Researchers at Laurentian University receive ~$1.5M from Federal grants to support discovery and innovation

(July 16, 2026)– Researchers at Laurentian University are being celebrated for their remarkable success amidst recent grants announced by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Faculty members were awarded $1,447,000 in Discovery Grants, $132,000 in Discovery Development Grants, and $50,000 in Discovery Launch Supplements.

"This year’s NSERC funding highlights the incredible depth of talent at Laurentian, from our long-established research leaders to a new wave of first-time grant recipients," said Dr. Tammy Eger, Vice-President Research. "By securing these highly competitive awards, our faculty are leading foundational discoveries and training students in skills that will prepare them for job opportunities. These grants are possible thanks to the support of the Federal Government. Ultimately, this investment reinforces our commitment to research excellence. It allows us to build state-of-the-art research capacity right here at Laurentian while feeding a vital pipeline for the modern knowledge economy.”

“Laurentian University continues to show why Sudbury is such an important centre for research and innovation. The work taking place at Laurentian is strengthening Sudbury’s reputation as a leader in research while giving students the opportunity to learn alongside world-class researchers. Supporting research here at home helps ensure Canada continues to develop the knowledge and innovation we need to meet tomorrow’s challenges. Our government is proud to support the outstanding research taking place at Laurentian and the positive impact it will have here in Northern Ontario and across Canada. Congratulations to this year’s NSERC recipients on this outstanding achievement.” — Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury

As NSERC’s flagship funding initiative, the Discovery Grants program invests in forward-thinking, long-term research across the natural sciences and engineering. Over a five-year period, these grants provide scientists with a portion of the operating funds needed to foster creative innovation, expand the collective scientific knowledge, and offer hands-on training environments for student researchers.

New Discovery Grant recipients affiliated with Laurentian University include:

• Dr. Meng Cheng Lau (School of Engineering and Computer Science): See, Listen, Learn, Act: Foundational Vision-Language-Action Principles for Mobile-Robot Task Acquisition.
• Krista Currie (School of Natural Sciences): Impact of environmental stress on post-mortem molecular changes in skeletal remains.
• Dr. Blake Dotta (School of Natural Sciences): Electromagnetic Field Modulation of Neural Activity: Signal Complexity Across Cellular and Network Scales.
• Dr. Elizabeth Favot (School of Natural Sciences): Resilience and risk in a warming world: Reconstructing long-term trajectories of cyanobacterial blooms and oxygen in Boreal Shield lakes.
• Dr. Alexander Moise (School of Natural Sciences - Cross-Appointed to Laurentian University from NOSM University): Regulation and Function of Retinoid Signaling in Postnatal Physiology.
• Dr. Christopher Thome (School of Natural Sciences - Cross-Appointed to Laurentian University from NOSM University): Life Without Radiation: Studying Biological Responses in the Absence of Natural Background Radiation.

Complementing this flagship program, NSERC’s Discovery Development Grants provide targeted two-year awards to promote high-calibre research and specialized training opportunities specifically within smaller, dynamic university environments.

New NSERC Discovery Development Grant recipients affiliated with Laurentian University include:

• Dr. Ezzeddin Bakhtavar (School of Engineering and Computer Science): Life Cycle Sustainability Design of Dump-Truck Tires for Mining Applications Using Soft Computing-Based Multi-Objective Optimization.
• Dr. Kabwe Nkongolo (School of Natural Sciences): Ecophysiology and genetic analysis of plant adaptation to soil metal contamination.
• Dr. T.C. Tai (School of Natural Sciences - Cross-Appointed to Laurentian University from NOSM University): Role of Gas Transmitters in the Regulation of Adrenaline Biosynthesis. 

These investments underscore the critical role Laurentian University and its researchers play in advancing scientific understanding and fostering discovery.