Transdisciplinary McGill research teams working to address urban climate risks, accelerate renewable energy solutions and improve greenhouse gas monitoring and forecasting are among the eight new recipients of one-year seed grants from the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI).
The one-year Transdisciplinary Catalyst Grants provide up to $20,000 per project to support team formation, problem framing, stakeholder engagement and early-stage research. Each project will convene a symposium or working group, produce a white paper and map out next steps toward larger-scale funding and long-term impact.
“The Transdisciplinary Catalyst Grant is a deliberate move away from rewarding research for its own sake and toward investing in collaborations that deliver impact for society. By prioritizing stakeholder engagement and co-designed agendas, we ensure our work reaches beyond peer-reviewed journals to impact practice, policy and infrastructure,” said MSSI Director Evan Henry. “This approach closely aligns with The McGill Sustainability Park, which seeks to reimagine what a university can be: not just a place of discipline-based knowledge, but a place where diverse disciplines, communities, and external partners come together around shared goals. By supporting early-stage collaboration and stakeholder engagement, MSSI is turning that vision into practice.”
2025 grant recipients
L4E: Toward territories of life in the Chateauguay and Champlain-Richelieu watersheds
Leads: Kirsten Anker (Law), Colin Scott (Anthropology), Brian Leung (Biology), Nil Basu (Natural Resource Sciences)
Conference: Nov. 13-14, 2025
Exploring “Territories of Life” – areas governed and conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities – this project will foster a community of practice, map biodiversity and examine governance and legal pathways to support ecological and cultural resilience.
McGill Urban Climate Risk and Resilience Initiative (MUCRRI) *
Leads: Raja Sengupta (Geography), Frédéric Fabry and Djordje Romanic (Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences), Laxmi Sushama (Civil Engineering)
MUCRRI will build capacity to assess urban climate risks and design adaptive responses in collaboration with municipal agencies, public health officials and international partners.
Environmental determinants and run-off pollution: Bay scallop shell structure and biomineralization
Leads: Natalie Reznikov (Bioengineering), Jean-François Trempe (Pharmacology)
This project links lab-scale studies of scallop shell formation with field assessments of pollution and runoff. Findings will inform aquaculture resilience and coastal ecosystem management.
An Integrated Platform for Agro-Environmental Modelling (IPAM) *
Leads: Zhiming Qi (Bioresource Engineering), Joann Whalen (Natural Resource Sciences), Chandra Madramootoo (Bioresource Engineering), Laxmi Sushama (Civil Engineering)
IPAM will connect agricultural and marine systems research to track nutrient flows and resilience strategies. The project will co-develop tools with farmers, fisheries and policymakers to improve sustainable land and water stewardship.
Sustainable architected porous metamaterials for renewable energy conversion and storage
Leads: Abdolhamid Akbarzadeh, Valérie Orsat (Bioresource Engineering), Changhong Cao (Mechanical Engineering), Agus Sasmito (Mining Engineering), Jinhyuk Lee (Materials Engineering)
Researchers will prototype porous metamaterials that reduce environmental impact and accelerate renewable energy solutions.
Nature-based Climate Solutions for a Secure Canada (NbCS)
Leads: Brian Robinson, Sarah Knox, Nigel Roulet (Geography), Grant Clark (Natural Resources & Environment)
With global carbon markets projected to reach $250 billion by 2050, this project will convene a working group to produce a white paper and symposium on advancing and implementing credible, equitable nature-based climate solution policy in Canada.
Bacterialised Hydrogels for Climate-Resilient Agriculture *
Leads: Saji George and Yixiang Wang (Food Science & Agricultural Chemistry), Shiv O. Prasher (Bioresource Engineering)
By combining hydrogels with soil-beneficial microbes, the team aims to improve water retention and plant resilience in the face of agricultural drought.
CanFlux: Canadian Greenhouse Gas Flux Network
Lead: Sara Knox (Geography)
CanFlux will bring together researchers, government scientists and industry partners to co-develop a pan-Canadian network for greenhouse gas monitoring and forecasting across ecosystems.
About the grant
Launched in fall 2024, the Transdisciplinary Catalyst Grant is designed to incubate high-potential projects at McGill by supporting the critical first steps of transdisciplinary research. Awardees receive funding as well as co-ordination and support from MSSI to develop their projects to achieve broader scale and societal impact.
* Project funded by the Brace Water Centre
** Project funded by the Sustainable Growth Initiative