The Douglas Research Centre proudly hosted the 2026 Undergraduate Research Expo on August 27, bringing together undergraduate researchers, faculty mentors, judges, trainees, and staff for an afternoon dedicated to showcasing student-led research.
The event featured 23 poster presentations, 9 oral presentations, and the participation of 15 volunteer judges, highlighting the breadth and quality of research being conducted across the Douglas community.
The Expo provided undergraduate students with an opportunity to present their work, receive feedback from peers, researchers and clinicians, and engage with trainees from across disciplines. The quality of presentations reflected the remarkable commitment of both students and their supervisors to advancing research and discovery.
Oral Presentation Award Winners
- First Place : Ashley Vu
Supervisor : Dr. Jai Shah
Presentation title : A Measurement-Based Care Platform for Young People Experiencing Early-Stage Mental Health Problems: A Pilot Implementation Study
- Second place : Anthony Pontbriand
Supervisor : Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve
Presentation title : Non-modifiable Risk Factors of Alzheimer’s Disease Predict Changes in Subjective Sleep Quality in At-Risk Older Adults
- Third place : Emma Zhang
Supervisor : Dr. Majid Mohajerani
Presentation title : Early Detection of Motor and Balance Deterioration in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis, Using the String Pulling Task
Poster Award Winners
- First Place : Parmida Talebi
Supervisors : Drs. Mojtaba Nazari et Majid Mohajerani
Poster title : Computer Vision-Based Analysis of Cattle Locomotion
- Second place : Lia Brahami
Supervisor : Dr. Majid Mohajerani
Poster title : ORBIT: An Open-Source, RFID-Enabled System for Continuous Monitoring of Individual Exercise in Group-Housed Mice
- Third place : Cindy Wang
Supervisor : Dr. Majid Mohajerani
Poster title : Behavioral Benefits of Tactile Stimulation in Adult and Neonatal 5xFAD Mouse Models of Alzheimer’s Disease
The Douglas Research Centre and Dr. Manuela Ferrari would like to express their sincere gratitude to the volunteer judges whose expertise, time, and thoughtful feedback were essential to the success of this event: Aarati Taksal, Ayda Khalili, Bohan Yao, Bridget Ward, Delphine Oliva-Lopez, Fiona Meister, Georgia Kruck, Hannah Lyons, Ian Raugh, Jean-Christophe Maranda, Megan Davies, Melyssa Haddadou, Parsa Afrooz, Refilwe Mpai, and Tovah Cowan.
Special thanks are also extended to the members of the Douglas Student Committee for Academic Life (DAL) for their exceptional leadership and support in organizing the Expo. In particular, we would like to recognize Maria Zimmermann for serving as Master of Ceremonies, as well as Fahed El-Khaldi and Sophie Simard for their invaluable contributions to the planning of the event.
The Douglas Research Centre congratulates all participants and award recipients for their outstanding work and looks forward to supporting the next generation of researchers through future editions of the Undergraduate Research Expo.