Parex Fellows work to translate research into societal impact

Dr. Xin Wang, PhD, wants to make it easier for transportation companies to use electric trucks and reduce their carbon emissions.

Wang, a professor who leads the Schulich School of Engineering’s Intelligent Geospatial Data Mining Lab, is creating tools to more accurately predict the best truck routing based on weather, temperature, road surfaces, driving behaviours and more.

“The reason we’re doing this is because the environmental impact of moving goods around is really important,” she says.

Wang is one of five University of Calgary researchers who were awarded this year’s Parex Resources Innovation Fellowships.

The fellowships have been awarded annually since October 2019 when an endowment was created by alumnus Wayne Foo and Parex Resources Inc., a Calgary-based company.

Dr. Pierre Kennepohl, PhD, a chemist and associate dean for innovation and strategic partnerships in the Faculty of Science, says the fellowships allow researchers to focus in on their work. "The goal is to support faculty with extra resources specifically aimed at translating their academic research into something that can have a tangible societal impact.” 

The support helps drive the university's culture of entrepreneurship, contributes to its three-year record of being Canada's No. 1 startup creator and anchors it in the Calgary business community.

Kennepohl adds that the scholarships extend to faculties across campus this year.

The other four 2024-25 Parex Innovation Fellows are: 

• Dr. Kanwal Bokhari, DBA, in the Haskayne School of Business. Her project, Turning Tides: Charting Success for Women Entrepreneurs, will use machine learning to produce tools useful to entrepreneurs, investors, students, and policymakers.
• Dr. Victoria Fast, PhD, in the Department of Geography in the Faculty of Arts. Her project, Beyond Infrastructure: Innovating Urban Accessibility through Semantic Mapping, will address current limitations to infrastructure mapping by adding semantic layers to better tackle issues of accessibility in communities.
• Dr. Gabriel Ménard, PhD, in the Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science. His project, Selective Electrochemical Direct Lithium Extraction in Flow Using Carboranes, will work to support a low-carbon energy future. His team has created a novel strategy to capture lithium directly from salty water mixtures. It offers significant potential benefits to increase access to lithium while reducing costs and environmental impacts.
• Dr. Kathleen Sitter, PhD, in the Department of Social Work. Her project, Disability Histories, Soundscapes and Smellwalks: Putting our Stories on the Map, aims to ensure the preservation of Canadian histories that centres disabled voices in Canadian culture. It will use app-based technology for people to learn about the untold histories.

Bokhari says her fellowship will provide an opportunity to collaborate with women entrepreneurs, understand their challenges and develop targeted education and resources. “By addressing critical gaps in financial management knowledge, we aim to (help) women overcome barriers.”

Ménard says he’s thrilled that he and his team have received the fellowship. “We look forward to moving this exciting project forward.” 

For her project, Wang says the funding will allow her team to invest in cutting-edge technology and equipment to enhance their AI-based models for driving range and energy-efficient routing for electric trucks. 

“Additionally, the fellowship will enable us to collaborate with leading experts in the field, fostering an environment of innovation and knowledge exchange.” Wang says that could lead to pilot programs and real-world testing scenarios to refine and test the modelling in practical settings. 

The visibility and recognition from the fellowship, she adds, could also help her team to attract other investment and interest from both the public and private sectors.

“Logistics and transportation companies will be able to optimize operations, reducing energy consumption and costs while enhancing sustainability,” Wang says.

“Government agencies and policymakers can leverage our findings to inform policies on electric vehicle infrastructure and sustainable logistics. Electric truck manufacturers will see improvements in the operational efficiency and performance of their products.

“Ultimately, consumers and communities will enjoy the benefits of a more sustainable and resilient transportation system, contributing to a cleaner environment and more efficient logistics operation.”