2019-2020 Cohort of Parex Innovation Fellows

Dr. Reardon’s research focuses on cybersecurity, an area in which Dr. Reardon holds extensive domain knowledge, particularly as it relates to smartphones.

In 2018, he co-founded AppCensus Inc., incorporated in California. This company provides privacy analytics as a service and is directly spun out of Dr. Reardon’s own research along with collaborators. AppCensus’ AppSearch service analyzes free publicly-available Android apps, and reports the private and personally identifying information that different apps access and share with other parties over the Internet. The company has already procured statements of work from Consumer Reports and a Fortune 500 company, and the team is in discussions with a number of other companies, government regulators, and non-profit watchdogs interested in their work.

Dr. Reardon is also in talks with two other faculty members in the Department of Computer Science to plan for a new startup surrounding the building and designing of a secure, coercion-resistant data storage and access tool for users travelling to hostile countries.

With his Innovation Fellowship, Dr. Reardon plans to offer informal mentoring and discussions related to start-up companies, and continue to share his research findings with students and industry professionals, the latter of which he has been active in engaging via workshops and presentations at professional conferences.

Students who are beginning to pursuing their own startup activities will benefit from Dr. Reardon’s expertise in the area of privacy, security, and integrating privacy-by-design principles into their startups. His recent experience in this area will help ensure that students structure their plans and products most effectively.

Quote from Dr. Joel Reardon:

"This program gives a great opportunity to share skills and experiences in ensuring privacy and security aspects of mobile app development - something that nowadays is important to nearly any startup."

Dr. Kristina Rinker’s biomedical engineering research focuses on science and technology development for the advancement of diagnostics and therapeutics in cancer and cardiovascular disease. For over 20 years she has investigated how the dynamic nature of the body affects how cells function in health and disease and respond to therapeutic treatments.

Dr. Rinker’s team has developed a highly accurate blood test that can detect the presence of breast cancer in less than a teaspoon of blood. This technology has received international attention and provincial government funding. In 2016, the technology was transferred out of the university to Syantra, Inc., a spin-off company co-founded by Dr. Rinker.

Her team has also developed a patented drug testing device (patents issued in US, China and Europe, pending in Canada) and application specific protocols for drug testing.

Since September 2017, Dr. Rinker has been the Lead, Early Cancer Detection Initiative (ECDI), a partnership between the Charbonneau Cancer Institute, Schulich School of Engineering, and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. The ECDI team created a structure, raised almost $1M, initiated a grant program, funded 5 teams involving 11 faculty members from across campus (the Faculty of Science, Schulich School of Engineering, and Cumming School of Medicine), and became an affiliate of the international Canary Foundation for Early Cancer Detection network.

With the increase in entrepreneurial activities in Calgary around biotechnology and health related technologies, Dr. Rinker plans to focus her efforts on community and government advocacy, policy, and resources to enable greater reach and impact of innovation by, and expansion of, the innovation pipeline at the University of Calgary in health-related areas.

Dr. Rinker plans to be a mentor for biomedical engineering and other undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars developing technological innovations and interested in entrepreneurial endeavours. Key mentorship aspects include points to consider during technology development, identification and connection with potential end users, international considerations, and paths to implementation.

Quote from Dr. Kristina Rinker:

"My goal is to match capacity in activities with the university, city, province, national and international spheres in regard to technology development, implementation strategies, and mentoring. The benefits will be increased success of local innovations and innovators, as well as global awareness of Calgary as an innovation and entrepreneurial hub."

Dr. Shimizu’s research focuses on the preparation and characterization of novel porous solids, and has applications to carbon capture and energy management. He has a strong history with innovation that includes activities such as: 1) product focused research with industrial partners Inventys, Wilson Analytical, and PurLucid Treatment Solutions; 2) engagement with innovation-centric not-for-profits such as Innovate Calgary and Carbon Management Canada Research Institutes; and 3) spinning-out a startup based on his research, ZoraMat Solutions Inc., with two PhD graduates, Dr. Roger Mah and Dr. Jared Taylor. ZoraMat Solutions was formed in the summer of 2018, and negotiated a license to the CALF20 material from Innovate Calgary in April 2019. Since then, they have signed Material Transfer Agreements with new partners who are testing CALF20/Zoralite.

Among other projects, he has worked on the development of handheld H2S sensors for monitoring crude oil in transit, for which he received an NSERC Engage/Engage Plus Grant to support a Wilson Analytical Services/Transport Canada project, and using his knowledge of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to develop powders to coat membranes for water treatment alongside two collaborating partners (David Bromley Engineering and PurLucid Treatment Solutions).

Dr. Shimizu plans to increase understanding of innovation and entrepreneurial processes among students in teaching CHEM425 Industrial Chemistry. He will continue innovation activities such as commercializing new technologies from his research, mentoring graduate students with an interest in innovation, and continued engagement as Chief Scientific Officer at ZoraMat Solutions, for which the university is a stakeholder. The ZoraMat Solutions team will be seeking venture partners over the next 18 months; the group plans to expand the manufacture and use of their product as much as possible for a maximum valuation when dealing with investors.

Quote from Dr. George Shimizu:

"Over the past 5 years, I have had a lot of different experiences in the innovation realm, and I share them with students. While the end goal of innovation is to seek wider knowledge transfer, I have found it rewarding to see my students’ mindsets change with a broader training experience. Their goals now extend beyond putting out publications."

Dr. Marc Strous’ research focusses on the development of an economically feasible bioprocess for large scale CO2 conversion. To achieve this, Dr. Strous combined four innovations: use of high alkalinity, use of a microbial community instead of pure strains, use of biofilms instead of suspended cells and integration of organic solar cells, a form of printed electronics. A panel of experts at a Mission Innovation workshop on bioconversion of CO2 has recommended these innovations as some of the most promising.

As a Campus Alberta Innovation Chair, he assembled a dynamic, multidisciplinary team of >30, that included members from four different faculties, as well as SAIT staff, Innovate Calgary and external consultants, around this idea. The research led to successful grant applications to Western Economic Diversification and Alberta Innovates and became a highlight of the University of Calgary’s successful CFREF proposal and research program. The research was scaled up to pilot plant scale within four years and the group is currently drafting its second patent application. Dr. Strous has mentored trainees to think as entrepreneurs, take training around entrepreneurship at Innovate Calgary, and participate in pitches. His team has created five startup companies.

Dr. Strous’ innovation activities will lean toward entrepreneurship to help Alberta diversify its economy. He plans to use the Innovation Fellowship to continue his innovative program started under his Campus Alberta Innovation Chair and spend additional time supervising as his team moves toward a critical point in commercializing its energy biotechnology.

Quote from Dr. Marc Strous:

"I have a passion for clean energy and environmental problems and will continue to strive to make my dreams come true in those areas. My mission, as an Innovation Fellow, will be to explore the boundary between basic science and innovation. I believe we should show the world that curiosity, discovery, and innovation go together very well."

Dr. Yadid-Pecht’s work focusses on the development and transfer of CMOS (active pixel sensor) based imaging technologies into the academic and business communities. Building on over 20 years of experience in this area, Dr. Yadid-Pecht is committed to creating and protecting technology intellectual property, licensing and commercializing it, and actively identifying new applications for the technology in diverse industries. Her efforts were most recently recognized by the ASTech Foundation through their 2018 Outstanding Achievement in Technology Award. Her group holds 40 patents (including patents pending) for a diverse array of technologies with imaging applications.

In addition to her training and supervision of students, postdocs, and lab staff, Dr. Yadid-Pecht is currently involved in two companies in Calgary which she co-founded. In addition, Dr. Yadid-Pecht consults to industry in areas of technology and entrepreneurship and serves as an expert witness regarding technology disputes.

Dr. Yadid-Pecht’s I2Sense Lab develops and transfers sensor based technologies with applications in the biomedical, security, energy and environmental sectors. Since this requires an active and continuing commitment to developing and protecting IP, pursuing funding, initiating and strengthening industry collaborations, Dr. Yadid-Pecht prepares students and others to also be able to undertake innovation in the broader community. She has started offering From Lab to Fulfillment Workshop, which she developed, to support entrepreneurship among women faculty in science and engineering, and plans to expand the program and extend its reach.

Dr. Yadid-Pecht is actively pursuing industry collaborations, which are fundamental to her lab’s success. These collaborations include initiatives such as an NSERC Idea to Innovation (I2I) grants and the Strategic Project Grant (SPG) with different companies, recently with a machine vision company in Ontario. The Lab’s work on a gluten allergen detector technology (patent pending) has also attracted substantial interest from a food company in Calgary, and has strong potential to lead to better allergen detection device. A medical data machine learning algorithm is also being considered for commercialization.

Quote from Dr. Orly Yadid-Pecht:

"This spread of entrepreneurship experience and knowledge will have important implications for the university and the communities we work in. It is my goal to spread constructive and proactive thinking via the From Lab 2 Fulfillment workshop offering, extend the reach of the program beyond women in academia, and foster innovation activities."