Research & Innovation

Biology PhD candidate Isabelle Hinch earned first place at the 2026 University of Windsor Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition with a three-minute pitch on breastfeeding and breast cancer risk. 

Judged on comprehension, communication and engagement, Hinch took the top prize at the April 1 final. In addition to a $1,000 cash prize, she will represent UWindsor at the provincial competition hosted by Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., on May 6, 2026. 

By Lindsay Charlton 

“Dare to be different.” 

That’s the challenge University of Windsor professor Dr. Jill Urbanic poses to her students: to question established ideas as they develop innovative engineering solutions — something she models in her own work. 

By Sara Elliott

Offering free violin lessons to children is a “bright spot” in Avery Ng’s life.  

The fourth-year integrative biology student has been involved with Windsor’s The String Project since its inception four years ago. Volunteers teach violin to pupils in grades 3 to 8 at Frank W. Begley and Marlborough.   

By Kate Hargreaves 

Isabella Anes Rangel knows better than most the necessity of pivoting when life takes an unexpected turn.  

A talented basketball player from a young age, Rangel’s athletic skill and drive set her on a trajectory from her home country of Venezuela to Canada as a high school student and eventually to the University of Windsor for an undergraduate degree in kinesiology. 

By Sara Elliott 

More than 53,000 Canadians have died from opioid-related causes since 2016.  

As governments scale back harm reduction services, Dr. Adrian Guta wants to understand what happens to the people left behind — and what alternatives could keep them alive. 

By Sara Elliott

After paring down their work into finely tuned three-minute pitches, master’s and doctoral students will compete at the 2026 University of Windsor Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition on Wednesday, April 1. 

3MT® is an international competition developed at the University of Queensland; more than 900 universities participate worldwide, including more than 20 in Canada. 

By Sara Elliott  

A University of Windsor researcher is one step closer to building a facility that could deliver cutting-edge cancer treatment, produce medical isotopes and anchor a new industry in Windsor — after securing nearly $2 million to design it.  

Dr. Drew Marquardt, head of chemistry and biochemistry, has spent years advocating for a compact accelerator-based neutron source (CANS) in Windsor. The funding, announced March 13 as part of a $552-million federal infrastructure investment through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), will support a full scientific and technical design for a prototype facility.  

By Kate Hargreaves 

How does the timing of an injury affect the regeneration of that muscle tissue? 

That’s what new research out of the Faculty of Human Kinetics sought to explore. 

By Victor Romao

As Canada recalibrates its trade relationships with China and deepens economic ties with Europe, questions are emerging about what those shifts mean for the country’s auto industry and manufacturing base.

Peter Frise, a University of Windsor engineering professor and automotive expert, discusses how recent trade developments could affect vehicle imports, regional suppliers and Canada’s long-term competitiveness in a changing global market.

Q: What does the new Canada–China EV arrangement actually change?

By Sara Meikle

As winter loosens its grip and the first signs of spring emerge, many Canadians are welcoming the change.

But for vulnerable older adults, particularly those living in rural communities, the most pressing challenge exposed by the colder months does not disappear with the thaw.

For Dr. Noeman Mirza of the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Nursing, winter is more than a backdrop of snow and ice — it is a magnifier. The deeper issue is transportation.