Meet the 2025 recipients of the Bridging Divides Emerging Research Grants at TMU
The Bridging Divides Emerging Research Grants have awarded over $445,000 CAD to fund six new research projects at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). These projects, which will run over the next two years, focus on under-examined and emerging areas related to migrant integration and the role of advanced digital technologies, contributing to the program’s four thematic areas: Immigrant Health and Well-being, Employment and Lifelong Learning, Place and Infrastructure, and Citizenship and Participation. With these new initiatives, more than 20 TMU researchers are now leading interdisciplinary projects as part of Bridging Divides.
Meet the recipients and learn more about their work below.
eXtended Reality for Migrant Driver Behaviour and Integration
Bilal Farooq, Canada Research Chair in Disruptive Transportation Technologies and Services, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
This project will explore the driving behavior of migrant drivers in Canada, examining how different conditions and factors affect their road safety outcomes. Through the use of a driving rig, digital twin, and extended reality (XR) technologies to simulate and analyze real-world driving scenarios, the project aims to improve infrastructure support for the integration of migrants into the Canadian transportation system.
Advanced Digital Technologies in Newcomer Employment Programs: Understanding the Role of Metacognitive Skills and other Individual Differences
Julia Spaniol, Professor, Department of Psychology
This project will examine newcomers' experiences with Advanced Digital Technologies (ADTs) in the employment context, exploring how individual factors influence their use and potential biases. Adopting a psychological lens, the research aims to understand ADTs' impact on newcomer employment programs and improve their effectiveness through training focused on metacognitive (thinking about thinking) skills and ADTs knowledge.
Trustworthy LLM-based Conversation Agents to Enhance Migrant Youth Mental Health
Reza Samavi, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering
This project will explore the ethical and trustworthy use of conversational agents to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in youth migrants, focusing on privacy protection, robustness, and cultural sensitivity. It will address challenges related to language barriers, cultural differences, and ethical considerations while developing methods to ensure the conversational agents are reliable, equitable, and trusted by both migrant youth and their caregivers.
Mapping Multinational Migration Trajectories to and from Canada
Richa Shivakoti, Research Lead on Migration Governance, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration
This project aims to understand the migratory decision-making processes of multinational migrants—those who move across multiple overseas countries—focusing on both immigration to Canada and potential emigration to other countries. Using an intersectional and transnational framework, the project will explore how these migrants use digital technologies, their personal and professional experiences, and their socio-economic integration in Canada. The research also investigates why some choose to leave after investing significant resources in their immigration journey.
Dynamic Refugee Placement in Government Assisted Refugees’ Settlement in Canada
Sharareh Taghipour, Canada Research Chair in Physical Asset Management, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Mechatronics Engineering
This project aims to develop a dynamic model for the placement of government-assisted refugees in Canada, enhancing their outcomes, such as employment rates, by optimizing the matching process between refugees and communities. It will address how to incorporate decision outcomes into a dynamic placement model while balancing community capacities and minimizing the impact on future refugees' employment opportunities.
Connecting Care: Telehealth Access and Preferences Among Immigrants in Ontario
Vess Stamenova, Assistant Professor, Department of Information Technology Management, Ted Rogers School of Management
This project will investigate immigrants' access to telehealth in Ontario, examining barriers, experiences, and modality preferences. Using a mixed-methods approach including health administrative data, surveys, and interviews, the research aims to provide a comprehensive, population-level understanding of telehealth access for immigrants.