symmetries TRIUMF
Galea, Liisa Hormones and Learning and Memory The University of British Columbia
Scott, Graham Evolved mechanisms of hypoxia resistance in high-altitude natives McMaster University
Hawke, Thomas Unravelling the Impact of Adipokines on Muscle Satellite Cell Regulation McMaster University
Moorhead, Gregory Dissecting the function of Arabidopsis chloroplast, mitochondrial and cytosolic bacterial-like protein phosphatases University of Calgary
Spering, Miriam Human eye movements as a model of visual prediction The University of British Columbia
Danckert, James Behavioural, psychophysical, genetic and neuroimaging investigations of boredom. University of Waterloo
Castelhano, Monica Scene Structure and Surfaces: Viewing strategies effects on attention, learning, and memory Queen's University
Donini, Andrew Ion, water and ammonia regulation in aquatic insects York University
Gribble, Paul Somatosensory Basis of Human Motor Learning The University of Western Ontario
Holmes, Melissa Neuroendocrine regulation of individual differences in social phenotype University of Toronto
Winters, Boyer Neural mechanisms underlying memory destabilization and modification University of Guelph
Boire, Denis Linking cortical circuits to subcortical output structure Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Cutter, Asher Sperm, speciation and gene drives in evolution University of Toronto
Baum, Julia Illuminating Mechanisms of Resilience to Climate Change in Marine Ecosystems University of Victoria
O'Connor, Mary Developing a Metabolic Scaling and Biodiversity Framework to estimate Ecosystem Adaptive Capacity The University of British Columbia
Maherali, Hafiz Ecology and evolution of the mycorrhizal mutualism in a changing environment University of Guelph
Richards, Miriam Long-term studies of bee social behaviour, ecology, and evolution Brock University
Krkosek, Martin Marine Epidemiology University of Toronto
Mideo, Nicole Causes and consequences of variation in parasite traits University of Toronto
Algar, W Russ Developing New Tools for Bioanalysis and Imaging Using Advanced Fluorescent Materials The University of British Columbia
Goussev, Dmitri Advanced sustainable and clean all-in-one catalytic technologies for the dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols and reduction of carbonyl functionalities Wilfrid Laurier University
Murugesu, Muralee Inorganic Materials for Transformative Technologies University of Ottawa
Harrington, Matthew Generation and Self-Assembly of Novel Polymeric Materials Inspired by Nature McGill University
Young, Cora Development and application of new analytical approaches to understand the chemistry of the atmospheric condensed phase York University
Broderick, Avery Resolving Black Holes: Black Hole Astrophysics in the Era of the Event Horizon Telescope University of Waterloo
Burkov, Anton Topological metals University of Waterloo
Garate, Ion Topological materials: from fundamentals to applications Université de Sherbrooke
Yang, Huan Strong-gravity compact objects and fundamental gravity tests in the era of gravitational-wave astronomy University of Guelph
Hawthorn, David Probing Intertwined Order in Quantum Materials University of Waterloo
Myatt, Jason Development of multi-scale simulation tools for laser-plasma interactions and their validation against fusion experiments University of Alberta
Liu, Yajing Earthquake source processes of natural and anthropogenic origins McGill University
Currie, Claire Geodynamics of continents and convergent plate margins University of Alberta
Steele-MacInnis, Matthew Hydrothermal properties of complex aqueous solutions, and applications to ore-forming systems University of Alberta
Secco, Richard Experimental Studies of Earth and Planetary Materials at Extreme Conditions of Pressure and Temperature The University of Western Ontario
Dufour, Carolina Uptake, transport and subduction of heat and carbon in the Southern Ocean McGill University
Jensen, Britta Building volcanic ash records to date and correlate paleoenvironmental archives and improve volcanic histories University of Alberta
Sarkar, Anoop Structured Attention in Neural Networks for Natural Language Processing Simon Fraser University
Pekhimenko, Gennady Exploiting Hardware Heterogeneity for Efficient Execution of Emerging Applications University of Toronto
Zhu, Xiaodan Exploring Better Distributed Representation and Composition Models for Semantics Queen's University
Jiang, Hui Exploring New Neural Computing Models for Natural Language Understanding York University
McIlraith, Sheila New Directions in AI Planning and Decision Making University of Toronto
Sigal, Leonid Web-Scale Semantic Image and Video Understanding The University of British Columbia
Wildes, Richard Hierarchical Representation and Analysis of Visual Spacetime York University
Aïmeur, Esma A Quest for Harmony between Privacy and Personalization: A User-Centric Approach Université de Montréal
Wood, Frank Advanced Probabilistic Programming The University of British Columbia
Delgrande, James Belief change in knowledge-based agents Simon Fraser University
Siddiqi, Kaleem Diffusion and Geometry in Modeling Biological Tissue McGill University
Vogel, Daniel Human-Computer Interaction in Spatial Augmented Reality University of Waterloo
White, Martha Sparse representations for reinforcement learning University of Alberta
Bachmann, Sven Interacting dynamics and exotic phases of quantum lattice systems The University of British Columbia
Kamnitzer, Joel Geometric representation theory and crystals University of Toronto
Wang, Ruodu Model uncertainty and robustness in risk management University of Waterloo
Lessard, Jean-Philippe Rigorously Verified Numerics for High Dimensional Dynamics McGill University
Marcolli, Matilde New Geometric Models for Theoretical Physics and for Computational Linguistics University of Toronto
Sun, Lei Robust and set-based association analyses of complex genetic data University of Toronto
Heffernan, Jane New and enhanced models in disease modelling: The trade-off between biological detail and mathematical complexity York University
Gagnon, Graham Optimizing Biofilm Processes for Drinking Water Treatment Dalhousie University
Christopoulos, Constantin Wind and Earthquake Resilience of High-Rise Buildings University of Toronto
Bitsuamlak, Girma Novel computational and experimental wind engineering approaches for community level performance assessment The University of Western Ontario
Lake, Craig Transport of Dioxins and Furans Through Geotextiles During Sediment Dewatering Dalhousie University
Zhang, Baiyu Biosurfactants as Agents of Marine Oil Spill Response in the North: Production, Mechanism, Effectiveness and Impact Memorial University of Newfoundland
Gerhard, Jason Environmentally-Beneficial Smouldering for Converting Organic Wastes and Pollutants to Energy and Resources The University of Western Ontario
Liu, Jinxia Enhancing the understanding of microbial transformation of polyfluoroalkyl chemicals and microbial defluorination McGill University
Razavi, Saiedeh Smarter Work Zone: Advancing Situation Management for Work Zone Safety and Mobility McMaster University
Yuksel, Serdar Stochastic control: Decentralization, robustness and learning, and information constraints Queen's University
Dong, Xiaodai Wireless Connectivity Fabric for Internet of Things University of Victoria
Belostotski, Leonid Integrated Circuits for Radio-Frequency Multi-Beam Beamformers and Receivers University of Calgary
Fear, Elise Microwave imaging and sensing for biomedical applications University of Calgary
Hum, Sean Material-Centric Design of Advanced Electromagnetic Surfaces University of Toronto
LaPierre, Ray Nanowire Frontiers: Materials and Devices McMaster University
Chin, Ya-Huei (Cathy) Atomic Efficient Catalytic Technology for Sustainable Chemical and Fuel Syntheses Enabled by Active Site Coupling and Kinetic Property Tuning University of Toronto
Mequanint, Kibret Instructive Biomaterials-based Platforms for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine The University of Western Ontario
Ricardez-Sandoval, Luis Optimal design, scheduling and control of chemical processes and emerging energy systems for sustainable and flexible operations under uncertainty University of Waterloo
Singh, Chandra Veer Probabilistic Machine Learning Driven Discovery and Design of New Materials for Sustainable Energy and Transport University of Toronto
Vetrone, Fiorenzo Luminescent Nanostructures: Controlling Nanoscale Architecture for Multifunctionality Institut national de la recherche scientifique
Wang, Xiaolei Advanced Materials for Novel Energy Storage Technologies Beyond Lithium-Ion Batteries Concordia University
Ramchandran, Arun Tailoring emulsions of complex fluids for precise wetting and coalescence rates University of Toronto
Johansen, Craig Adverse Effects of Using Laser Diagnostics in High-Speed Compressible Flows University of Calgary
Daun, Kyle Laser-Based Diagnostics for Aerosolized Nanoparticles University of Waterloo
Tang, Tian Fundamentals and Applications of Adhesion in Soft Matter University of Alberta
Brouillette, Martin Towards high-power density microsystems - Vers des microsystèmes à haute densité de puissance Université de Sherbrooke
Goluskin, David Estimating turbulence and chaos using semidefinite programming University of Victoria
Johnson, Matthew Quantification and Mitigation of Air Pollutant Emissions in the Upstream Oil and Gas Sector Carleton University
Sparrey, Carolyn Modeling Humans: Defining In Vivo Joint and Contact Characteristics Simon Fraser University
Ingalls, Brian Model-based design for synthetic (micro)biology University of Waterloo
Hanington, Patrick Characterization of the determinants of snail-schistosome compatibility University of Alberta
McFarlane, Sarah Environmental control of neural crest cell migration and proliferation University of Calgary
Howe, LeAnn Inheritance of histone post-translational modifications The University of British Columbia
Schild-Poulter, Caroline Molecular events regulated by the Ku heterodimer in non-homologous end-joining and DNA damage signaling pathways The University of Western Ontario
Johnson, Philip Functional and structural characterization of aptamers and their applications in DNA assemblies York University
Matsubara, Joanne Regulation of inflammasome activity by a classic anti-apoptotic protein, XIAP. The University of British Columbia
Karas, Bogumil Designer cells controlled by synthetic genomes. The University of Western Ontario
Thompson, Roger Pannexin-1 channels as facilitators of anandamide membrane transpor University of Calgary
Shapiro, Rebecca Dissecting complex genetic interaction networks mediating the fungal stress response University of Guelph
Le Ny, Jerome Sensing Strategies for Autonomous and Large-Scale Control Systems École Polytechnique de Montréal
Parent, Martin Etude comparée de lòrganization anatomique et neurochimique de la vois striatofuge chez les rongeurs et le primates Université Laval
Reinke, Aaron Mechanisms of Transgenerational immunity in Caenhabdoritis elegans in response to microsporidia infection University of Toronto
Terebiznik, Mauricio Phagocytosis of filamentous fungi by macrophages University of Toronto
Jonz, Michael Respiratory epithelia in vertebrates: sites of chemosensing and neurogenesis University of Ottawa
Girouard, Hélène Mechanisms underlying neurovascular coupling Université de Montréal
Choleris, Elena Neuroendocrinology of Social Cognition University of Guelph
Novales Flamarique, Inigo Colour and polarization visual pathways of the northern anchovy: from neuroethology to machine sensor technology Simon Fraser University
Barrett, Louise Behavioural Flexibility, Fertility and Social Network Influences in Human and Non-Human Primates University of Lethbridge
Luyt, Leonard Chemical Technology for Imaging Agent Discovery The University of Western Ontario
Moores, Audrey Sustainable Nanoparticles: Plasmonic Photocatalysis and Solid-State Synthesis of Nanomaterials McGill University
Zhao, Yaoyao Function-driven design and simulation methods for hierarchical multi-material structures fabricated via additive manufacturing processes McGill University
Zhu, Zheng Hong Dynamics and Control of Tethered Spacecraft Systems York University
Marquez, Horacio Event-Triggered Approach to Control of Nonlinear Systems University of Alberta
Maggiore, Manfredi New motion control tools for robotics and rehabilitation University of Toronto
Boulon, Loïc Démarrage adaptatif des systèmes piles à combustible pour les conditions hivernales du Canada Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Hashisho, Zaher VOC emission control using novel adsorbents and their regeneration University of Alberta
Siemens, Greg Integrated studies on soil-structure-climate interactions in susceptible environments to limit effects of climate change on at-risk Canadian infrastructure Royal Military College of Canada
Jaimungal, Sebastian Control and Games in Intraday Markets University of Toronto
Kennedy, Matthew Operator algebras associated to groups and noncommutative convexity University of Waterloo
Gao, Xin Statistical Methods for Model Selection and Model Comparison York University
Fritz, Thomas Task detection and support for software developers The University of British Columbia
Schulte, Oliver Hierarchical Machine Learning for Information Networks Simon Fraser University
Yin, KangKang Advanced Modeling of Human Movement for Computer Animation Simon Fraser University
Peak, John Linking the field and the atomic scales: Soft x-ray spectroscopy of soil chemical processes University of Saskatchewan
Zickfeld, Kirsten Earth system response to atmospheric carbon dioxide removal Simon Fraser University
McIlroy, Duncan The evolution of organism sediment interactions in the early benthos Memorial University of Newfoundland
Boland, Mark Low Emittance Electron Beam Generation for Ultra Brilliant Synchrotron Radiation Sources University of Saskatchewan
van Kerkwijk, Marten Probing Extreme (Astro)Physics with Neutron Stars University of Toronto
Clark, Kenneth Characterization of Crustacean Innate Immune Response Mount Allison University