McMaster professors awarded 2025 KU Leuven Global Seed Fund for collaborative research projects

Congratulations are in order for two McMaster University researchers who, in collaboration with partners at KU Leuven, have been awarded funding through KU Leuven’s Global Seed Fund (GSF), an initiative designed to both spark new international research collaborations and strengthen existing ones.  

Dr. James Michael Waddington, Canada Research Chair in Ecohydrology and Professor in the School of Earth, Environment & Society, together with KU Leuven principal investigator Dr. Gabrielle De Lannoy, Professor, Faculty of Bioscience and Engineering, received funding for their project on Hidden Heat: Modeling Overwintering Peatland Fires.  

Dr. Katrina Choe, Canada Research Chair in Neurobiology of Social Behaviour and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, alongside KU Leuven principal investigator Dr. Kaat Alaerts, Professor, Faculty of Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, also received funding for their project Oxytocin modulation of social touch aversion in autism: a translational study.  

Open to all scientific disciplines, the GSF provides seed funding to support early-stage collaboration between KU Leuven researchers and priority international partners. The program is designed to catalyze impactful research partnerships by enabling exploratory studies, academic exchanges, joint workshops, and the development of external funding proposals. Through this funding, research teams can deepen international collaboration, advance joint research activities, and lay the foundation for long-term, high-impact cooperation.   

McMaster University and KU Leuven are both members of Universitas 21 (U21), a global network of leading research-intensive universities committed to advancing internationalization and collaboration in higher education. This shared membership continues to create valuable opportunities for researchers to connect across borders and disciplines, and maintain an ongoing commitment to address complex global challenges through collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches. 

To learn more about McMaster’s involvement in U21, please click here.