McMaster Faculty Conclude 2024–2025 Mobility for Partnership Building Program; 2025–2026 Grant Recipients Announced

Two McMaster University faculty members have recently concluded their 2024–2025 cycle of the Faculty Mobility for Partnership Building Program (FMPBP). This program, funded by Global Affairs Canada, provides opportunities for Canadian faculty to do short-term research and teach in Latin America and the Caribbean with the primary objective of increasing, diversifying and strengthening institutional collaborations between Canadian post-secondary institutions and their counterparts eligible under the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP). 

Professor Paul Ayers from the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, was awarded to undertake research collaborations with the Mexican theoretical chemistry community on temperature-dependent density-functional theory for chemical reactivity, and specifically its extension to spin-transfer and photochemical reactions. 

Professor Qiyin Fang from Faculty of Engineering sought to develop integrated optofluidics lab-on-chip systems that can measure both morphological features and chemical parameters. Specifically, we will develop PoC rapid diagnosis technologies with sufficient sensitivity and specificity to allow on-site diagnosis and management of Trichomoniasis, Giardiasis and Cryptosporidiosis, pathogens of particular importance in low-resourced regions of Brazil. 

Reflecting on the impact of his work, Professor Ayers shared, “I anticipate significant joint publications to result from this—likely more than ten over the next year. There are also several additional publications where I will be acknowledged, though not as a co-author, and the same applies to my Mexican collaborators.” 

Looking ahead to 2025–2026, McMaster’s Office of International Affairs is pleased to announce that three additional faculty members have been awarded FMPBP funding: Dr. Juliet Daniel, Dr. Lydia Kapiriri, and Dr. Geraldina Polanco. These scholars will carry out their research in the Caribbean, Chile, and El Salvador, respectively. 

We wish them great success as they embark on these meaningful international collaborations!