Canada: McMaster

University of Birmingham PI: Paul McConnell, Professor of Global Legal Education, Head of Global Engagement, Birmingham Law School

Paul has extensive experience within legal higher education acting as LPC programme lead at the University of Law for several years, following which he joined the Birmingham Law School in 2018. Prior to this Paul had worked as a solicitor for Squire Patton Bogs and is now head of global engagement at the University of Birmingham where he is keen to engage with universities, alumni and prospective international students worldwide.

McMaster PI: Andrea Lawlor, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Public policy 

Andrea specializes in the study of Canadian public policy, public opinion, as well as administrative and election law, including third party regulation in Canadian federal elections. Her work has appeared in the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Journal of Law and Society, and the Journal of Social Policy, among other venues. Dr. Lawlor holds a PhD from McGill University in Political Science (2014), as well as a second PhD from Western University’s Faculty of Law (2025)

Project Summary:

Birmingham Law School and McMaster’s Department of Political Science are collaborating on the development of a range of joint Law/Political Science programmes, with the goal of providing outstanding education opportunities for academic excellence across both disciplines and enhancing student experiences and outcomes.

University of Birmingham PI: Yue Feng, School of Computer Science, Assistant Professor of Artificial Intelligence

Dr Yue Feng is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Birmingham. Her research interests lie in natural language processing and information retrieval, especially on large language model powered AI agents, multimodal foundation models, trustworthy AI.

McMaster PI: Cynthia Lokker, Associate Professor, health research methodologist, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact

Dr. Cynthia Lokker is a health research methodologist and researcher in the Health Information Research Unit, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University. Her research focuses on leveraging information retrieval and summarization approaches, particularly machine learning and natural language processing, to support evidence-based medicine and knowledge translation. She has expertise in digital health and evaluating mobile health applications.

Project Summary:

This interdisciplinary project addresses misinformation from generative AI tools answering online health queries. Leveraging expertise from Birmingham and McMaster in AI, NLP, and evidence-based medicine, we will develop and test LLM-based AI agents capable of assessing the veracity and evidence-quality of AI-generated responses. Our structured activities include workshops, seminars, reciprocal visits, and a pilot study to generate preliminary data, ensuring robust grant proposal preparation. Aligning with SDGs on health and innovation, this research ultimately aims to improve public health literacy by ensuring online health information provided by browsers and AI models is accurate, trustworthy, and evidence-based.

University of Birmingham PI: Vincent Boyer, Associate Professor, School of Physics and Astronomy

Vincent is an Associate Professor and Head of the Cold Atom group. His research spans ultracold atoms, quantum optics, and fundamental physics. He looks for ways to improve imaging using quantum-squeezed light, develop novel techniques of super-resolved microscopy below the diffraction limit, and detect dark matter using quantum-enhanced interferometry.

McMaster PI: Duncan O'Dell, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy 

 Dr Duncan O'Dell is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at McMaster University where his research focuses on theoretical physics, particularly the interface between ultracold atoms, quantum optics and condensed matter physics.

Project Summary:

Optical imaging is a key diagnostic tool in science, technology, healthcare, and industry. Recently, the limits on optical resolution imposed by diffraction have been overcome, and it is now possible to resolve simple objects with an uncertainty smaller than the wavelength of light. This project will combine the expertise at Birmingham (light beams with structured amplitude and polarization; analysis of scattered photons) and McMaster (imaging of biological systems; quantum-enhanced super-resolution lenses) to build on this progress to allow the static and dynamic imaging of complex objects such as bacteria, viruses and the memory bits of quantum computers.

University of Birmingham PI: Dr Steve Hewitt, Associate Professor in American and Canadian Studies, Department of History

Dr Steve Hewitt is a British/Canadian academic interested in security and intelligence in the past and present in both a US/UK/Canada context. His current research interests reside in the field of counterterrorism, terrorism and Canadian intelligence. In detail his prior research been multi-disciplinary in that it has comprised investigations of state surveillance against Canadian universities, UK and US counterterrorism with emphasis on the event of 9/11, a history of informants, and the world's most famous police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He has appeared extensively within the media on BBC Radio and Television, CBC Television and Radio regarding his work and published several books concerning the field of intelligence and security

McMaster PI: Dr Chandrima Chakraborty, Professor, English and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities 

Dr Chandrima Chakraborty is a Professor of English & Cultural Studies within the Faculty of Humanities. Her research interests have spanned public memory, nationalist history and the politics of memorialization in South Asia and Canada. In accordance with this, her ongoing research on the 1985 Air India bombings has refocused the attention of both scholars and the general public on this key historical event otherwise overlooked. She was awarded the title of University Scholar at McMaster University in 2017 and was elected to the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2019. She is Director of the Centre for Peace Studies and the Global Peace and Social Justice program at McMaster University. She is also an Associate Scientist at the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) and Executive Committee member of McMaster’s Global Nexus.

Project Summary

McMaster is home to the Air India Flight 182 Archive, which is preserving stories of those who lost loved ones in the second largest act of aviation terrorism in world history. Since 2005, Canada has recognized June 23 as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. Yet, Air India is little known and seldom remembered. With 2025 marking the 40th anniversary, this project will provide opportunities to unite UoB and McMaster students and researchers working on the history of terrorism, memory and grief to further develop the Air India archive and educate the global public on this tragedy.

University of Birmingham PI: Dr Zhiling Guo, School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham

Dr. Zhiling Guo's research at the University of Birmingham is at the forefront of environmental toxicology, focusing on the cutting-edge study of pollutants such as nanomaterials, microplastics, and persistent organic contaminants. Her work integrates advanced methodologies, including state-of-the-art organ-on-chip models, to simulate human and ecological exposure scenarios and reveal the underlying mechanisms of toxicity. By pioneering innovative biosensor technologies for real-time pollutant detection, Dr. Guo aims to transform environmental monitoring and health risk assessments, providing groundbreaking insights into the long-term impacts of emerging pollutants on global ecosystems and human health. 

McMaster PI: Charles de Lannoy, Associate professor, Chemical Engineering, McMaster

Dr. Charles de Lannoy's research at McMaster University focuses on environmental engineering, particularly on developing innovative solutions for water treatment, CO₂ capture, and environmental remediation. His work combines advanced membrane technologies, electrochemical processes, and nanomaterials to address challenges like water contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. He also collaborates on sustainable water solutions for Indigenous communities, integrating scientific innovation with cultural sensitivity. His research aims to create efficient, scalable, and sustainable technologies for environmental protection and resource recovery.

University of Birmingham PI: Professor Paul McConnell, Professor of Global Legal Education, Birmingham Law School

Paul is an expert in the field of international legal education and global legal careers. He has led on the development of a range of international education programmes at Birmingham Law School, supporting students with developing their careers across different jurisdictions, with a particular focus on Canada.

McMaster PI: Greg Flynn, Academic Director, Master of Public Policy in Digital Society, Department of Political Science, McMaster University

Greg is a teaching focused professor at McMaster University, with expertise in the intersection of law, public policy and public administration as well as the role of law and courts in democratic politics. He has played a leading role in developing programs in law and politics at McMaster and with a particular emphasis on student interests and needs, and aimed at those with a future legal career in mind.

University of Birmingham PI: Dr Ping Guo, Associate Professor and Lead for Internationalisation, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health

Dr Ping Guo has a demonstrable record of a steep career trajectory over the last 10 years on course to becoming an outstanding research leader in palliative care. Dr Guo is Visiting Senior Lecturer in Palliative Care at the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King’s College London. Dr Guo’s research expertise lies in intervention and health services research. Her research interests include palliative and end of life care, outcome measurement, and global health. She has experience of leading and managing different projects in clinical trials and observational studies, undertaking documentary reviews and qualitative interviews, and conducting health systems strengthening research with the most vulnerable populations including forcibly displaced persons.

McMaster PI: Professor Lisa Schwartz, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI), Faculty of Health Sciences

Professor Lisa Schwartz is Arnold L. Johnson Chair in Health Care Ethics, and associate member of the Department of Philosophy at McMaster University. Professor Schwartz’s research background includes research ethics, and evaluation of ethics education in medicine. Professor Schwartz is senior lead on a programme of studies examining ethical challenges faced by humanitarian healthcare providers, ethics and policy in humanitarian healthcare agencies. Professor Schwartz is a member of the Ethics Review Board of Médecins Sans Frontières since 2014. She has collaborated with the International Committee of the Red Cross project on Health Care in Danger, is a member of the World Health Organization’s Public Health Ethics Consultative Group and contributed to the Integrating palliative care and symptom relief into responses to humanitarian emergencies and crises: a WHO guide.

University of Birmingham PI: Timea Nochta, Assistant Professor, Public Policy and Governance

Timea’s research centres on public governance and its interactions with technological change, in particular decarbonisation and digitalisation. Prior to her current appointment, she was postdoctoral researcher at the at the University of Cambridge, where she co-led the Digital Cities for Change project. She completed her PhD in Local Government Studies at the Institute of Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham.

McMaster PI: Maria Gintova, Assistant Professor, Political Science and Master of Public Policy in Digital Society Program

Maria Gintova’s research focuses on government use of social media, user-centred design in social policy, and the future of work in government. Prior to joining McMaster University, she worked for Canadian federal and Ontario provincial governments for 11 years. She is passionate about experiential and e-learning that is engaging, supportive, and recognizes students’ diversity.

Project Summary

Climate change policy and implementation are key foci for contemporary mis- and dis-information, with various narratives being spread and amplified through both social and news media. This offers an opportunity to conduct research that investigates how key narratives are being spread via different means, evaluates governments’ response options, and implications for policy and action, in different country contexts.

University of Birmingham PI: Associate Professor Zoë Thomas, History Department, School of History and Cultures.

Zoë Thomas is an expert in modern history with particular specialisms in histories of work and artistic and feminist movements. Her multi-prizing winning book Women Art Workers and the Arts and Crafts Movement was published in 2020. She is currently Deputy Editor of Women's History Review and her expertise has also led her to work several times with the BBC and HBO America as an historical expert as well as writing a popular book for A Level Students about the history of the British suffrage movement. She is committed to generating opportunities for students to research women's and gender history, and is currently lead supervisor of two M4C Collaborative PhDs working with the National Trust and Women’s Library LSE. She is now in the early stages of writing a new biography about Dora Russell (1894-1986), writer and global campaigner for women’s rights, international peace and cooperation, greater human happiness, and educational, environmental, and sex reforms.

McMaster PI: Professor Alexander Klein, Canada Research Chair, Director of the Bertrand Russell Research Centre, and Professor of Philosophy at McMaster University, in Canada. 

His research focuses on the history and philosophy of psychology, with an emphasis on interactions with classic pragmatism and early analytic philosophy. William James and Bertrand Russell have been at the center of his work in books such as Bertrand Russell, Feminism, and Women Philosophers in his Circle (Palgrave MacMillan) and Consciousness Is Motor (forthcoming with Oxford). He has held Fulbright and Mellon fellowships at the University of Toronto, Cornell University, and the University of Sheffield. McMaster houses the complete archives of Bertrand Russell, and the collection also holds extensive writings of Dora Russell. As part of Klein’s capacity as Russell Centre Director, he is working to help students and scholars engage important and neglected archival material at McMaster concerning the history of women’s rights, internationalism and pacifism. Dora Russell’s writings are an important treasure in this regard, and he looks forward to collaborating with project participants in helping to bring some of this important thinker’s works to light.

University of Birmingham PI: Dr Dawei Wu, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering

Dr Dawei Wu is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, an EPSRC Industry Innovation Fellow, and International Tutor at the School of Engineering. He is a member of the CEE (Clean Energy Engineering) research group and is associated with the CASE (Connectivity, Autonomy, Sharing, and Electrification) Automotive Research and Education Centre. Dr Wu’s research strength lies in zero-carbon fuels (such as hydrogen, ammonia, and e-fuels) and zero-emitting propulsion technologies for transport

McMaster PI: Dr James S. Cotton

James' interests centre on the thermo-fluid sciences directly related to Thermal Energy Conversion and Management. He is currently developing a research program encompassing Conservation and Demand/Supply Management and Integration of Sustainable Energy Sources to determine a “Best Mix Approach” to energy generation. His research initiatives include both experimental and computational investigations of heat transfer, thermodynamics and fluid dynamics and topics addressing fundamental issues in the thermal sciences as well as integrated technologies for real life thermal management problems.

UoB PI: Professor Afroditi Stathi, Community Health Lead - Centre of Urban Wellbeing, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

Professor Afroditi Stathi is an expert in the field of the promotion of active and healthy ageing. She leads a portfolio of international, interdisciplinary research which investigates ways of supporting older people achieving meaningful and lasting lifestyle changes and living healthier and fulfilling lives.

McMaster PI: Audrey Patocs, Research Manager, McMaster Institute for Research on Aging

Audrey Patocs’ research has focused on analyzing and modelling the spread of infectious diseases and associated beliefs, behaviours and outcomes. In her current role at MIRA, she works to foster and maintain multi-disciplinary research partnerships, develop and administer internal funding programs, identify funding and mobilize researchers around those opportunities, and help foster research that both involves and benefits older adults.

UoB PI: Dr Lucy Clark, Associate Professor in Materials Chemistry, School of Chemistry

Dr Clark leads an interdisciplinary group of researchers dedicated to the discovery and exploration of new and exotic states of matter in solid-state materials. The group aims to design and synthesise novel quantum materials in the chemistry laboratory and employs a variety of characterisation tools to unravel their fascinating behaviour. In particular, the group works closely with central facilities for neutron scattering and muon spectroscopy in the UK and internationally

McMaster PI: Bruce Gaulin, Professor, Physics & Astronomy

Bruce Gaulin is a Distinguished University Professor and Brockhouse Chair in the Physics of Materials at McMaster University. He and his group of students and postdocs carry out neutron scattering experiments on new quantum materials at neutron laboratories around the world. His group works to shed light on the exotic properties of new materials.

UoB PI: Professor Jonathan Fisher, Professor of Global Security International Development Department

Jonathan's research focuses on the relationship between authoritarianism and (in)security across multiple levels – global, regional, domestic, and “the everyday”. He has a particular interest in the role of ideas and legitimacy in authoritarian systems and spaces, and has worked extensively in eastern Africa, where he has focused on the influence of guerrilla heritage on contemporary patterns of governance, conflict and cooperation.

McMaster PI: Netina Tan, Associate Professor, Political Science

Netina Tan’s research focuses on authoritarian resilience and the political representation of women and ethnic minorities in Asia and globally. Dr. Tan is the co-founder of McMaster’s Asian Research Working Group and Digital Democracy Research Hub, designed to advance research on Asia and the impact of digital technology on democratic practices.

UoB PI: Dr Lisa Goodson, Lecturer, Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Lisa Goodson is a lecturer in the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology where she co-ordinates social policy research modules at post graduate level as well as teaching and tutoring on undergraduate modules in new migration. Lisa has been at the forefront of research exploring the experiences and consequences of migration in the UK and Europe. Common themes that cut across her research and teaching on migration issues include: integration and cohesion, poverty and social exclusion, gender and health, and approaches to welfare provision for migrants in an age of super-diversity.

McMaster PI: Mirna Carranza, Professor, Social Work

Mirna Carranza’s research interests include immigrant and refugee families and their process of acculturation as family units. Her Canadian research includes issues of grief, ambiguous losses, war and torture, identity processes, transnational relationships and their impact on parenting practices, successful settlement processes and mental health. Her international research focuses on social justice issues, particularly on forced migration, gender violence, children's and women's rights in Central America.

UoB PI: Samuel Adomako, Associate Professor Department of Strategy and International Business

Dr Samuel Adomako is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, UK. Prior to joining the University of Birmingham, he held teaching and research positions in King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia and the University of Bradford, UK. His research centres on the cognitive processes supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy.

McMaster PI: Benson Honig, Professor, Human Resources and Management

Benson Honig is the Teresa Cascioli Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership at McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business. Studying entrepreneurship worldwide, his research interests include business planning, nascent entrepreneurship, transnational entrepreneurship, ethics in scholarship, social entrepreneurship, social capital, and entrepreneurship in environments of transition.

UoB PI: Geoffrey Bird and Professor Jennifer Cook, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology

Professor Cook’s work investigates action and social cognition in typically developed adults and those with autism spectrum conditions. With respect to action Professor Cook and her colleagues have shown that autistic adults move with subtly different kinematics compared to typical controls. With respect to social cognition Jennifer and her colleagues have demonstrated considerable individual differences in social learning in the typical population and have shown that such individual differences are related to personality traits such as dominance. Jennifer's future work seeks to investigate the overlap between action, social cognition and neuromodulators in both in the typical population and in people with autism.

McMaster PI: Sukhvinder Obhi, Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour

Sukhvinder Obhi is Director of the Social Brain, Body and Action Lab and the Neurosociety Lab at McMaster University. His research focuses on the neural and cognitive bases of social behaviour, with an emphasis on power, status, agency and volition. He also conducts research on various issues related to social diversity, many of which are pertinent to the professional domains of inclusive leadership and diversity and inclusion.

UoB PI: Dr Phil Jones, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Geography, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Dr Phil Jones is a cultural geographer who focuses on issues related to the city. His work deals with a number of research areas including urban regeneration, cycling and the arts. He has a particular interest in research methods, including qualitative GIS, mobile interviewing and arts-based approaches.

McMaster PI: Bruce Newbold, Director and Professor, School of Earth, Environment & Society

Bruce Newbold’s research interests focus on population issues as they relate to immigration, migration, health, and aging. His recent research has focused on the role of migration in the development and transfer of human capital and income across space, commuting and sustainability questions, the income benefits associated with migration, immigrant health, and immigrant settlement processes.

UoB PI: Professor Andrew Bremner, Professor of Developmental Psychology and Head of Education, School of Psychology

Professor Andy Bremner is a developmental psychologist with expertise in multisensory perceptual development and the development of touch perception. He has particularly focused on examining how infants come to perceive their own bodies and their relation to the external world around them.

McMaster PI: Gabriel (Naiqi) Xiao, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour

Gabriel (Naiqi) Xiao is studying how infants’ cognitive capacities are shaped by what they see and hear in their everyday lives. His research is aimed at understanding the mechanisms that drive development to help detect atypical development at early stages of life.

UoB PI: Professor Kate Bedford, Professor of Law and Political Economy, Birmingham Law School

Kate is an interdisciplinary scholar, with a background in law and political economy, development, and gender/sexuality studies. She joined Birmingham Law School in 2018.

McMaster PI: Judith Fudge, Professor, Labour Studies

Judith Fudge takes a socio-legal approach to studying work and labour and is committed to fostering a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the challenges and opportunities facing workers. She has worked with women's groups, legal clinics, trade unions and the International Labour Organization. Her most recent work focuses on labour exploitation, modern slavery and unfree labour in the context of labour migration.