Interdisciplinary projects by UBC Mechanical Engineering Associate Professors Dr. Hongshen Ma and Dr. Gwynn Elfring have each received Stair Grants from UBC Science. The Stair Grants are designed to promote research collaborations between faculty from UBC Science with those of other disciplines, awarding pairs of researchers who have never previously worked together with an initial year of funding for an innovative new project.
With expertise in technologies that interface with biological systems at the cellular level, Dr. Ma is working with UBC Microbiology & Immunology Professor Pauline Johnson on the project “Macrophage phenotyping using autofluorescence imaging and machine learning.”
Dr. Elfring’s research focuses on mathematical modelling of different kinds of matter, especially complex fluids, and he will be collaborating on “Active matter at the mesoscale” with Professor Anthony Wachs from the UBC’s departments of Mathematics and Chemical and Biological Engineering.
The Stair Grant’s one-year funding supports two graduate students, awarding $20,000 for each student. In addition, a $5,000 in research stipend is provided for project supplies.
For a full list of recipients and projects, as well as application details for future grants, see the announcement UBC Science.