From cleaning up toxic metals to a can of solar cells

From AI-driven water treatment to the placenta’s contribution to human brain development, Faculty of Science researchers share how their work benefits Manitobans.

Being among the recipients of 2025 Research Manitoba grants through the New Investigator Operating Grant program, they each tackle a unique problem that can improve the quality of life for all Manitobans and Canadians.

Effective methods for cleaning up contaminated sites from toxic metals

There are over 24,000 contaminated sites in Canada as a result of abandoned mines and industrial waste. The wastewater from metal processing in these sites contains toxic metals like copper, lead, and zinc. These pollutants pose irreversible health risks to plants, animals, and people. There are at least 5 abandoned mines in Manitoba requiring urgent cleanup, and they are frequently near historically disadvantaged communities with less access to healthcare.

Many cleanup methods fail to address this issue successfully due to changes in water acidity. That is when Dr. Abishek Iyer and his team take the lead.

A promising solution is metal sulfide ion exchangers (MSIEs). This approach can effectively remove the toxic metals even in acidic conditions. However, creating these materials is complicated and time-consuming. Iyer and his team aim to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accelerate the discovery of these materials for a more efficient and affordable solution. In the long run, Manitobans can enjoy a safer and healthier environment for community drinking and agricultural water.

The link between the neurodevelopmental disorders and the placental dysfunction

Between 7% to 14% of all children around the world are affected by Neurodevelopmental disorders/disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders. One of the factors that may regulate brain development and function is the placenta. It acts as the exchange centre between the pregnant person and fetus, providing the fetal brain with diverse cell-extrinsic signals. In other words, if we understand the neurodevelopmental disorders that are caused by placental dysfunction, we will have a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.

Dr. Lei Xing’s research focuses on establishing a miniature 3D placenta-brain model to investigate the matter. With this human material-derived approach, we can model the dynamic neurodevelopmental context that is specific to humans. By placing two different types of organoids, the placenta and the brain, in the same culture dish in the lab, Xing and his team hope to better understand the communication between these two organs during development.

The wonders of biodiversity in Manitoba's salt springs

What do crop yields, biodiversity conservation, and engineered microbiomes have in common? They can all be improved by a deeper understanding of what has led to the diversity of organisms in uncultivated cellular life. Our current knowledge of this genetic diversity is made possible by modern environmental genomics methods. But these methods fail to explore the process of how this diversity of organisms was made possible.

Dr. Marike Palmer and her team aim to advance our understanding of the speciation process, the mechanism that drives the generation of this biodiversity in itself. Palmer is targeting Manitoba’s salt springs in her research. Each spring is clearly separated and far laid out geographically. This has allowed the biodiversity in each spring to evolve completely separately from other populations globally, making it possible for us to encounter new microbes in each of them for the first time. Palmer and her team aim to compare populations each spring to identify genetic heterogeneity within and among them. 

Toward a new type of physics

If the universe began with equal amounts of matter and antimatter, why is antimatter so rare today? This is an open question among the highest-priority questions in subatomic physics. Dr. Savino Longo and his team are tackling that question via the TRIUMF Ultra Cold Neutron (TUCAN) Experiment. This is a Canada-led international subatomic physics project that aims to conduct the world's most sensitive test for new matter-antimatter asymmetries. It uses the neutron electric dipole moment.

The global impact of this research project will put Manitoba-based researchers as the first ones to explore several new physics predictions. This can have applications in medical imaging and precision water monitoring methods.

A can of solar cells, please!

You might think the physics of solar panels flying like ink sounds impossible, but it’s actually chemistry that’s holding up the line. This is because we have not yet mastered materials that can exist as liquids while retaining their electronic and optical properties. Dr. Joshua Walsh and his team want to change that.

The star of the show is benz[a]anthracene (BaA), a molecule that can be chemically modified to fine-tune its properties. Walsh and his team aim to understand how BaA-based materials self-assemble, interact with light and transport change. This will result in a better understanding of how to control molecular behaviour to improve material performance.

Building this knowledge in Manitoba strengthens Canada’s leadership in cutting-edge material science and technology. This leads to more efficient displays, next-generation sensors, and advanced optical materials, all contributing to innovations in healthcare and energy efficiency.