NSERC Alliance Grants foster collaboration between university researchers and private, public, or non-profit sector partner organizations. Further, the grants support research projects that bring together complementary partners in order to generate new knowledge, and accelerate the application of research results for the benefit of all Canadians.
The 20 NSERC supported Polytechnique Montréal-based projects testify to the diversity and relevance of the institution’s expertise. Projects range in subject from aircraft cybersecurity to the implementation of geothermal energy in schools, the development of agricultural pesticides alternatives, the creation of a lunar rover, and the design of artificial intelligence personalized teeth, to highlight just a few of the notable research projects (a full list can be found below).
The $9.8 million in grants obtained by researchers enables Polytechnique Montréal to take a prized place among Québec universities, given that the engineering university has thus earned nearly a quarter, or 24.4 %, of the $40.1 million awarded by NSERC via the Alliance Grant Program. Polytechnique is the home of 18.5 % (20/108) of Québec-based NSERC-supported projects within this competition;
Across Canada, Polytechnique Montreal has no less than 8.3 % of the total budget of $117.3 million allocated by NSERC to Alliance grants. 20 of 414 NSERC Alliance Grants were awarded to researchers at Polytechnique Montréal, or 4.8% across Canada.
“The support provided by the NSERC Alliance Grant Program to Polytechnique Montreal researchers, truly highlights our intuitional objectives to lead research projects that meet society’s current and future needs. These research projects enable our university to train the engineers of tomorrow – superb quality engineers who are destined to become genuine agents of change in our ever-evolving world, " says Philippe A. Tanguy, Polytechnique Montréal President.
RESEARCH FOCUSED ON SOCIETY’S NEEDS
The results of the first NSERC Alliance Grant competition bear witness to the dynamism of research at Polytechnique Montréal. Since June 1, 2018, the university has hired 57 professors, bringing its professorial and research staff to nearly 300 strong.
The growing number of Polytechnique Montréal-based researchers can only increase its scope and quality of research – a fact reinforced by a recent Stanford University study and article. According to the Stanford article, in 2019, 50 current and former Polytechnique Montréal researchers were among the top 2 % of most-cited researchers worldwide in their respective fields.
|
Professor
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Project title
|
Area of application
|
Funding amount
|
|
Abdellah Ajji
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Sustainable, Safe and Smart Polymer Flexible Packaging
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Manufacturing processes and products; Polymers, rubber and plastics
|
$1,000,000
|
|
Giovanni Beltrame
|
Robust multi-robot localization and mapping
|
Surveying and photogrammetry
|
$30,000
|
|
Daria Camilla Boffito
|
CO2 to jet-fuels technology platform
|
Energy resources (including production, exploration, processing, distribution and use); Engineering
|
$140,000
|
|
Daria Camilla Boffito
|
Intensified extraction and recovery of critical minerals from ore tailings
|
Mineral resources (prospecting, exploration, mining, extraction, processing); Engineering
|
$98,660
|
|
Michel Dagenais
|
Monitoring and Debugging of High Performance Distributed Heterogeneous Cloud Applications
|
Information, computer and communication technologies; Computer software
|
$1,028,580
|
|
Jean Pierre David
|
Methods and tools for the development of explainable embedded artificial neural networks for autonomous transportation
|
Transport equipment; Electrical and electronic machinery and equipment (including computer hardware)
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$540,000
(to be confirmed)
|
|
José Manuel Fernandez
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Cyber security of current and future aircraft
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Aerospace; Information systems and technology
|
$800,000
|
|
Frederick Gosselin
|
Digital Twins of hydroelectric generating units: AI insight from sensor data combined with physics-based simulation
|
Energy resources (including production, exploration, processing, distribution and use); Engineering
|
$521,736
|
|
François Guibault
|
Deep learning approach to generate patient-specific teeth
|
Biomedical engineering; Human health (including medically-related psychological research)
|
$300,156
|
|
Raman Kashyap
|
Advanced sources for QUantum information technologies and devices: ASQUID
|
Information systems and technology; Physical sciences
|
$300,000
|
|
Sébastien Le Digabel
|
Numerical Optimization and Machine Learning
|
Advancement of knowledge; Communication systems and services (planning, organization, services)
|
$781,500
|
|
Frederic Leblond
|
Intraoperative margin assessment technique for breast conserving surgery using Raman spectroscopy imaging
|
Biomedical engineering; Medical and health sciences
|
$521,740
|
|
Thomas Pabst
|
Valorization of waste rocks in engineered cover systems to reclaim tailings storage facilities generating acid mine drainage
|
Waste, waste management and recycling; Mineral resources (prospecting, exploration, mining, extraction, processing)
|
$84,000
|
|
Philippe Pasquier
|
Use of permanent geothermal standing column wells for the effective electrification of the institutional and commercial sectors
|
Energy efficiency; Energy resources (including production, exploration, processing, distribution and use)
|
$1,737,651
|
|
Michèle Prévost
|
Integrated management of Legionella risk in cooling towers by rapid detection, innovative treatment and prevention of transmission
|
Engineering; Environment
|
$1,036,509
|
|
Eduardo Ruiz
|
Recycling carbon black from used tires for greener materials
|
Waste, waste management and recycling; Materials sciences
|
$120,000
|
|
Ahmad Shakibaeinia
|
Fully-Lagrangian three-dimensional modelling of river ice jam initiation
|
Water; Environment
|
$20,000
|
|
Jason Robert Tavares
|
Project DeNETer - Polymer nets with absorbent properties: combining exclusion with biological control, confusion and repulsion of pests
|
Agriculture and primary food production; Agricultural chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides)
|
$178,560
|
|
Daniel Therriault
|
Development of a scalable and efficient lightning strike protection system for composite aircraft
|
Transport equipment; Aerospace
|
$232,250
|
|
Daniel Therriault
|
Design and advanced manufacturing of a lunar rover using thermoplastic composites
|
Manufacturing processes and products; Space and astronomy
|
$313,116
|
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This article was first published on 25 February by Polytechique Montréal.
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