Research & Innovation

By Sara Elliott 

A rare and remarkable fishy find is turning heads at the University of Windsor’s Freshwater Restoration Ecology Centre (FREC). 

Among thousands of newly hatched Chinook salmon eggs this fall, graduate students discovered a pair of conjoined twins—an uncommon phenomenon that occurs in just one in every 10,000 eggs. 

By Sara Elliott  

Mapping the spread of invasive Phragmites is key to battling the towering reed that is threatening biodiversity across Southwestern Ontario.   

As quickly as it is cut back or burned, the fast-growing species – Phragmites australis subsp. australis – outcompetes native varieties rapidly with a detrimental effect on the surrounding area.  

By Kate Hargreaves

When Abby Scott joined the Outstanding Scholars program, she was not expecting to be listed as first author on a book chapter before she finished her undergrad.  

The fourth-year sport management and leadership student didn’t even know what Outstanding Scholars was until she was invited to enrol in the program during her second year as a student-athlete on the women’s volleyball team. 

By John-Paul Bonadonna

For fourth-year student Zeina Abou Haidar, the University of Windsor has been more than a place of study – it’s where she discovered her passion for research and creative inquiry.

A Communication, Media, and Film major with a minor in French Studies, Zeina says her experience in the University’s Outstanding Scholars program has shaped the way she thinks about learning, collaboration and her future.

“At the end of my first year, I got an email saying I could apply,” she said.

By Lindsay Charlton

From the University of Windsor’s Turbulence and Energy Lab to the greenhouse industry, a recent graduate is putting research into practice, tackling efficiency and sustainability challenges.

Kayes Reza (MASc ‘24) joined the team at Under Sun Acres, a Leamington greenhouse operation that uses advanced technology for sustainable solutions, as a cogeneration and heating system operator just weeks after graduation.

By Lindsay Charlton

There is a large labour pool employers could be tapping into, says researcher Kemi Anazodo, and it may offer a solution for industries facing worker shortages.  

Nearly four million Canadians live with a criminal record, many with skills and experience that could benefit the workforce.   

Windsor becomes a hub of tech innovation this November as more than 300 developers, designers and entrepreneurs descend on the Odette School of Business for GDG Windsor DevFest 2025 — a high-energy, one-day conference packed with expert-led talks, immersive workshops and a thrilling AI startup showdown. 

The event, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., aims to foster innovation and collaboration in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and software development.

By Sara Elliott 

When Justin Bensette (BA ‘17, BSc ‘24, MSc ‘25) started his master’s research in economics, he wasn’t aiming to reinvent how people access health care.  

But his curiosity about how patients make decisions — and how doctors respond — led him down a path that could inform future health policy. 

By Sara Elliott 

Critical submission deadlines are on the horizon for research ethics applications.  

2025 Research Ethics Board (REB) submissions — which need to be reviewed before the end of the year — are due the first week of December to give sufficient time to process applications ahead of REB review

By Kate Hargreaves

When Marc Zhichang Xu visited Windsor for the first time in early 2024, he found his time at the University to be “impressive and inspirational.”

“I was particularly inspired by the Indigenous Spirit on the Turtle Island Walk on the campus,” he says, referencing the Seven Grandfather Teachings represented along the route.

Having since published on the topic of Indigenizing knowledge, Dr. Xu will return to the University of Windsor in early November for two talks in the Faculty of Education.