Two projects involving York University researchers have received more than $14.5 million in research infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), supporting advances in global biodiversity monitoring and particle physics.
The CFI invests in state-of-the-art research facilities and equipment at institutions across the country, enabling projects that address international challenges and deliver meaningful societal impact.
York University researchers will play key roles in two newly funded initiatives - one focused on mapping life on Earth, and another on probing the fundamental structure of the universe.
Professor Elizabeth Clare, from the Faculty of Science, is a longtime contributor to the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG), a global research hub led by the University of Guelph that has received $9,208,765 in funding. Clare has been involved with the centre for more than two decades, since its early development.
The CBG uses advanced genetic tools to identify species through DNA barcoding - an approach that uses short, standardized gene sequences to distinguish species from trace amounts of genetic material. In doing so, CBG can identify where species occur, estimate their numbers and explore how they interact and will use the data to inform conservation planning and ecosystem protection.
CFI funds will support modernization of the centre's infrastructure. "The funds will allow the renovation and expansion of the CBG building, meeting the critical need for additional laboratory space," says Clare. "It will also allow acquisition of advanced sequencing and computational hardware required to provide support to the Canadian and international biodiversity science community."
Increased capacity will help position the centre for its next major initiative: Planetary Biodiversity, an ambitious effort aiming to document every multicellular species on Earth by 2045.
York will contribute to a second CFI-funded initiative focused on particle physics. Wendy Taylor, a Faculty of Science professor, is a collaborator on the ATLAS Tier-1 Centre and Distributed Computing project, which has received $5,376,964 in funding and is led by Simon Fraser University.
The project supports Canada's role in the ATLAS experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - one of the world's largest scientific collaborations. The experiment studies high-energy proton collisions that recreate conditions just moments after the Big Bang, offering insights into the fundamental laws of the universe.
At the core of this work is a powerful information infrastructure. ATLAS generates vast amounts of data, which are processed and analyzed through a network of high-performance computing centres. Canada's Tier-1 Data Centre, located at Simon Fraser University, is a key part of this network and is operated by a national consortium that includes York University.
"This data storage and analysis centre is a crucial Canadian contribution to the global ATLAS experiment," says Taylor.
With the new funding, the facilities at Simon Fraser will undergo a major expansion to upgrade Canada's ability to store, process and analyze LHC data. "This funding means that 160 researchers across Canada can continue to contribute to the world-class particle physics research program," says Taylor.
Taylor is a contributor to the ATLAS initiative and the Tier-1 Data Centre, helping advance the experimental and computational research. She has been involved in developing the Inner Tracker detector, a critical component that records the paths of particles produced in collisions. Her team uses the Tier-1 Data Centre to run simulations and analyze the enormous datasets generated by the experiment.
Taylor's work helps guide computing infrastructure needs while enabling team members to search for rare and elusive particles, including magnetic monopoles - hypothetical particles that could fundamentally reshape our understanding of the universe.
"At York University, we believe discovery happens when collaboration meets bold vision," says Amir Asif, vice-president, research and innovation. "These projects reflect the power of our researchers, students and partners coming together to push the boundaries of knowledge - from revealing the full diversity of life on our planet to unlocking the deepest mysteries of the universe. By investing in people, ideas and world-class infrastructure, we are not only advancing Canadian research but helping shape a more sustainable, informed and innovative future for the world."
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
