The funding, announced today in Calgary, was awarded under the CFI’s Leader’s Opportunity Fund. A total of $20.5 million in funding was announced for 103 new projects at 33 Canadian universities.

“Today’s announcement exemplifies what the CFI is all about: providing institutions with the means to attract and retain the world-class researchers that this country needs to remain at the forefront in terms of both quality of life and economic competitiveness,” said Dr. Eliot Phillipson, president and chief executive officer of CFI.

Richard Murray, assistant professor in York’s Department of Psychology and Centre for Vision Research, will receive $152,477 in infrastructure funding to create an innovative laboratory to study perception of three-dimensional (3D) shape. Murray is seeking to understand the visual mechanisms that enable people to perceive 3D shapes and to replicate these mechanisms in computer vision systems. The goal of Murray’s current research is to discover the statistical assumptions that the human visual system makes about surfaces and illumination in 3D scenes in order to perceive 3D shape, and to determine what assumptions would be optimal for artificial visual systems. This research has important applications in fields ranging from neuroscience to automated image interpretation.

Gino Lavoie, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at York, will receive $255,608 for infrastructure to support his research in organometallic chemistry (the study of compounds composed of both metals and organic molecules) and polymer chemistry. Lavoie is studying how catalysts are used to accelerate chemical or biochemical reactions. Catalysts, which are usually inorganic or organometallic compounds, are essential in the manufacturing of more than 90 per cent of chemicals, and can lead to lower energy usage, new materials and new chemicals, including drugs. Research in this field addresses global issues such as energy consumption, depletion of fossil fuels, global warming, growing worldwide population and malnutrition in developing countries, as well as deficiencies in some polymers and biomaterials.

“Canada’s new government congratulates the recipients and looks forward to the results of their groundbreaking work,” said Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for the GTA. “If Canada is going to compete effectively in the global economy, we must support important research and development projects like those being carried out at York University.” 

Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation at York, said that government investment in research infrastructure and equipment is essential to sustaining globally competitive research programs, and to attracting and retaining the best young researchers and students. “Professors Murray and Lavoie are conducting research that is expected to yield important discoveries for our health and our environment,” said Shapson. “The funding provided by CFI will help them contribute to the creation of new knowledge not only in their own fields, but in a number of related fields, both in Canada and internationally.”

A complete list of LOF projects, by university, can be found at: www.innovation.ca.

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York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada . York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada ’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 23 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

For more information, contact:

Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22101/wallsj@yorku.ca