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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

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Achievements and Impact

The Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT) is proud of its diverse and innovative faculty members who challenge and inspire students to push their own boundaries of thinking and learning.

Dr. Bill Kapralos wins Ontario Tech University Research Excellence Chair
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Dr. Bill Kapralos wins Ontario Tech University Research Excellence Chair

Congratulations to Dr. Bill Kapralos for winning Ontario Tech University Research Excellence Chair for 2022. These new chair holders reflect the depth and strength of the world-class research enterprise at the university.
Doctoral student Marcos Machado is to become an Assistant Professor
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Doctoral student Marcos Machado is to become an Assistant Professor

Marcos Machado, a PhD student supervised by Dr. Salma Karray, has be hired as an Assistant Professor at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Marcos begins his new position on May 1st and we wish him much luck!

Ontario Techs connection to first-ever private research mission to the International Space Station
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Ontario Tech's connection to first-ever private research mission to the International Space Station

Dr. Carolyn McGregor's Health Informatics work supporting AX-1 Canadian Mission Specialist Mark Pathy

Dr Salma Karray and Dr Alexander Serenko ranked in the top 2% of Natural Science and Engineering Researchers worldwide
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Dr Salma Karray and Dr Alexander Serenko ranked in the top 2% of Natural Science and Engineering Researchers worldwide

A recent study of publicly available research data quantifying the work of the top 100,000 natural science and engineering researchers worldwide puts a group of Ontario Tech University researchers in some very elite company.
Youve got a friend in me
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You've got a friend in me

Faculty of Business and IT researchers developing companion robots to combat social isolation in seniors.
The future of work and the new economy
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The future of work and the new economy

Professor Dr. Jeffrey Overall together with Rhiannon Rosalind - president and CEO of the Economic Club of Canada - discuss the future of work and the new economy.
Exploring new frontiers in AI for mental health
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Exploring new frontiers in AI for mental health

Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Carolyn McGregor AM as Inaugural Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Health and Wellness. Ontario Tech University and Ontario Shores exploring new frontiers in AI to enhance mental wellness.
Advancing Drone Cybersecurity
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Advancing Drone Cybersecurity

Faculty of Business and IT researcher Dr. Khalil El-Khatib, in collaboration with SkyX work to advance drone cybersecurity research for remote-location inspections.
Pioneering virtual reality health-care training
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Pioneering virtual reality health-care training

Faculty of Business and IT researchers are pioneering virtual reality health-care training technology by simulating hospital operating room environments that create district learning advantages.

The Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT) Research Excellence Award recognizes excellence in research achieved by our faculty members. 

  • 2023 Winner
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    Hui (Julia) Zhu

    Senior Research Category
  • 2022 Winners

    Alvaro Quevedo

    Senior Research Category

    Amir Rastpour

    Early-career Research Category

    Nelson Amaral

    Early-career Research Category
  • 2021 Winners
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    Amirali Abari

    Early-Stage Research Category
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    Carolyn McGregor

    Senior-Stage Research Category
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    Annie Jiang

    Senior-Stage Research Category
  • 2020 Winners
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    Salma Karray

    Senior Research Award

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    Bill Kapralos

    Senior Research Award

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    Dr. Hui Zhu

    Early Stage Research

  • 2019 Winner
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    Dr. Patrick Hung

    Early Stage Research

  • 2018 Winners

    Dr. Carolyn McGregor

    Senior Research Award

    Dr. Pejman Mirza-Babaei

    Early Stage Research

  • About...
    Purpose

    The Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT) Research Excellence Award recognizes excellence in research achieved by our faculty members. Up to two Research Excellence Awards are awarded annually, subject to budgetary approval.

    Eligibility 

    All current tenured and tenure-track faculty members whose faculty of primary appointment is FBIT and who have been with the faculty for at least three years and have not received an FBIT Research Excellence Award or the university's Research Excellence Award in the last five years are eligible to be nominated. Nominations may be submitted individually or collectively by current or former tenured or tenure-track faculty members. Permission should be sought from the potential nominee before submission. Self-nominations are also accepted.

    In addition, each nomination can be endorsed by two current or former FBIT faculty members. Endorsements can be obtained from any FBIT faculty members. However, faculty members may not endorse more than one nomination in each category.

    Awards Categories
    • Early Stage Researcher: The primary goal of this category is to recognize an individual faculty member whose research over the 10 years since obtaining her/his doctoral degree is judged as outstanding by the selection committee.
    • Senior Researcher: The primary goal of this category is to recognize an individual faculty member whose research is acknowledged as outstanding by international standards and has brought recognition to the faculty.
    Public recognition and value of the award 

    Each award includes a plaque and $500 to be contributed to the award recipient’s internal research account. Each award winner will be announced on the FBIT research website. The will be expected to give a public presentation to the faculty and the broader community.

    Selection process and award criteria

    The selection committee will evaluate the candidates’ nominations using the same criteria as those used for the university's Research Excellence Award. These criteria are:

    • Scholarly accomplishments, such as research monographs, peer-reviewed articles, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, grants for scholarship, patents, and creative works (as defined in the university's collective agreement).
    • Research breakthrough acknowledged to be a major advance, influence, or transformation.
    • Recognition for research accomplishments by professional societies.
    • Contribution to the training and research activity of students and post-doctoral fellows as applicable.
    • Impact of research on society.
    Submission requirements

    The nomination package must include:

    • completed nomination form
    • nomination letter
    • candidate’s curriculum vitae (CV)

    Please contact the Dean’s office for more details about submission requirements and deadlines.

Each year Undergraduate students apply to participate in 12-16 weeks of full-time research activity under the supervision of an Ontario Tech University professor. These projects allow our students to gain research experience in an exciting academic setting while receiving financial support. Successful award recipients are invited to come together for the Undergraduate Recognition Event, hosted by the Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation each year. 

  • 2020 Winners
    2020 Ontario Tech Student Training Assistantships in Research (STAR) Award Winner 
    Student Name
    Project Name
    Supervisor
    Himanshu Mittal Does a Longer Maternity Leave Benefit or Harm a Woman? Dr. Serena Sohrab
     
    2020 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Undergraduate Research Award
    Student Name
    Project Name
    Supervisor
    Joss Moo-Young Exploring Interfaces for Virtual Reality Painting and Sculpting Dr. Andrew Hogue
    Muhammad Ali The Operational Status of Emergency Medical Services in Canada Dr. Amir Rastpour
    Quinn Daggett Immersive Technologies and Serious Gaming for Medical Education and Training Dr. Bill Kapralos
    Zachary Parish Unlocking Recommender Systems for Privacy and Security Domains Dr. Amirali Salehi-Abari
  • 2019 Winners
    2019 Ontario Tech Student Training Assistantships in Research (STAR) Award Winner
    Student Name
    Project Name
    Supervisor
    Ferooz Khan Exogenous Growth Opportunities Dr. Bin Chang

     

    2019 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Undergraduate Research Award
    Student Name
    Project Name
    Supervisor
    Marco Valdez-Balderas Prototyping of Virtual Reality Walking User Interface Dr. Alvaro Uribe Quevado
    Zachary Parish Unlocking Recommender Systems for Privacy and Security Domains Dr. Amirali Salehi-Abari
    Joss Moo-Young and Mohtasim Siddiqui Immersive Technologies and Serious Gaming for Medical Education and Training Dr. Bill Kapralos
    Thanigajan Sangarapillai and Kevin Tang Prototyping and Evaluating Big Data Analytics Architechture for Security Dr. Khalil El-Khatib
    Wen Bo Yu User Experience (UX) Research in eSport Dr. Pejman Mirza Babaei

     

  • How to Apply

    If you are looking to gain research experience in your field of study and work with leading professors on innovative research projects, our university offers a number of undergraduate research awards for summer project opportunities. Please visit the Office of the Vice-President of Research and Innovation Website for more information on this program. 

    Questions about the Undergraduate Research Awards program should be sent to studentreasearch@ontariotechu.ca.

The Faculty of Business and Information Technology (FBIT) Graduate Research Award recognizes excellence in research achieved by our graduate students. 
  • 2022 Winner
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    Marcos Machado

    2022 Best Doctoral Thesis Award
  • 2021 Winner

    Marcos Machado

    2021 FBIT Doctoral Excellence Award