UNB Research

As part of our Research Celebration Week, we want to take a moment to celebrate this year’s recipients of UNB’s Award for Excellence in Research and University Research Scholar award!

2025 UNB Award for Excellence in Research: Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan

The Award for Excellence in Research was established thanks to a gift from Dr. Friedrich (Fritz) Grein, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, and is intended to honour faculty who are representative of outstanding research, scholarly, or creative achievements at the University of New Brunswick. The award promotes and celebrates an environment that supports intellectual inquiry and discovery.

The 2025 award was presented to Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan at UNB’s graduation ceremony on October 23.

Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan (BA’87, MA’91) will receive the UNB Award for Excellence in Research at the University of New Brunswick’s Fall Convocation Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 23 in Fredericton.

A two-time UNB alumna, professor and chair in the department of psychology, Dr. O’Sullivan is one of North America’s foremost researchers in the field of intimate relationships, and her work has shaped the way scholars, clinicians and policymakers understand relationship development (from initiation to dissolution), couples’ interactions, access to sexual health clinics and resources.

Since joining UNB Fredericton’s faculty of arts in 2006, Dr. O’Sullivan has built a research program of remarkable breadth and impact. She has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles in leading research journals, co-authored the widely adopted textbook Understanding Human Sexuality, and contributed to 24 book chapters. Her scholarship is known for its clarity in addressing complex and underexplored topics from HIV/AIDS among youth in South Africa to the influence of digital technology on adolescent relationship life.

Dr. O’Sullivan earned her doctorate in experimental psychology from Bowling Green State University and started her academic career as a professor at Columbia University’s department of psychiatry. Her work there on sexual risk behaviour among urban youth earned her a National Institute of Mental Health’s National Research Sciences Award and was followed by other NIH grants.

From 2006 to 2016, she held two consecutive Tier II Canada Research Chairs in Adolescents’ Sexual Health Behaviours. Over the course of her career, she has secured more than $12 million in research funding and delivered over 150 invited talks and presentations, often with her graduate students. Her work has been cited widely and has had considerable influence in academic discourse and public health policy.

Dr. O’Sullivan is a sought-after collaborator, working with leading researchers in the U.S., South Africa, Guatemala, India and Australia. She has served as associate editor of The Journal of Sex Research and sat on the editorial boards of 11 major publications. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including UNB’s University Research Scholar Award, the Dr. Allan P. Stuart Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, and fellowships from the Canadian Psychological Association.

A dedicated mentor, Dr. O’Sullivan has supervised dozens of graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have gone on to distinguished research, clinical and/or academic careers in psychology. Her commitment to advancing knowledge and supporting the next generation of scholars has made her a cornerstone of UNB’s research community.

Dr. O’Sullivan’s prolific output, international collaborations and unwavering dedication to the study of intimate relationships have made a lasting and profound contribution to the field.

2026 University Research Scholar: Dr. Saqib Hakak

The award of University Research Scholar is intended for UNB researchers who have demonstrated a consistently high level of scholarship, and whose research is, or has the potential to be, of international stature.

Normally, no more than two University Research Scholar awards are presented in one year. The award also includes a grant of $10,000 per year for up to three years, to assist with activities indicated in the project plan submitted at the time of nomination.

The 2026 award was presented to Dr. Saqib Hakak at a ceremony in March.

Dr. Saqib Hakak, associate professor at the faculty of computer science and technical lead at the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity (CIC), is an internationally recognized researcher whose work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and immersive digital environments is shaping the future of digital trust. Saqib has built a pioneering research program dedicated to protecting identity integrity, securing autonomous systems and strengthening the resilience of next-generation digital platforms.

His diverse research portfolio spans metaverse identity protection, early-stage ransomware detection, enterprise AI vulnerability assessment and intelligent security information and event management development—areas strategically aligned with emerging global cybersecurity threats. Through collaborations with leading institutions, Saqib’s work combines rigorous academic innovation with real-world application and impact.

Saqib’s contributions include developing top-ranked open-source fact-checking systems (FEVER 2025), producing widely adopted autonomous-vehicle cybersecurity datasets and publishing cybersecurity datasets that support researchers and practitioners globally. His expertise has been highlighted through national media interviews with CBC and Global News, informing the public on cybersecurity. He also plays a central role in UNB’s National Cybersecurity Consortium-funded interdisciplinary cybersecurity program.

With nearly 9,000 citations, an H-index of 37, over $1.9 million in external research funding and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant focused on AI-driven disinformation, Saqib is a leading voice advancing trustworthy AI and digital integrity. His scholarly output includes three edited books, numerous high-impact publications and international recognition, including a lightning talk at USENIX 2024, one of the world’s premier venues for security research.

Saqib has undoubtedly elevated the University of New Brunswick’s global reputation in AI and cybersecurity.