Banting and Vanier scholars recognized for innovative, impactful research

Political Science PhD candidate Kelsey Leonard has been awarded the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship, worth $70,000 a year for up to two years. Leonard will build on her doctoral research by looking at defining water justice for Indigenous peoples in the face of climate change.

Six doctoral students have been awarded the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Each will receive $50,000 a year, for up to three years. McMaster’s newest Vanier Scholars are

• Eric Desjardins, medical sciences, is looking at mechanisms and strategies to treat metabolic disease.
• Sawayra Owais, medicine and neuroscience, will focus on recovery from postpartum depression in Indigenous and non-Indigenous women, and how it affects children.
• Raha Hassan, psychology, neuroscience and behaviour, will examine behavioural and self-regulatory processes in young children.
• Sophie Poznanski, medical sciences, will study cancer immunotherapies that use a patient’s own immune cells to fight the disease.
• Carly Whitmore, nursing, is examining the factors that impact self-reported health by older adults who live in the community.
• Liza-Anastasia DiCecco, materials science and engineering, will focus on developing custom additive manufactured titanium implants for people with osteoporosis.

“We are thrilled, once again, by the recognition of the extraordinary achievements of McMaster graduate students and postdocs” says Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Doug Welch.

“These Vanier and Banting recipients exemplify the innovative and impactful research conducted across the McMaster community.”

The Vanier and Banting awards programs are offered byCanada’s three federal granting agencies.