Leadership in Research & Innovation
The extraordinary breadth and depth of academic excellence across U of T’s three campuses and nine partner hospitals are a reflection of the excellence of our faculty, our graduate and undergraduate students, and their partnerships with leading researchers and institutions worldwide.
Globally Recognized Exceptional Performance
U of T has once again affirmed its calibre as a stellar research institution across a wide range of disciplines. The 2017 National Taiwan University (NTU) Ranking placed U of T first among all public universities in the world—ahead of Oxford University, among others—and fourth among all universities worldwide. The kind of fundamental research at which U of T excels is essential for building an innovative, thriving society, and U of T is committed to continuing to work with partners across Canada and around the world to ensure this groundbreaking work continues.
U of T excelled across other prestigious world rankings: The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings saw U of T maintain its top 22 position overall, along with the top spot in Canada and a place in the top 10 publicly funded universities worldwide.
Funding
U of T researchers and scholars were awarded $1.2 billion, allowing our investigators to continue generating knowledge and tools that are needed to address the most pressing issues confronting our world. Every year, U of T researchers and innovators are successful in securing funds from a rich array of sources, including the federal and provincial governments, the not-for-profit sector and private-sector partnerships, from national and international sources. Access to the most advanced tools allows U of T to offer superior training to our students and to attract and retain the best research minds in the world.
$1.2B across three campuses and nine partner hospitals
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$100 Million for New Research Infrastructure
U of T achieved a historic level of success in the ninth Canada Foundation for Innovation national competition. Two dozen U of T and partner hospital researchers secured more than 25 per cent of the funding available nationally, enabling a more than $250 million investment in new equipment and facilities for U of T faculty and trainees.
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Foreign Affairs Minister Freeland Announces $52.6M for U of T Scientists
Miriam Diamond is among 350 U of T faculty who secured a total of $52.6 million in fundamental research funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Diamond’s research focuses on hidden contaminants in Canadian households and on finding ways to lessen exposure. The research areas of the other U of T recipients span a diverse range of fields.
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Unravelling the Mysteries of the Past and Tackling Social Issues in the Present
The work of Amanda Goodman and her multilingual research team on the ancient Buddhist ritual texts from the cache at Dunhuang, China, and a project led by OISE’s Katreena Scott on the impact domestic violence has on workplaces are two examples of U of T projects funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grants.
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CIHR-funded U of T Researchers Making a Difference
U of T and affiliate hospital researchers continue to excel in securing funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). As part of a larger project funded by CIHR, UTM sociology professors Josée Johnston and Shyon Baumann recently completed a report on why people in low income households make the food choices they do.
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Connaught Awards
The Connaught Fund was created in 1972 from the sale of Connaught Medical Research Laboratories, which were the first to mass-produce insulin—the Nobel Prize-winning discovery by U of T researchers Frederick Banting, Charles Best, J.J.R. Macleod and James Bertram Collip. The Connaught Fund is the largest internal university research funding program in Canada with programs specifically designed for early-career researchers, interdisciplinary teams, innovators, and fundamental STEM research—all with an emphasis on meeting the challenges facing global society. The university serves as the steward of the fund and has awarded more than $160 million to U of T researchers to date.
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An Innovation and Entrepreneurship Powerhouse
Research that feeds innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization is thriving at U of T. In all sectors and across our campuses, our faculty and students are turning ideas into products, services, jobs, and companies that are contributing to the Canadian economy and improving lives around the world. We are a North American leader in the number of new intellectual property based startups, in the number of new invention disclosures, and in the number of new licenses and options.
U of T Entrepreneurship among
Top 5
UBI Global Rankings
U of T Entrepreneurship is among the top five university-managed business incubators in the world, according to UBI Global, a Stockholm-based research and advisory firm that ranks top business incubators and accelerators. The breadth and depth of U of T’s research expertise coupled with the entrepreneurial talent, ideas, and drive of our students and faculty have created a rich environment to grow the next great global startups.
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Most Innovative University in Canada
U of T is the Most Innovative University in Canada, based on the 2017 Reuters Top 100. Reuters ranks educational institutions worldwide on their contributions to advancing science, inventing new technologies, and powering new markets and industries. Our ranking is a testament to the ability of U of T’s students and researchers to publish globally important, cutting-edge research and to patent and commercialize their discoveries.
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A North American Leader with 70 New Startups Created in the Last Three Years
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Janpix Signs $22 Million Investment Deal to Advance Cancer Therapies
Creating new drugs to battle aggressive blood, brain, and breast cancers is Janpix’s mission. The oncology-focused startup, co-founded by Professor Patrick Gunning of the U of T Mississauga, recently signed a $22 million investment deal with a European venture capital firm, Medicxi, that will help turn his team’s leading-edge research into a better quality of life for, and perhaps even save the lives of, many cancer patients.
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Angela Schoellig: One of the World’s Top Innovators Under 35
MIT Technology Review named Angela Schoellig of U of T’s Institute for Aerospace Studies one of 2017’s 35 Innovators Under 35 in its worldwide technology ranking. Schoellig works on control theory and applying machine learning to drones, autonomous vehicles, and other robots. Schoellig and her dynamic systems lab has several projects on the go, including enabling autonomous drones to make deliveries to Canada’s north.
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Award-Winning Researchers & Innovators
The sheer number of accolades they receive highlights the calibre of U of T researchers. Although U of T accounts for only 6% of Canada’s professorial faculty, the university amasses a dominant share of prestigious Canadian and international honours among Canadian faculty. The deep expertise of our faculty members is also reflected in the frequency with which they are appointed to national advisory bodies for scholarly and scientific matters in Canada and internationally.
Awards Leader
Selected Winners
Janet Rossant: L’Oréal-UNESCO Outstanding Woman in Science
Janet Rossant (Molecular Genetics, Obstetrics, Gynaecology) is one of five outstanding female scientists named as a recipient of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Award for 2018. A leading stem cell researcher, Rossant holds the University’s highest rank of University Professor. She is also a senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children and serves as president of the Gairdner Foundation. The L’Oréal-UNESCO award is given to five women scientists each year from different regions of the world, at the height of their careers; awards alternate each year between the Physical and Life Sciences. In addition to Rossant’s 2018 award, two other U of T researchers have received this highly-coveted honour: Molly Shoichet (Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry) in 2015 and Eugenia Kumacheva (Chemistry) in 2008.
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Lewis E. Kay: Canada Gairdner International Award
Lewis E. Kay (Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, Chemistry) was named a 2017 Canada Gairdner International Award laureate. Kay is recognized for his role in developing modern nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, used to study the structure and dynamics of large molecules like proteins. Kay’s methods allow researchers to see how the shapes of molecules change over time, giving insight into the flexible nature of protein structure and how that flexibility relates to the ability of the protein to function. The Gairdner Awards are Canada’s highest prizes for medical science.
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Cheryl Misak and Margaret Morrison: Guggenheim Fellowships
Cheryl Misak and Margaret Morrison (Philosophy) each won Guggenheim Fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The fellowships will provide Misak, a highly-accomplished philosopher in the area of pragmatism, and Morrison, a world-leading scholar in philosophy of science, with six to 12 months of time in which they can work with as much creative freedom as possible on their research projects. Established in 1926, the Guggenheim Fellowships are mid-career awards intended for researchers who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship in the natural sciences, social sciences, or arts, or creative ability in the arts. Guggenheim Fellows are selected on the basis of impressive achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment; more than 100 Guggenheim fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates. In 2017, a total of 173 awards were awarded to mid-career academics and artists in the United States and Canada. In the last 10 years, U of T has received 12 of these prestigious honours.
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Audrey Macklin: Trudeau Fellowship
Audrey Macklin (Law, Criminology & Sociolegal Studies) was one of five scholars in Canada to receive a 2017 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding scholarship and pro bono work advocating for immigrant and refugee rights. Professor Macklin will be using her Trudeau funds to support research into why thousands of Canadians have decided to sponsor refugees in the last couple of years. The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is an independent, non-partisan charity established in 2001. Its fellowships are awarded to notable scholars focusing on issues in four key areas: human rights and dignity; responsible citizenship; Canada in the world; and people and their natural environment. Macklin is the eighth U of T scholar to receive the notable fellowship.
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Russell Hartenberger: Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts
Russell Hartenberger (Music), one of the most prominent figures in the field of percussion performance, has been awarded the 2017 Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts from the World Cultural Council. The Council recognized Hartenberger for his lifetime commitment to cultivating and shaping our understanding of music and performance across cultures and genres, respecting the diversity of world traditions. The award also recognizes his commitment to teaching and inspiring new generations of young musicians and scholars, and his status as “a virtuoso soloist whose technical mastery encompasses virtually every percussion instrument imaginable.” Professor Hartenberger is the first U of T recipient of the award. It was established in 1984 and is conferred every year upon a renowned artist, sculptor, writer, poet, cinematographer, photographer, architect, musician, or other performing artist, whose work constitutes a significant contribution to the artistic legacy of the world.
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Scott Prosser: Royal Society of Chemistry Jeremy Knowles Award
Scott Prosser (Chemical and Physical Sciences), a specialist in molecular biophysics at the U of T Mississauga, has been awarded the 2017 Royal Society of Chemistry Jeremy Knowles Award. The Jeremy Knowles Award recognizes and promotes the importance of inter- and multidisciplinary research between chemistry and the life sciences. The RSC, which is more than 175 years old, has more than 50,000 members around the world. Professor Prosser’s work focuses on understanding the structure of key proteins in the body to help design more effective pharmaceuticals or therapeutic strategies.
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CRCs, CERCs, Canada 150 Chairs
The Canada Research Chairs (CRC), Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERCs) and Canada 150 Chairs programs enable U of T to attract and retain the best and most promising researchers from around the world. In addition to conducting research that improves our depth of knowledge and quality of life, the chairs also train the next generation of leaders in their fields through student supervision and teaching.
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35 U of T scholars were named Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) in 2017. Additionally, 19 CRCs were renewed. We also received 2 new Canada Excellence Research Chairs, and 2 new Canada 150 Chairs. U of T secured 16 per cent of the $272 million available across the country. The CRCs are conducting important research, and government funding is crucial to their success and continued work in Canada. Fifteen CRCs were announced in the spring and 20 were announced in the fall.
Selected New CRC Appointees
Eve Tuck
Professor Eve Tuck works closely with diverse urban and rural communities focusing on how Indigenous social thought can be engaged to create fairer and more just social policy and more meaningful social movements.
Michael H. Thaut
Professor Thaut is transforming the use of music and rhythm in medicine. His breakthrough findings on the basic neuroscience of music and its applications in rehabilitation are helping people with brain injuries and diseases.
Luyi Yang
Professor Yang is working on condensed matter physics that is changing our view of quantum materials. These materials are of great interest for their potential use in high-performing, clean energy technologies, like solar cells, light-emitting diodes, electronics and more.
Canada 150 Research Chairs
The Canada 150 Research Chairs program celebrates our country’s sesquicentennial. It brings 25-plus top researchers to Canada with the aim of enhancing our reputation as a global centre for science, research, and innovation excellence. Three Canada 150 Research Chairs are coming to U of T: Donna Rose Addis, currently at the University of Auckland, received her PhD from U of T’s Department of Psychology; she uses neuroimaging, behavioural, and neuropsychological methods to investigate how the brain remembers past experiences. Miguel Ramalho-Santos from the University of California, San Francisco, investigates the environment and genome interaction at the molecular and cellular levels during the critical prenatal period and links it to health outcomes later in life. Alán Aspuru-Guzik from Harvard University researches the connections between quantum computation, quantum information, and chemistry.
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