Research Projects & Grants
In the department of Geography and Environmental Studies, our geographical and environmental research spans diverse landscapes, ecosystems, and urban communities. Explore practical research opportunities designed to analyze spatial patterns, mitigate climate risks, and shape sustainable futures.
Latest research projects
Discover the cutting-edge research driving change in geography and environmental studies. Browse our current active grants, meet our principal investigators, and see how TMU researchers are transforming complex geographical data into actionable real-world impact.
| PI Name | Project Name | Program Name | Sponsor Name | Start | End |
| Rogers, Cheryl | Continuous leaf area index measurement to improve ecosystem carbon monitoring and modelling | Discovery Grants | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2025 | 2031 |
| Yalamarty, Harshita | Gender and Migration | Tier 2 | Canada Research Chair | 2025 | 2030 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Integrating data science and process modelling for better predictions in human dominated environments | Discovery Grants | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2024 | 2029 |
| Oswald, Claire | Understanding the impacts of urbanization on hydrological processes across scales using field, modelling, and geospatial methods | Discovery Grants | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2024 | 2029 |
| Millward, Andrew | A study to examine tree planting with halophytes | Research and Development | Toronto and Region Conservation Authority | 2026 | 2028 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Project Name: SimClEau 3.0: How will Lake Simcoe Cl- dynamics respond to climate change? | Lake Simcoe Protection Plan | ON - Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks | 2026 | 2028 |
| Ritts, Max | Unearthing Sensors | Insight Development Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2026 | 2028 |
| Bauder, Harald | Urban Sanctuary, Migrant Solidarity and Hospitality in Global Perspective | Partnership Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2021 | 2028 |
| Wellen, Christopher | A collaboration between the Partner Agency and LSRCA to conduct an evaluation ofthe effectiveness of agricultural best management practices under a future climate in the Lake Simcoe watershed | Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative | Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority | 2024 | 2027 |
| Oswald, Claire | Addressing Vulnerabilities and Strengthening Engagement in Lake Ontario Western Basin | Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program | Toronto and Region Conservation Authority | 2025 | 2027 |
| Rogers, Cheryl | Drone Allometry: Reducing costs and enhancing capacity for Indigenous carbon stewardship. | Alliance Advantage Grants | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2025 | 2027 |
| Oswald, Claire | Identification of the causes of freshwater salinization in the Lake Ontario watershed using chemical signatures | Contract | Canada Water Agency | 2026 | 2027 |
| Rogers, Cheryl | Leveraging automated imaging technologies to quantify nuisance algae growth and impacts in the nearshore and shoreline of Lake Ontario | Research | Environment Canada | 2025 | 2027 |
| Cleave, Evan | Place-based strategies for local climate change adaptation | Insight Development Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2025 | 2027 |
| Kyeremeh, Emmanuel | Are immigrants distressed? Exploring African immigrants vulnerability to Food Insecurity in the Greater Toronto Area and Stakeholder Collaborations | Insight Development Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2024 | 2026 |
| Millward, Andrew | Digital Loop Trail MVP | Digital Loop Trail MVP | Evergreen | 2025 | 2026 |
| Wang, Lu | Examining transnational health practices and healthcare access among older immigrants in Canada | Insight Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2019 | 2026 |
| Atkinson, David | Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation: Our Land for Our Future | Research | Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation | 2024 | 2026 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Understanding Long Term Chloride Dynamics in Lake Simcoe | Great Lakes and Inland Waters | Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks | 2024 | 2026 |
| Bauder, Harald | Urban Sanctuary and Migrant Solidarity in South Africa and Canada | Globalink Research Award | Mitacs Inc. | 2025 | 2026 |
| Oswald, Claire | Wastewater pathogen surveillance during the FIFA World Cup 2026 events in the City of Toronto | Communicable Diseases, Community and Social Services | City of Toronto | 2026 | 2026 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Assessing the roles of Reservoir and Agricultural Land Management on the Downstream Transport of Nutrients | Research Grant | ON - Ministry of the Environment | 2021 | 2025 |
| Oswald, Claire | Revolutionizing the Tracking of Microplastics: Novel DNA-Labelled Plastics for Environmental and Toxicological Studies | NFRF-E Subgrant | University of Saskatchewan | 2024 | 2025 |
| Oulahen, Greg | Rewards and risk, benefits and burden: Side-by-side adaptation in small island communities | Insight Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2020 | 2025 |
| Rinner, Claus | Transparency and shared responsibility for sustainable post-pandemic recovery and evidence-informed decision-making during future global emergencies | Special Call | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2023 | 2025 |
| Rinner, Claus | Transparency and shared responsibility for sustainable post-pandemic recovery and evidence-informed decision-making during future global emergencies | Special Call | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2023 | 2025 |
| Oiamo, Tor | Transportation Hub Neighborhood Air Quality (THNAQ) multi-frequency noise sampling and data analysis and modelling | Research Contract | Health Canada | 2023 | 2025 |
| Wang, Lu | Aging Well, Living Well - improving social inclusion for Chinese seniors in the GTA | Research | Mon Sheong Foundation | 2020 | 2024 |
| Oiamo, Tor | CANadian Urban Environmental (CANUE) Health Research Consortium | CIHR Sub Grant | University of Toronto | 2017 | 2024 |
| Oulahen, Greg | Effective Flood Risk Governance in a Changing Climate | Insight Grant | University of Waterloo | 2023 | 2024 |
| Oswald, Claire | Hydrological and biogeochemical resilience of human-dominated watersheds | Discovery Grants | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2017 | 2024 |
| Rinner, Claus | Location, Time, and Scale in GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis - Advancing the Agenda | Discovery Grants | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2016 | 2024 |
| Bauder, Harald | Sanctuary Cities, Solidarity Practices, and Urban Citizenship in International Perspective | Insight Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2018 | 2024 |
| Oiamo, Tor | Support, operation, data quality and process improvements to the Ontario Wastewater Data and Visualization Hub | Great Lakes and Inland Waters | Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks | 2023 | 2024 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Towards an integrated hydrochemical understanding of phosphorus transport from headwater agroecosystems | Discovery Grants | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2017 | 2024 |
| Oswald, Claire | Wasterwater surveillance of COVID-19 in the City of Toronto | Laboratory Services | ON - Ministry of the Environment | 2020 | 2024 |
| Oswald, Claire | Adoption of best winter maintenance practices: a case study comparison | Research Contract | Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority | 2021 | 2023 |
| Millward, Andrew | Advances in Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for urban tree root detection and mapping | Discovery Grants | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2017 | 2023 |
| Wang, Lu | Ethnic grocery retailing and healthy food provision in marginalized ethno-cultural neighbourhoods in the Greater Toronto Area | RBC Faculty Stream | Royal Bank of Canada | 2019 | 2023 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Evaluation of nutrient trading programs in Ontario | Great Lakes and Inland Waters | Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks | 2022 | 2023 |
| Oswald, Claire | High-frequency examination of nutrient loading, transport and transformation during event flows using sensor-based technologies | Research Grant | ON - Ministry of the Environment | 2020 | 2023 |
| Oswald, Claire | IPAC+ Evaluating Intervention Impact using Serological and Cellular Assays as Correlates of SARS-CoV-2 Exposure among Long-Term Care Homes (LTCH) Staff, Residents, and Transmission Networks | PHAC subgrant | Unity Health Toronto | 2020 | 2023 |
| Oiamo, Tor | Ontario COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Data Repository | Research Grant | ON - Ministry of the Environment | 2021 | 2023 |
| Oswald, Claire | Understanding the influence of common stormwater control measures on chloride dynamics in receiving waters | Research Grant | ON - Ministry of the Environment | 2021 | 2023 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Water Quality Modelling of the Humber River Watershed, a Mixed Urban-Rural Watershed | Industrial Contribution and Federal and Provincial Matching Funds | Mitacs Inc. | 2022 | 2023 |
| de Noronha Vaz, Eric | Automation of the TRCA's Flood Risk Analysis Network (FRANk) | Industrial Contribution and Federal and Provincial Matching Funds | Mitacs Inc. | 2021 | 2022 |
| Wellen, Christopher | COA-GLS ID 1504 Watershed Data Analysis | Research Grant | ON - Ministry of the Environment | 2020 | 2022 |
| Cleave, Evan | Improving Economic Development Planning in Ontario: A Framework for Building Capacity and Ability | Insight Development Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2020 | 2022 |
| Oiamo, Tor | Integrated Urban Modeling (IUM) For Decision-Making and Policy Guidance: Extensions and Application of a Simulation Tool for Urban Change, Air Quality and Associated Health Impacts | Health Canada | University of Windsor | 2018 | 2022 |
| Oswald, Claire | Isotopic water sampling and analyzer systems for tracing water movement through urban landscapes | Ontario Research Fund: Research Infrastructure | ON - Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade | 2020 | 2022 |
| Millward, Andrew | Location-agnostic teaching and learning during a pandemic and beyond: mitigating school year disruptions with a novel approach to place-based environmental education | Engage Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2021 | 2022 |
| Edge, Sara | Overcoming inequitable access to healthy built environments: examining immigrant inclusion & equity in the governance of (re)development | Insight Development Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2019 | 2022 |
| Wang, Lu | Spatial and social patterning of COVID-19 prevention and transmission in Canada: Investigating the impacts of risk perception and preventive behaviour on individual activity space | Operating Grant: Canadian 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Rapid Research Funding Opportunity | Canadian Institutes of Health Research | 2020 | 2022 |
| Ghosh, Sutama | The Challenges and Resilience of International Students during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Case Study of Greater Sudbury in Northern Ontario | Engage Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2020 | 2022 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Water Quality Modelling for Etobicoke Creek | Industrial Contribution and Federal and Provincial Matching Funds | Mitacs Inc. | 2021 | 2022 |
| Millward, Andrew | An automated and client-driven software as a service solution (SaaS) approach toparking lot use analyses | Engage Grants Program | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2019 | 2021 |
| Oulahen, Greg | Coastal Flood Risk Governance in a Changing Climate | Cycle II | NCE: MEOPAR - Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network | 2018 | 2021 |
| Ghosh, Sutama | Migration and Resilience in Urban Canada: Discovering Strengths and Building Capacity | Partnership Grant | York University | 2019 | 2021 |
| Edge, Sara | Preparing for food security after COVID-19: Strengthening equity and resiliency in future emergency response in Toronto | Engage Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2020 | 2021 |
| Oswald, Claire | Review of Alternatives to Road Salting | Transportation Services | City of Toronto | 2021 | 2021 |
| Oswald, Claire | Sewershed surveillance of COVID-19 in the City of Toronto | Alliance COVID-19 | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council | 2020 | 2021 |
| Oiamo, Tor | Train yard Neighbourhood Air Quality (TyNAQ) multi-frequency noise sampling and analysis. | Research Contract | Health Canada | 2020 | 2021 |
| Wellen, Christopher | Agricultural Land Management Survey | Research | University of Windsor | 2017 | 2020 |
| Oulahen, Greg | Flood hazards, environmental rewards, and the reproduction of risk | Insight Development Grants | Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council | 2018 | 2020 |
| Millward, Andrew | Growing awareness and cultivating agency: Rooting sustainability in Toronto Citytrees | Spring 2019 Call | Ryerson Innovation Circle | 2019 | 2020 |
Note: List includes research funding over $25k since 2020.