Two FASS Researchers Awarded NSERC Discovery Grants 

Congratulations to the following FASS researchers, who were awarded National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grants in the November 2024 competition! 

Elyn Humphreys (DGES) received funding for “Canada’s Changing Northern Terrestrial Carbon Cycle.” There is more soil organic carbon in frozen soils of circumpolar Arctic and boreal region than anywhere else on the planet, and as these soils warm and thaw, carbon that took millennia to accumulate could be emitted into the atmosphere. Using a cluster of eddy covariance flux towers, Humphreys and her team will measure carbon, energy, and water exchange between tundra and the atmosphere, including carbon pathways neglected in current models. This work will help us better understand the carbon budget of the low Arctic to build models that better predict future regional and global climate change. 

Cassandra Morrison (Psychology) received funding for “Understanding the Neural Basis of Cognitive Performance and Variability through EEG Studies of Memory and Executive Functioning.” Morrison aims develop models using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) measures that predict cognitive and neural changes at the individual level. By grounding cognitive theories in neurobiological evidence, this work will strengthen the theoretical foundations of cognitive science. 

NSERC Discovery Grants supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances.