UNB Research

Just over two years ago, we launched our first Research Celebration Week to shine a spotlight on the impactful research taking place at UNB, and especially the people who make it happen.

That focus on celebrating our people and their accomplishments, and on recognizing the important contributions of research in our communities and our world, continues to be our driving force today as we kick off our third annual event.

I was inspired to create this event by all the wonderful stories of accomplishment and effort I am privileged to hear in my role as vice president research. I wanted to support and recognize our hard-working research community.

To all those who participate in research work here at UNB – a community that includes faculty, staff members, over a thousand research-oriented graduate students and numerous undergraduate students – I would like to offer you a heartfelt thank you.

Thank you for everything you do in asking and taking on those questions that remain unanswered, in imagining new possibilities, in creating solutions to the grand challenges facing the world today and advancing the ideas, knowledge and skills that will make a better tomorrow.

We have so many impactful stories we can point to as evidence of these contributions – and so many more that we have not been able to shout out as loudly as we would like.

Among those many stories:

• A research team co-led by UNB researchers released their findings on abortion access in New Brunswick, from a project funded by Health Canada.
• Dr. Celeste Orr co-led a SSHRC-funded study exploring the struggles of the queer community in Canada, and particularly how members still often anticipate violence or threat.
• Dr. Charles Sacobie was recognized as Skitqomiqewi Kcicihtuwinut – which translates as Earth Knowledge Keeper, and which also has the English title of Indigenous science scholar.
• Dr. Kevin Englehart was made a Fellow of the IEEE, in recognition of his groundbreaking contributions to upper limb prosthetics research and innovation.
• Dr. Ali Ghorbani’s Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity was renewed, enabling him to further contribute to making our digital landscapes more secure.

I’d also like to take a moment to thank the many partners who collaborate with our institution and its researchers. Whether by funding their work, tapping into their expertise and findings, sharing your knowledge and insight or expressing support for this work, you are a vital element of our collective success and our ability to move research out of the academy and into our world.

Among those partnerships, we find stories including:

• Dr. Trevor Hanson recently established a partnership with New Brunswick’s Southeast Regional Services Commission to explore community transportation needs.
• The Mactaquac Aquatic Ecosystem Study, an ongoing, decade-long research collaboration between NB Power and UNB supporting the future of New Brunswick’s primary hydroelectric facility, was recognized with a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Synergy Award for Innovation.
• Our Centre for Nuclear Energy research forged stronger partnerships with Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, as well as a new partnership with global nuclear lifecycle management company Kinectrics.
• UNB’s New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training and Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing, Dr. Jason Hickey, partnered with the Under One Sky Friendship Centre to investigate the medium-and long-term benefits of their Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities program for children and their families.

Each of these stories reflect our core values and our most essential callings:

Our research mission is a quest to make our world better.

To discover and create new knowledge.

To question our collective assumptions and push exploration in new directions.

To take on the most significant challenges and issues facing our communities.

To imagine, invent and bring to reality new solutions and technologies that help us, help our neighbours, and help our industries.

To create positive change in every area of our lives.

That mission is why we celebrate research here at UNB and why this week brings us so much to celebrate.

- Dr. David MaGee, vice president research.