UBC Faculty of Medicine researchers are leading 35 projects awarded new funding from the Government of Canada through the three federal research granting agencies.
The projects will advance new knowledge and scientific breakthroughs to address some of the most pressing health challenges facing Canadians, such as brain and neurodegenerative disorders, AI-powered disease diagnosis and precision medicine, and health equity for rural and Indigenous communities.
The awards are part of a major $1.3 billion federal investment in Canadian research announced July 9 by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
The funding is being invested through a suite of research programs administered by the three federal research granting agencies—the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Learn more about the UBC Faculty of Medicine-led projects below.
NSERC Discovery Research Program | NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Grant | New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration Stream | SSHRC Insight and Partnership Grants
NSERC Discovery Research Program
Faculty of Medicine researchers have been awarded more than $5.5 million through the 2025 NSERC Discovery Research Program. In total, 191 new programs and projects led by UBC researchers were awarded more than $48.6 million.
2025 Discovery Grants
The NSERC Discovery Grants program supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects, recognizing the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances.
Discovery Launch Supplements provide timely resources to support early career researchers (ECRs) as they establish a research program. Projects marked with * below were awarded additional Discovery Launch Supplements.
- Ali Bashashati, School of Biomedical Engineering
Machine learning integration of molecular and histopathology data for cancer diagnosis and risk stratification
- Peter Cripton, School of Biomedical Engineering
A Biomimetic Cervical Spine
- Carl de Boer, School of Biomedical Engineering
Exploration and engineering of indirect cooperative interactions in transcriptional regulation
- Rachel Eddy, Radiology/Pediatrics
Development of Image Acquisition and Analysis Tools to Accelerate 129Xe MRI*
- Jörg Gsponer, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
New ways to predict and model protein allosteric regulation
- Jordan Guenette, Physical Therapy
Physiological basis for sex differences in dyspnea in healthy humans under conditions of increased physiological stress
- Sarah Hedtrich, School of Biomedical Engineering
Generating complex, immunocompetent organ models of the human skin and lung epithelium
- Pamela Hoodless, Medical Genetics
Defining cell lineages and plasticity in the developing liver
- Stefan Lang, Surgery
Investigating network neuromodulation with simultaneous deep brain stimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging*
- Genelle Lunken, Pediatrics
The influence of diet on non-bacterial members of the gut microbiota*
- Christopher Maxwell, Pediatrics
Dissect the spatial and temporal control of mitotic spindle assembly, disassembly and mitotic exit through the study of HMMR
- Ivan Nabi, Cellular and Physiological Sciences
Dynamic regulation of endoplasmic reticulum membrane contact sites: Impact on lipid homeostasis
- Ipek Oruc, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Visual experience and the recognition of complex patterns
- Mahmoud Pouladi, Medical Genetics
Med15 in brain development
- Sarah Purcell, Medicine
Defining the role of endogenous and exogenous ovarian sex hormones on energy balance regulation*
- Ivan Sadowski, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Modulation of the mediator protein kinase Cdk8/19 by cell growth and differentiation signals
- Alex Scott, Physical Therapy
PHATA – Pregnancy, Hormones And Tendon Adaptation
- Jeremy Seamans, Neuroscience
Testing dopamine function in cortex: Reward Prediction Error versus the Dual-State theory.
- David Wilson, Orthopaedics
Measuring Hip Mechanics With Imaging
NSERC Discovery Horizons Grants
Discovery Horizons grants support investigator-initiated individual and team projects that broadly integrate or transcend disciplines to advance knowledge in the natural sciences and engineering
- Arman Rahmim, Radiology
Towards Physician-in-the-Loop Artificial Intelligence in Oncologic PET/CT Imaging
NSERC Research Tools and Instrument Grants
NSERC Research Tools and Instruments grants foster and enhance the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering by supporting the purchase of research equipment.
- Lara Boyd, Physical Therapy
Robotic delivery of transcranial magnetic stimulation for mapping human brain
- Peter Cripton, School of Biomedical Engineering
Open MRI Hardware for Advanced Biomedical Engineering Research
Co-applicants: Sidney Fels
- Ivan Nabi, Cellular and Physiological Sciences
Enhanced multicolor STED super-resolution microscopy to study organelle dynamics and interaction
Co-applicants: Ghassan Hamarneh, Adalbert Vogl, Hilla Weidberg, Calvin Yip
- Seth Parker, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
SSM-based electrophysiology instrument to study electrogenic transporters
Co-applicants: Elizabeth Conibear, Glen Tibbits
- Ying Wang, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Urgent replacement of an incompatible microscope for multiplex imaging
Co-applicants: Mark Cembrowski, Honglin Luo, Brian Rodrigues
NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Grant
NSERC CREATE grants supports innovative and multidisciplinary training and mentorship programs that help highly qualified students and postdoctoral fellows develop their professional and technical skills while preparing them for their future careers in academia, industry, government and beyond.
- Thibault Mayor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Mass Spectrometry Team Training and Transition Program (MaST3)
New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration Stream
UBC Faculty of Medicine researchers are leading four projects awarded funding through the New Frontiers in Research Funding – Exploration stream to ensure the continued growth of Canada’s research capacity. In total, nine UBC-led projects were awarded more than $2.2 million over two years.
The New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration stream generates opportunities for Canadians to conduct innovative high-risk / high-reward interdisciplinary research.
- Pouya Azar, Psychiatry
Compliance Management App for Opioid Use Disorder
- Femke Hoekstra, Medicine/Southern Medical Program
Implementing Drone Technology in Rural Indigenous Healthcare Systems: The Drone Transport Initiative
- Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Novel Bioactive Vascular Device Technology to Protect Against Bloodstream Infection, Thromboembolism and Device Failure
- Sonia Yeung, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Corneal imaging for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
SSHRC Insight and Partnership Grants
Five projects led by UBC Faculty of Medicine researchers were awarded funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) through SSHRC Partnership Development and Insight Development Grants programs.
SSHRC Partnership Development Grants
Partnership Development Grants provide support over one to three years for the development of partnered research and related activities in the social sciences and humanities.
- Martin Guhn, School of Population and Public Health
Advancing community partnerships to integrate monitoring system data and support decision making for the well-being of children, youth, and families
SSHRC Insight Development Grants
Insight Development Grants support research in its initial stages. The grants enable the development of new research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches and/or ideas. Funding is provided for short-term research development projects of up to two years that are proposed by individuals or teams.
- Adam Gavarkovs, Faculty of Medicine Continuing Professional Development
Energizing Team Learning: A Case Study of Motivation in Primary Healthcare Teams
- David Kealy, Psychiatry
Understanding personal goals: Clarity, communication, and interpersonal context
- Janet Mah, Psychiatry
CRAFT-CP: Co-designing Resources for Asian Families Together with Chinese-Canadian Parents