U of A Researcher Spotlight Series
About this series
Curious about the groundbreaking innovations coming out of the University of Alberta? Join us over the lunch hour for the U of A Researcher Spotlight Series. This monthly webinar series shines a light on our remarkable faculty and their cutting-edge research. Tune in at noon to explore the latest discoveries and exciting breakthroughs happening right here at your alma mater. It’s your chance to delve into new ideas and expand your horizons — don’t miss out!
Upcoming Events
November 5, 2026 12 - 1 PM MT
Researcher Spotlight Series with Daniel Fried
Rethinking How We Engage with Generative AI
What happens when generative AI doesn’t replace our thinking, but changes the way we think?
Much of the conversation about AI in higher education has focused on whether students are using tools like ChatGPT to take shortcuts. But what if the more interesting question is how extended conversations with AI are reshaping human cognition, creativity and communication?
Join Daniel Fried from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Arts for a thought-provoking exploration of how generative AI changes the way we write, think and communicate. He’ll explore why AI models often work best through extended dialogue, how prompting differs from traditional human writing and what conversations with non-human partners can reveal about language and thought.
Speaker
Daniel Fried is Professor of Chinese literature and intellectual history at the University of Alberta, Chair of the Department of East Asian Studies, and a recipient of the University’s McCalla Professorship for 2026. His research focuses on classical Chinese civilization during its ancient and medieval periods, with topics that intersect literature, philosophy, and history. Much of Daniel’s scholarship focuses on how Chinese writers and thinkers understood the nature and value of writing and communication; his first scholarly book, Dao and Sign in History, was about Daoist conceptions of semiotics in the early medieval period. His most recent scholarly book, The First Print Era, describes the formation of a nascent print culture from the 10th through 12th centuries. In March of this year, he published his first book intended for a general audience: The Activist: A Daoist Protest Manual explains how ideas from classical Daoism can be used to reimagine social and political activism in gentler and more effective ways. His current scholarly project, Writing for the Machines: From Prompt Engineering to Prompt Composition, is under contract with Cambridge University Press.
November 18, 2026 12 - 1 PM MT
Researcher Spotlight Series with Alireza Bayat
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The State of the Infrastructure Beneath Our Cities
Join Faculty of Engineering Professor, Alireza (Ali) Bayat to explore the challenges facing Canada’s underground infrastructure and the innovative technologies helping cities prepare for the future. Drawing on research from the University of Alberta’s Canadian Underground Infrastructure Innovation Centre (CUIIC), Dr. Bayat will explore how trenchless construction, advanced inspection tools and data-driven asset management can help communities repair and rehabilitate buried infrastructure while reducing disruption, costs and carbon emissions.
December 10, 2026
Josephine Godwyll, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport & Recreation - Making Space for Everyone: Rethinking Accessibility
January 15, 2027
Afsaneh Lavasanifar, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences - Nanotechnology and Cancer Treatment