Research & Innovation

By Sara Elliott 

Drug-resistant infections are silently spreading through water, soil, food systems and healthcare settings — often undetected until they become a public health emergency. 

At the University of Windsor, environmental microbiologist Dr. Opeyemi Lawal is developing new ways to spot these threats early, understand why they persist, and stop them before they spread.  

WINDSOR, Ont. — The University of Windsor has reached its highest-ever position in the QS World University Rankings, ranking third in Ontario among non-medical universities and placing among the world’s top 20 per cent for research impact. 

By Sara Elliott 

Every night during spring migration, millions of birds cross Canada in darkness, calling out to one another to stay together. 

Until now, no one was listening. 

By Sara Elliott

When they were children, Rachel Koop and Riley Beach unknowingly shared the same dream: becoming marine biologists.

Growing up by the Great Lakes, it seemed unlikely.

By Sara Elliott 

University of Windsor researchers have partnered with global experts to write a five-year action plan aimed at understanding the risk of highly toxic blue-green algae blooms.  

The five-year research plan outlines priorities to address the threats these blooms pose to freshwater resources worldwide, including the Great Lakes.  

By Victor Romao

By studying how near‑infrared light affects the brain, a University of Windsor PhD candidate is exploring a potential new approach to managing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. 

Brooke Shepley (MHK ’21, BHK ’19), a kinesiology researcher specializing in cerebrovascular physiology and vascular biology, is studying an approach known as photobiomodulation (PBM).

By Sara Meikle

For many women leaving a violent intimate partner, the journey to safety continues long after the relationship ends.

Rebuilding health, stability and quality of life often means navigating healthcare, housing, social services and community supports — a complex process researchers at the University of Windsor are exploring through an innovative arts-based study.

As May marks Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, the project examines the help-seeking journeys of women who have physically separated from violent intimate partners.

By Sara Elliott 

From freshwater restoration research to studies examining how drug policy and harm reduction services shape HIV prevention and treatment outcomes, the 2026 Research and Innovation Excellence Awards exemplified the innovative research, scholarship and creative activity currently happening at the University of Windsor.

On May 21, the University’s research community celebrated the awards presented by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation.  

By Sara Elliott 

Two University of Windsor physics undergraduates are gaining early research experience thanks to scholarships funded by professor emeriti. 

Distinguished University Professor Emeritus William Baylis and his wife, Bobbye Baylis, launched the Baylis Physics Research Internship in 2021. It offers an annual opportunity for a student to engage in advanced research with a faculty mentor. 

By Sara Elliott 

As climate change strips ice from the Great Lakes, something less visible is also changing: the underwater world of light that microscopic life depends on.  

When ice recedes, wind and water stir sediment, clouding the water and blocking the sunlight that drives photosynthesis at the base of the food web. What looks like a simple seasonal shift is, in scientific terms, a restructuring of habitat.