The announcement comes alongside the renewal of three existing USask CRCs researching bacterial resistance, the electronic structure of novel materials, and economic development barriers facing northern, remote and Indigenous communities.
“These prestigious awards underscore USask’s place as a centre of research excellence and our commitment to a diverse and inclusive research community,” said USask Vice-President Research Karen Chad. “From cyber security to bacterial resistance, USask is pushing the boundaries of knowledge and finding answers to some of the most pressing issues facing our world today.”
At an event on June 14 at the University of Victoria, Canada’s Science and Sport Minister Kirsty Duncan announced a total investment of more than $275 million in new and renewed CRCs at 52 institutions.
The CRC program was created by the Government of Canada in 2000 to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds and to boost Canada's competitiveness in the global knowledge-based economy.
USask’s new Tier 2 CRCs—all based in the College of Arts and Science—will each receive $120,000 a year for five years. Tier 2 CRCs are awarded to excellent emerging researchers who have been recognized by their peers as having potential to lead in their field.
Dr. Natalia Stakhanova (PhD), Canada Research Chair in Security and Privacy, recruited from the University of New Brunswick, studies the digital identity of human adversaries and behaviour behind cyberattacks.
Stakhanova, associate professor in the department of computer science, investigates methods to track and analyze the digital identity of an adversary, examines strategies commonly deployed by adversaries to disguise their behaviour, and designs techniques for identifying and understanding malware and legitimate software.
Her research goal is to enable scientific exploration of adversarial communities and to provide security practitioners with the tools to predict and detect threats.