Sheridan tops national rankings for research partnerships

Sheridan has been named as Canada’s top research partnership college nationally for the third year running according to the 2023 edition of Research Infosource Inc.’s annual summary, Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges. This is the eleventh year a list has been released for the Top 50 research colleges in Canada and reflects research activity from the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

“I am so proud that Sheridan continues to receive recognition as a leader in partnering with community and industry for research, innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Janet Morrison, President and Vice Chancellor at Sheridan. “Our partners look to our expertise to collaborate on and deliver innovative solutions to address real-world challenges.”

Generator at Sheridan is the embodiment of applied solutions-driven work — bringing together cross-disciplinary teams of researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and changemakers to drive innovation and impact in partnership with industry and community. Sheridan's top ranking in research partnerships speaks to the successful efforts in purposeful collaboration with community and industry to create meaningful and lasting change in the communities we serve and beyond.

Student researchers also continue to be at the heart of Sheridan’s applied research projects. Sheridan has remained in the top three in the category of number of student researchers and provided 131 paid student internships in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. These hands-on experiential learning opportunities enable students to apply and grow their technical and professional skills alongside Sheridan research teams and community and industry partners across a diverse range of fields. Through research, innovation and entrepreneurship activities, students are equipped for current and future workforce needs and can further develop their resilience and agility.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the important work of Generator at Sheridan, recognizing our commitment as an innovation intermediary for partners of all sizes and across many sectors,” said Andrea England, Vice Provost of Research at Sheridan. “We will continue to find new ways to drive innovation with impact to support partners and create opportunities for researchers and students.”

Research project highlights include:

Facilitating Mentorship for Newcomers

A Sheridan team of researchers partnered with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) on a project designed to assist in their efforts to recruit mentors.

Led by Dr. Ferzana Chaze (Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies), with co-investigator Dr. Leigh Hayden (formerly with the Centre for Elder Research), Research Associate Dr. Deepikaa Gupta (Grey Bruce Local Immigration Partnership) and student researchers Heung Ting Kwee, Dorothy Rodrigues and Arlene Samuel, the team examined the reasons why industry professionals become mentors, identified the barriers that deter them and provided recommendations on ways to attract and retain mentors moving forward.

Hearts + Minds

Through participatory action research, the Hearts + Minds project creates decolonized, politically empowering youth civic engagement opportunities that reflect Indigenous and Black models of knowing, being and doing.

Hearts + Minds is co-directed by Dr. Abigail Salole (Director, EDI Knowledge Translation and Accountability) and Fallon Melander (Special Advisor to the President, Indigenous Engagement) with student researchers Esrah Akasha, Shamas Berantuo, Alex Hansen, Yasmin Hashi and Michella Mark, working in collaboration with community partners Volunteer MBC, Res Q Youth and Moyo Health and Community Services.

Design simulations in manufacturing

As part of the expansion plans for Microgreen Energy Corporation’s current headquarters, the Markham-based developer of clean energy products approached Sheridan to help modify and redesign the facility’s layout and develop new process options for the manufacturing of electric vehicle battery packs.

Professor Aravind Venkatapathy (Faculty of Applied Science and Technology) worked with the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies to create models by using virtual reality and workflow simulation engineering programs. The simulation experience helped determine problem areas for Microgreen and solve process issues such as assembly line time and bottlenecks by using flexible manufacturing techniques.

About Generator at Sheridan

Generator at Sheridan is where purpose and passion unite the extraordinary research, innovation and entrepreneurship undertaken by Sheridan’s faculty, staff and students, working across disciplines and sectors, to drive meaningful impact for an everchanging world. For more information, visit sheridancollege.ca/generator.