2023 Doody Family Undergraduate Research Assistantship Positions

Job Posting # 112857 

Job Title:  Undergraduate Research Assistant - Doody Family URA on Development of Solar Assisted Food Coolers and Refrigerators 

Supervisor: Syeda Tasnim, stasnim@uoguelph.ca, Advanced Energy Conversion & Control Lab, Mechanical Engineering 

Description: The URA will work on the development of a sustainable food packaging, storing, and cooling system. The particular emphasis of the URA’s work will be on the integration of a solar Photovoltaic panel on the food packaging system. This is primarily an experimental work, where the URA will get an opportunity for teamwork with other MASc and PhD students. 

Job Posting # 112747 

Job Title:  Research Assistant: Engineering Leadership Development for Women in Engineering 

Supervisor: John Donald, jrdonald@uoguelph.ca, Water Resources Engineering 

Description: This role will support a research project and the development of instructional activities related to the topic "leadership development for women in engineering". This includes completing a literature review on literature identifying the unique challenges related to leadership development for women in their engineering career paths and how post-secondary education is preparing engineers in that context. Informed by the literature review and under the direction of the project supervisor, the selected candidate will work to create a learning module or workshop that can be delivered as a co-curricular workshop within the Guelph Engineering Leadership Program. 

Job Posting # 113111 

Job Title: Doody URA: Development and Characterization of Novel materials for automotive, biomedical and food applications 

Supervisor: Abdallah Elsayed, aelsay01@uoguelph.ca, Gryphon-SaMPL (Solidification and Materials Processing Laboratory), Mechanical Engineering 

Description: Research assistant in light metals manufacture and processing. Research assistant will be involved with all aspects of literature review, material synthesis, characterization and dissemination of results. The objectives will be to maximize strength and ease of manufacture while characterizing the performance of the materials.   

Job Posting # 112321 

Job Title: Design of Coupled Bioconversion-Recovery Systems for Upcycling of Food Waste to High-Value Platform Chemicals 

Supervisor: Guneet Kaur, gkaur41@uoguelph.ca, Biological Engineering  

Description: Food waste is a resource. It generates enormous energy, chemical and material potential due to the functionalized molecules stored in it. Food waste can be converted into carboxylates which are high-value platform chemicals for the synthesis of liquid biofuels (e.g., bio-butanol) and bioplastics that are used for a diverse array of industrial applications. In this project, the URA would work on the design of extraction techniques for the removal of carboxylates from the fermentation broth. Specifically, the URA will investigate and screen (i) various solvents/organic extractants mixtures (e.g., alcohols, ketones, esters etc. in combination with amines) in reactive extraction and; (ii) sorbents and/or resins (e.g., PFA-300, Purolite A-500P etc.) in ion-adsorption for extraction of food waste-derived carboxylates.