Carleton has the most significant increase in research funding among Canadian universities this past year.
Carleton ranked first among comprehensive and medical universities in research income growth from 2017 to 2018, experiencing a 29.3 per cent increase in funding. In 2018, the school jumped to nearly $70.3 million in research funding from external sources.
Carleton University currently has over 1,000 research projects underway, promoting the school as a leader in research and partnerships around the world.
“If Carleton wants to be known internationally within the research community then it’s very important to have the funding to attract both equipment, space, world-class students and researchers to work together to bring forward solutions for the future.”
— Christopher Baldwin, a PhD student in mechanical engineering at Carleton.
Baldwin is the project manager for CU-CABER, a leading research project at Carleton focusing on developing new building technologies to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of Canadian buildings.
In July, CU-CABER received $5.1 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada and the Ontario Research Fund.
“This funding allows us to expand our research capacity here at Carleton and really be the leaders in this area in contributing to making energy-efficient buildings,” said Cynthia Cruickshank, associate professor in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering and leader of CU-CABER.
CU-CABER is using $4.2 million of the funding to build a unique, world-class research facility.
“This facility will help train the next generation of graduates, who will put this research into practice one day and really make an impact on the environment.” — Cynthia Cruickshank, associate professor at Carleton University.
The funding will also allow CU-CABER to collaborate with new partners and establish long-term success of the research program.
Partnerships and collaboration are necessary for research projects to be successful, said Stephen Gruber, associate professor in the department of geography and environmental studies.
“These research projects are a chance for Carleton to identify that climate change is a topic that is important for Canada and transform a nation so that it can react to being in a place with persistent climate change,” he said.
Gruber, who is the Canada Research Chair in climate change impacts and adaptation in Northern Canada, is currently leading PermafrostNet, a research network based at Carleton focused on the loss of subsurface ice due to climate change and its effect on ecosystems and people.
The network was recently awarded $5.5 million from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. The funding will help grow the network of researchers within PermafrostNet, and provide a better training environment for students who are interested in pursuing a career in studying climate change.
“The greatest thing about Canada is that there is a lot of emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion. If we have more diversity in the research team, we will end up having more robust insight, which is necessary for science.” —Stephen Gruber, associate professor at Carleton University.
Gruber said he wants his research to acknowledge everyone’s expertise in creating a solution to thawing permafrost in Canada.
“When we come together as a nation, we can share the tasks and achieve more.”
Correction: In a previous version of this article, it said Carleton had $70.3 billion in funding from external sources. They received $70.3 million in funding in 2018. The Charlatan regrets the error.
Featured image by Tim Austen.
