Research Manitoba recently announced the recipients of our 2024 New Investigator Operating Grants
These awards support early-career researchers to achieve the research productivity and track record necessary for obtaining long-term, sustainable research funding.
Today, we are excited to share the perspectives of several award recipients as they reflect on the significance of this recognition. They have been asked, “What will this award mean for your project or your career?” Below, you’ll find their thoughtful responses, highlighting the impact of these awards on their future.
“”
|
Asher Mendelson, University of Manitoba “Receiving funding from the Research Manitoba New Investigator Operating Grant will enable me to continue my research which seeks to improve outcomes for ICU survivors. I am a clinician-scientist and ICU physician with a bench-to-bedside research program. Research Manitoba recognizes this unique perspective, and has committed support to ensure both pillars of this program continue to flourish. I am confident that the discoveries from this project will advance our understanding of post-ICU syndrome, and will position me as a national leader in this field.” |
|
Kathryn Riley, University of Manitoba “Both Kathryn and Lucy are early career researchers that assumed Assistant Professor positions in the Fall of 2023 (Riley) and the Spring of 2022 (Fowler) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. The New Investigator Operating Grant from Research Manitoba will be significant in helping us to expand and strengthen our professional networks with the educational community that includes student researchers in the Faculty of Education, Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators (teachers, learners, and administrators) within local school settings in Winnipeg, and an Indigenous artist. Not only do we seek to decolonize physical literacy in our collaborative work together, but through an anticolonial praxis, we also seek to decolonize faculty scholarship and broader educational practices through important connections and relationships with Indigenous and non-Indigenous educational communities.” |
|
Alex Aregbesola, University of Manitoba “I am deeply grateful for this award. It encourages me and my team to put more effort into improving acute care delivered to children in Manitoba and beyond. This award will allow us to hire more research personnel and train more students.” |
|
Alexander Crawford-Alley, University of Manitoba “I just accepted a Research Manitoba New Investigator Operating Grant today (entitled “Blizzards on the Canadian Prairies: Historical Trends and Future Projections in Regional Climate Models”). I’m super excited about this project for multiple reasons. First, I am primarily trained in Arctic climate science, but as a new faculty member starting out in Manitoba, I wanted to expand my research program to include work relevant to a broader part of Canada. This project, allows me to do that by focusing on blizzards in the Canadian Prairies. The focus on blizzards and the techniques I outlined are aspects I know well, but the study area is farther south than I typically work, so I am broadening my expertise in a way that should benefit Manitoba and the Prairies in general. I like that! Second, I’m excited to work with some new collaborators on this project from University of Manitoba and elsewhere. Third, I think this program is a perfect way to launch a tenure-track career with a master’s student. Being awarded this grant this early will be very helpful for me to hone my mentoring skills and prove my ability to guide a graduate student to success. In this way, I think this grant can be a gateway to future opportunities, which is big deal for making a career.” |
|
Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin, University of Manitoba “I’m honored and grateful to receive the 2024 New Investigator Operating Grant which will support our research on sex differences in cardiometabolic function. This award will help advance research on women’s heart health toward improving cardiac health of women in Manitoba, Canada and worldwide.” |
|
Warren Blunt, University of Manitoba “One year into my life as an Assistant Professor, receipt of the Research MB New Investigator Operating Fund came as a huge relief and a massive boost to my program. The cornerstone of any research program is the individuals at the bench doing the work. These funds allow me peace of mind in putting competitive offers on the table to recruit talent and then maximize their experience under my supervision. What is good for their career development will pay off for my own career objectives and research program.” |
|
Raphael Ayambire, University of Manitoba “Receiving this award is more than just a career milestone; it is the embodiment of a career-long aspiration to be at the forefront of creating knowledge and influencing policy at the intersection of business and biodiversity. This grant is a significant step towards achieving this dream, as it not only validates the importance and potential of my research but also provides me with the means to establish myself as an independent investigator in my field. |
|
Chengjin Wang, University of Manitoba “The award boosts my capacity and confidence to explore novel and bold ideas. With this funding support, I will expand my research from advanced water treatment to intelligent water quality monitoring. My aim is to develop a radical reaction based method for real-time monitoring of surface water quality, which can generate high spatial resolution profiles or maps for Canada’s rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.” |
|
Paul Marcogliese, University of Manitoba “This project focuses on unraveling the function of an understudied gene where its loss causes a rare, severe childhood disorder. Importantly, this gene is also important in autism spectrum disorders and potentially other neurological diseases. The RM New Investigator award will bolster my research program and status as an Early Career Investigator to obtain national funding, awareness, and recognition for this new disease.” |
|
Jean-Pierre Desforges, University of Winnipeg “This project will allow us to better understand the inter-relationships between polar bears and their main prey ringed seals over the past decades during this period of rapid climate change in western Hudson Bay. Insights into the impacts of climate change to this threatened population of polar bears will hopefully stimulate ongoing conservation and management initiatives.” |