October 14, 2016 — Graduate students working to advance solar technology, design brain-machine interfaces and improve drinking water quality have been awarded Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships for 2016.
Vanier Scholarships, worth $50,000 per year for three years, are awarded by the Government of Canada to doctoral students at Canadian universities who demonstrate excellence in three areas: academics, research impact and leadership.
Meet the three U of T Engineering recipients:
Moien Alizadehgiashi — PhD, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
Moien Alizadehgiashi’s doctoral research has far-reaching applications for fields from health sciences to sustainable energy. His PhD project, under the supervision of Professor Axel Guenther (MIE) focuses on using existing nanotechnologies to create “flowable” functional materials — advanced materials that are flexible and wearable, and can be produced inexpensively on demand, much like printing a newspaper.
These materials are highly customizable and could be used for a wide range of products, from solar cell windows to wearable health-monitoring devices. “The cost of solar energy has gone down 25 per cent in the last five months because of the huge strides being made in solar technology, funded by scholarships like the Vanier Scholarship,” said Alizadehgiashi.
Alizadehgiashi said that as an international student, support from the Vanier Scholarship is especially important for him. “It is a great honour and recognition,” he said. “This significant financial award will allow me to focus on my research.”
