Dalhousie must provide the resources and space necessary to attract world-class researchers. The university receives significant support from Research Nova Scotia and the Canada Foundation for Innovations John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which together have contributed $3.7 Million in infrastructure funding.
Great facilities are essential for great researchers. Our funders help ensure that we have the right environment for research to attract and retain top talent from all over the world, says Alice Aiken (Dal’s vice president research and innovation).
Dalhousie will now empower its scholars to engage with some of the most advanced research in the world, from new capabilities in nuclear magnet resonance to the creation dedicated spaces for Indigenous research.
Learn more about the infrastructure funding recipients and the research they will pursue.
Understanding the signals that enable us to see
Dr. Agosto studies the mechanisms by which our eyes detect the world around them and send information to the brain. She uses cell culture models and experiments with mice to discover which proteins are necessary for signal transmission between cells. Also, how they reach the right place and how they work together. She expects that future efforts will be aided by this research to restore light sensitivity after the death or degeneration of rods and cones caused by inherited retinal disease.
Kiran Banerjee Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
A lab to analyze forced migration
The number of people living in displacement worldwide exceeds 84 millions. 2021 is the highest year on record and continues to grow at an increasing pace. Dr. Banerjee, who heads the International Migration Research Lab, responds to this challenge with his technical capacity as well as methodological expertise. The lab collects, analyzes, and disseminates qualitative data about migration governance and refugee policies. The lab is equipped with transcription software and equipment, as well as qualitative data analysis software and focus-group and collaboration facilities. This allows knowledge generation and mobilization at both national and international levels.
Investigating the reasons men are more likely die from right heart failure
Patients with high blood pressure or heart disease can expose the right ventricle to more pressure, which can lead to heart failure. This condition is more common in men than in women. Dr. Chaudhary will examine how right ventricles respond to stress differently in males than females. He will also study the mechanisms that underlie differential blood vessel growth between male and female right ventricles. His focus will be on the role of sex hormones as well as blood vessel stem cells. He and his team will use the knowledge gained to develop and test new treatment options.
How inflammation can lead to diseases
Unwanted inflammation has been well-documented for years in both academic and public settings. Inflammation is best if it clears pathogens quickly and damages tissue quickly to restore tissues to their former healthy state. Chronic inflammation can cause inflammatory bowel disease and heart disease, arthritis, and other hyperinflammatory conditions. This is what happens to patients with severe COVID-19 and septic bowel disease. Dr. Fairn and his research group are using cutting-edge scientific equipment to better understand the mechanisms of inflammation.
Reduce healthcare inequalities
Equity in healthcare and health has been a long-standing goal of Canadian policymakers. Due to a lack of understanding about how to influence the social factors that affect health, policymakers face challenges in reducing health inequalities. Dr. Hajizadeh will use cutting-edge interdisciplinary research methods to study socioeconomic inequalities of healthcare and healthcare, their causes, and the effects on health and public policies that affect health and equity in healthcare. His research program aims to inform policymaking that reduces inequalities in healthcare and health.
Sherry Pictou Faculties of Law and Management
Sherry Pictou Faculties of Law and Management
A research space is being built to increase Indigenous participation
Research spaces for Indigenous peoples are important for building connections between Mikmaw and Indigenous peoples as well as academics, government, community members of Nova Scotia, and beyond. Dr. Pictou is creating the Lnuey Governance Research Centre, (Lnuey Belonging the Lnu people) at Dalhousie in support of her work to examine a regrounding of Indigenous women as well as governance based on Indigenous land laws and treaty relationships. She will use an Indigenous perspective to generate and apply a Gender Analysis to improve Indigenous participation in governance.
Jan RaineyFaculty of Medicine
Jan Rainey
To improve your health, use nuclear magnetic resonance
Dr. Rainey will be leading this project. It will establish a biomolecular nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy lab at Dalhousie University. Dr. Rainey and his colleagues will use the advanced equipment to study how spider silk proteins can modified to create new biomaterials that can be used to suture or regenerate injured nerves. The equipment will be used to study hormone receptor systems in order to develop treatments and preventive measures against conditions like cancer, heart disease, and viral infections.
Margaret Robinson, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Margaret Robinson, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The creation of a Mikmaw Cultural Research Lab
Dr. Robinson will set up a Mikmaw Cultural Research Lab, which will support community-engaged research in social science. It will be based in Mi’kmaw culture. The lab will support Indigenous data access, ownership, and possession. The facility will be a symbol of Indigenous belonging and cultural safety.
Mountain wetlands can be harnessed for water supply and carbon absorption
Because wetlands are always wet, the plant matter in soil is slow to decay, making them an important carbon sink. It is not clear what mountain wetlands do to store and release water and carbon. Climate change is occurring more rapidly in mountain regions, which may be impacting their ability to store water and carbon. Dr. Somers’ team aims to gain a better understanding of mountain wetlands, in order to determine how to best manage or restore them in the face climate and land use change, and to maximize their ability to supply potable and atmospheric carbon.
Early interventions are key to reducing severe mental illness
Dr. Uher studies the development of mental health, and tests interventions to lower the risk of severe mental illness among young people. His research team has shown that mental illness, including depression, can be predicted and could be prevented. He demonstrated that a combination clinical interviews, sleep and brain measurements, as well as speech analysis, can identify risk and resilience. This can then be used to predict treatment outcomes. This funding will enable young people to take part in a one-stop assessment which provides accurate information about their health as well as indications for early personalised treatment.
