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From underwater acoustics to sensor science, two new training programs led by 91��ܽ researchers have won multi-year funding from the Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) through its Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program.

Totalling $3.3 million in funding, the Whale Habitat and Acoustic Learning for Ecosystem Sustainability (WHALES) program and the Biomedical and Environmental Sensor Training (BEST) program promise to train specialized experts in unique, high-demand fields through deep multi-sector collaborations over next six years.

Breaking down barriers to train Canadian marine bioacoustics specialists

Led by Ruth Joy, assistant professor and statistical ecologist at SFU’s School of Environmental Science, the WHALES program received $1.65 million to launch Canada’s first national marine bioacoustics training program.  

The WHALES program brings together local, national, and international experts in a range of scientific disciplines including physics, marine biology, and statistics — fields that are normally quite siloed in their approaches, says Joy. 

“We're partnering with coastal citizen scientists, the Port of Vancouver, the Canadian Armed Forces, the marine energy sector, the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment and different government institutions,” says Joy. “Right now, there is no program of its kind in Canada.” 

The expansion of the blue economy, driven by ocean activities like shipping, offshore wind and tidal energy infrastructure and port expansions, is raising noise levels in Canada’s ocean habitats, Joy explains. Training in marine bioacoustics will be increasingly important for developing solutions that reduce harm to marine mammals — and meet the increasing demand for these skills.

“This emerging field will continue to generate significant employment opportunities while supporting our national and international responsibility to be a leader in mitigating underwater noise impacts. WHALES will help to ensure that we have the trained, interdisciplinary professionals needed to meet this demand,” Joy says. 

Training the next generation of Canadian innovative sensor scientists

The BEST program will use its $1.65 million in new NSERC CREATE funding to train more sensor scientists and engineers to research and develop new technologies to detect, manage and mitigate rapidly evolving dangers stemming from climate change, infectious diseases, and biodiversity loss.

Led by SFU’s Peter Unrau, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, BEST addresses a national shortage of sensor scientists and engineers. This critical specialization gap was painfully evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Canada spent nearly $5 billion on COVID-19 point-of-care tests outside of the Canadian economy, curtailing growth of our national biotech industry, Unrau says.

Bringing together a team of biochemists, chemists, physicists, and engineers at SFU and the University of Waterloo, the program will also leverage existing collaborations with biomedical and environmental sensor industrial companies and government agencies.

Program training in cutting-edge technologies and skills will span from basic research to developing intellectual property — expertise that will help accelerate Canada's developing biomedical and environmental sensor industries, Unrau says.  

BEST will train approximately 90 highly qualified personnel within six years.