UBC awarded more than $22 million for research infrastructure projects

August 13, 2021

The B.C. government is investing nearly $25 million to support 34 post-secondary research projects that will drive innovation and economic growth. They will also help create jobs, protect our biodiversity and environment, and help keep British Columbians healthy and safe.

This includes 26 projects being led by UBC researchers that have been awarded a combined $22.4 million.

The funding is awarded through the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) and gives students and researchers access to the latest technology, tools and equipment they need to drive research projects forward.

BCKDF Announcement

UBC-led Projects

Health and Life Sciences
  • MiDAS Microbial Diversity Expansion for Applied Sciences
    $3,276,459 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigators: Dr. Thibault Mayor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Dr. Vivien Measday, Wine Research Centre
    This BCKDF award supports the development of new technologies that will expand the use of yeast for bioprocessing applications that benefit the environment, economy and health of British Columbians. These applications include the foods and beverage industry (e.g. wine, beer, dough), removal of pollutants from the environment and the production of non-animal proteins, enzymes and new medicines.
     
  • Cancer single cell dynamics observatory
    $2,396,810 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Samuel Aparicio, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
    This funding will accelerate cancer research by providing researchers with specialized technology that analyses the genomes of single cells. This will advance the development of "precision oncology", which uses the genomes of the patient and tumour to inform the choice of therapy that is most likely to benefit the patient. The research will provide insight into how cancer changes over time and factors that cause treatment resistance, leading to improved diagnostics and therapeutics for cancer patients in British Columbia. 
     
  • DNA event recording technologies to decipher high-resolution dynamics of molecules and cells in mammalian development
    $400,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Nozomu Yachie, School of Biomedical Engineering
    This funding will support the development of new genetic circuit devices that will advance understanding of complex biological systems and enable the development of innovative cell-based therapies for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
     
  • Reactor for Atmospheric Transformations (ReACTr) to track the fate of outdoor and indoor air molecules
    $191,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Nadine Borduas-Dedekind, Department of Chemistry
    ​This BCKDF award will provide researchers with measurement equipment for the study of key particles in the air British Columbians breathe—such as those emitted by boreal forests, personal care products, mining activity and coastal marine life—and the impact these compounds have on air pollution and human health.
     
  • Enabling Precision Health in COPD
    $185,935 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Don Sin, Department of Medicine
    This funding will help uncover better ways to treat COPD patients using new molecular and imaging technologies. The research will support the development of innovative precision therapies that have the potential to improve the lives and enhance the health outcomes of millions of Canadians with COPD.
     
  • Data Science for Neurological Disorders Laboratory
    $125,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Jacquelyn Cragg, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science
    This BCKDF award will help establish the Data Science for Neurological Disorders Laboratory at UBC, which will utilize cutting-edge com=puting infrastructure to support the discovery of personalized approaches for the prevention and management of neurological diseases.
     
  • Investigating the neurophysiological effects and accumulation of subconcussive sports head impacts
    $125,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Lyndia Wu, Department of Mechanical Engineering
    This BCKDF award will provide researchers with state-of-the-art sensor equipment that will be used to uncover how the brain is affected by mild head impacts during contact sports. The technology will put B.C. at the forefront of brain injury detection and management, and help local companies design better protective sports equipment.
     
  • Investigating How Mitochondrial Stress Signaling Maintains Organelle Homeostasis in Health and Disease
    $125,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Hilla Weidberg, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
    This BCKDF award will be used to study the role that mitochondrial damage plays in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The research will help uncover mechanisms to prevent this damage and develop new therapeutics to fight these otherwise incurable diseases. 
     
  • Deciphering DNA-encoded gene-regulatory logic with genome-scale synthetic DNA
    $125,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Carl de Boer, School of Biomedical Engineering
    This funding will be used to shed light on the complex genetic underpinnings behind common inherited diseases affecting British Columbians, such as autoimmunity and heart disease, which will pave the way for the development of cellular therapies and targeted treatments for patients.
     
  • Laboratory for Human-Animal Interaction and Companion Animal Welfare
    $125,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Alexandra Protopopova, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
    This BCKDF award will help establish a state-of-the-art observation laboratory at UBC that will study the relationship between people and companion animals. By generating new discoveries in human-animal interactions, the laboratory will help transform the companion animal industry and promote animal welfare.
     
  • Plant-pollinator and global change lab
    $123,454 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Risa Sargent, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
    This funding will help deepen our understanding of the threats facing wild bees and the extent to which these threats can be mitigated through changing land use practices. The knowledge gained will help protect critical pollinators that support healthy ecosystems and many of B.C.’s most important crops.
     
  • Complex human-based organ (disease) models for basic and preclinical research with a focus on human epithelia
    $101,408 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Sarah Hedtrich, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
    This funding will support the development of advanced models of human tissues—such as skin, the lung, and the liver. The models will enable researchers to advance the study of human diseases and facilitate the development of safe and effective new drugs.
Astrophysics and Computer Science
  • HAICU: Hydrogen Antihydrogen Infrastructure at Canadian Universities for Quantum Innovations in Antimatter Science
    $3,279,274 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Takamasa Momose, Department of Chemistry
    This funding will build state-of-the-art research infrastructure that uses newly emerging quantum techniques to study the properties of antimatter and address key questions about the origins of the Universe. The research will advance B.C.’s leadership in quantum innovation and support the development of new technologies in the fields of cryogenics, lasers, microwaves, photon detectors and particle manipulators that will be leveraged by B.C. companies and help grow the B.C. economy. 
     

  • VELOSITY: Bringing the Benefits of VLSI to System Software
    $453,594 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Margo Seltzer, Department of Computer Science
    By supporting the purchase of advanced computing infrastructure, this BCKDF award will advance the study and development of next-generation software, operating systems, hardware platforms and secure IT infrastructure. The infrastructure will help train students on emerging software and technologies and advance research to support BC’s growing high-tech sector.
     

  • Enabling gravitational wave astrophysics with calibration, monitoring, and characterization of the LIGO detectors
    $220,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Jess McIver, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    This BCKDF award will provide critical infrastructure to support an international collaboration of scientists using kilometre-scale detectors to measure gravitational waves—tiny ripples in the fabric of spacetime emitted by accelerating mass. The infrastructure will help ensure British Columbia is at the forefront of this new scientific frontier that will propel science forward across many fields, including stellar astronomy, astrophysics, nuclear physics, general relativity, high energy physics, and cosmology.

Land, Natural Resources and the Environment
  • Rapid Air Improvement Network (RAIN)
    $2,028,080 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigators: Dr. Steven Rogak and Dr. Naomi Zimmerman, Department of Mechanical Engineering
    This BCKDF award will be used to deploy advanced sensors and measurement systems to study the health and climate impacts of air emissions in B.C. By integrating with UBC’s Campus as a Living Lab, the research will study interventions and mitigation measures that improve air quality and scale beyond the UBC campus to promote clean air and a healthy environment across B.C.
     

  • Working to Restore Connectivity and Sustainability (WoRCS) Research Program
    $400,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Claire Kremen, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
    This BCKDF award will support the study of agricultural diversification practices by providing researchers with advanced infrastructure for molecular genetics, telemetry, remote-sensing and geo-spatial analyses. By working with community partners and 30 farm sites in the Fraser Valley to study the impacts of diversification practices, the WoRCS program will provide timely information on practices and policies that improve farmland sustainability and conserve biodiversity in B.C.
     

  • forWATER AID: Advanced Infrastructure Development for Forested Drinking Water Source Protection Technologies in Canada
    $180,000 BCKDF Contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Mark Johnson, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
    This BCKDF award will establish watershed observatories that will investigate how forest management practices affect the treatability of drinking water drawn from forested areas. This will allow researchers to identify threats to B.C.’s water supplies and develop forest management-based technologies to ensure B.C. drinking water security now and in the future.
     

  • Field and laboratory characterization of the climate and landscape response to surface elevation change
    $125,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Joel Saylor, Department of Earth, Oceans and Atmospheric Sciences
    This funding will acquire field and laboratory equipment to study climate and landscape change through time. The research will investigate rock and mineral compositions to determine how the formation of mountains changes the regional climate and environment.

Social Sciences / Humanities
  • Ensuring Full Literacy in a Multicultural and Digital World
    $199,968 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Janet Werker, Department of Psychology
    This funding will deploy advanced technologies—such as eyetracking, EEGs and deep learning systems—to study how to advance full literacy for all British Columbians and Canadians. By identifying factors that improve spoken language and reading skills, the research will support the development of literacy materials and technological platforms that are better tailored to learners of different ages and from different backgrounds.

  • (Re)Media infrastructure for multimedia research and creation
    $122,166 BCKDF Contribution 
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Emily Murphy, UBCO Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
    Cultural memory studies focus on what and how societies remember across disciplines and perspectives. The (Re)Media Research Infrastructure is home to an integrated research and creation program that studies the shared role of media and embodied experience in cultural memory. This program requires both scholarship and creative outputs, and so a range of digital and non-digital technologies support collaborative, multi-site, multi-media investigations into Canadian and European cultural memory. Outcomes may include advanced research and creative technologies, multimedia performance and preservation of Canadian history.

Advanced Materials and Clean Technology
  • AM+: Mobilizing Additive Manufacturing for Automotive, Aerospace, and Clean Energy  
    $3,001,460 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Warren Poole, Department of Materials Engineering
    This BCKDF award will provide specialized technologies to establish a first-in-Canada research cluster focused on additive manufacturing (3D printing) within UBC's Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory. The research will promote the adoption of additive manufacturing by addressing quality, cost and scale challenges. It will help ensure BC is globally competitive in advanced manufacturing and mobilize additive manufacturing to support BC’s vital aerospace, clean technology and automotive sectors. 
     

  • Momentum resolved electron pair spectroscopy (2e-ARPES)
    $2,628,802 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigators: Dr. Andrea Damascelli and Dr. David Jones, Department of Physics and Astronomy       
    This funding will be used to develop a first-of-its-kind system at UBC's Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute that will study the physics of quantum materials with broad impacts across a range of fields including medicine, transportation and renewable energy. This new infrastructure will strengthen B.C.’s position as a leader in the study of quantum materials and devices, quantum computing and quantum communications, and help anchor new industries arising out of the study of quantum materials in B.C. 
     

  • Used-Water to Resources (U-WatR)
    $1,591,394 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Pierre Berube, Department of Civil Engineering
    This funding will support the development of innovative wastewater treatment systems that are more efficient, sustainable and enable the recovery of high-value bioproducts that can be used for energy and fertilizer production. The research will position B.C., as well as industry partners, as a global leader in wastewater resource recovery and sustainability.
     

  • Building a Future for Canadian Neutron Scattering
    $700,000 BCKDF contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Alannah Hallas, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    This funding supports a national project to build a neutron beam lab that will enable research and innovation in areas such as clean energy technology, information technology and biomaterials for understanding and combating disease.

Infrastructure and transportation
  • Mega-Scale Multi-Dimensional Experimental Facility for Enhancing Canada's Infrastructure Resilience
    $208,000 BCKDF Contribution
    Principal Investigator: Dr. Shahria Alam, UBCO School of Engineering
    With civic infrastructure continuing to age and the catastrophic potential implications of a large-scale seismic event looming large, UBC - Okanagan’s Applied Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Structures has a critical role to play in upgrading and protecting shared resources. The funding will support new equipment and facility upgrades to enable large-scale and multi-dimensional structural testing. This expanded capacity will help find sustainable solutions to protect new and aging civil infrastructure against seismic damage. In partnership with industry, the research program will make progress towards designing innovative, low-cost and reliable self-centering structural systems that can be built rapidly and can be maintained and replaced at lower costs.

BC Knowledge Development Funds provide matching funding for UBC awards from the Canada Foundation for Innovation