BCDI 2030

Project Director: Komla Essiomle

Abstract

Canada's early childhood education sector is facing an unprecedented workforce crisis. Although governments are investing billions to roll out $10-a-day child care services, the shortage of qualified Francophone staff represents the main bottleneck, particularly within Francophone Minority Communities (FMCs).

While immigration is often viewed as a key solution to address this shortage, immigrant professionals face systemic and symbolic barriers that jeopardize their long-term integration into early childhood centers. This project examines the dynamics of identity transition and the career trajectories of these workers. The study analyzes how their perception of the profession evolves through field experience, as well as the impact of migratory identity disruption and social markers (gender, race, citizenship status) on their sense of self-efficacy and career aspirations.

Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the project aims to:

• Identify the drivers of successful professional integration and job retention factors.
• Uncover barriers to career advancement in the sector.
• Produce evidence-based data, scientific articles, and a practical guide designed to transform recruitment strategies into sustainable retention policies in early childhood centers.

Desired Profile:

All interested individuals are welcome to submit an application. However, priority may be given to candidates specializing in the following fields:

• Human Resource Management (HRM) and Organizational Behavior
• Occupational / Organizational Psychology
• Educational Administration and Policy
• Sociology of Immigration and Cross-Cultural Psychology

Proficiency in quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods is an asset.

Fully involved in all aspects of the project, the fellow will gain solid expertise in:

• Interdisciplinary research methods and research ethics
• Data processing, analysis, and management
• Knowledge mobilization, transfer, and dissemination to academic and institutional stakeholders

Directors : Charlie Mballa & Frédéric Boily

Abstract

This project examines the existence, nature, and evolution of a potential Canadian doctrine for Africa policy since the end of the Cold War. Taking the Brian Mulroney government (1984–1993) as its starting point, the study interrogates the strategic coherence, normative continuity, and operational logics that have structured Canada’s engagement in Africa over nearly four decades.

Moving beyond the analysis of official statements alone, this project bridges the gap between political discourse, institutional orientations, and concrete practices (diplomatic, economic, security, and developmental). The objective is to determine whether Canadian actions stem from a coherent doctrinal framework, or if they represent a series of fragmented and situational responses marked by hidden shifts and continuities.

Research Questions

Primary Question: Is there sufficient evidence to claim that Canada has developed a coherent Africa policy doctrine since the Mulroney era, or has its engagement been characterized by a succession of pragmatic adjustments lacking strategic continuity?

Specific Questions:

• What are the normative foundations and representations of Africa mobilized by successive Canadian governments?
• To what extent is there alignment between official discourse and actual engagement practices in Africa?
• Does the "Canada’s Africa Strategy" unveiled in 2024 constitute a "doctrinal moment" representing a break from previous initiatives?
• How do contemporary geopolitical transformations (the rise of China, the crisis of multilateralism) influence Canada’s current positioning?

The project is situated within a period of potential renewal for Canadian foreign policy. The anticipated leadership of Mark Carney within the Liberal Party—and potentially the federal government—raises critical questions regarding a strategic reorientation of Canada’s engagement with the African continent. This research offers students high-level expertise in international relations, focusing on the gap between diplomatic discourse and concrete practice amidst shifting global geopolitics. Professors Mballa and Boily welcome applications from those interested in strategic policy analysis.

Project Directors: Natacha Louis, Eva Lemaire, Lise Niyuhire in collaboration with Hubert Lalande (Espace Innova, UOttawa) 

Project Overview:

Although Astronomy has been part of Canadian science curricula for several decades, many obstacles remain to its implementation in the classroom. Frède (2017, 2019) and Chastenay (2018) mention that building knowledge in Astronomy in Western countries remains difficult. The lack of materials, the abstract nature of the subject, the diverse cultural perspectives of students, and teacher training are cited as significant obstacles to its teaching and learning.

This initiative aims to develop an immersive and experiential educational module incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) to enhance the teaching of Astronomy in the Science Education course offered at Campus Saint-Jean. The use of immersive technology such as AR makes it possible to create a stimulating and interactive space that integrates various digital information and sensorimotor information into its real environment. This project, titled Facilitating Knowledge Construction in the Field of Astronomy through the Integration of Augmented Reality, aims to establish a solid partnership between Campus Saint-Jean and the University of Ottawa's Espace Innova.

The main objective of this project is to develop an experiential and immersive educational module through the integration of AR, thereby creating a learning space that stimulates various sensory receptors (visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile), thus enhancing the learning experience. Under the supervision of Louis, Lemaire, Niyuhire and Lalande, the candidate will actively participate in the development of immersive technology and the pedagogical programme. The candidate will also participate in research-related activities.

Project Director: Ahmed Bouferguene

Project Overview:

This project offers a practical introduction to machine learning through its application to challenges in construction and public-infrastructure maintenance. The student will begin with data preparation tasks, including cleaning, preprocessing, and annotation. They will then implement a selection of machine-learning models, such as convolutional neural networks, decision-tree ensembles, or clustering algorithms (depending on the chosen application). A comparative analysis will follow to assess model performance using metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and computational efficiency. Based on this evaluation, the student will select the most suitable model and integrate it into a small prototype workflow. The project will conclude with testing the model on unseen data, interpreting the results, and presenting the findings in a concise technical report. Throughout the project, the student will gain hands-on experience with Python, widely used ML libraries, and best practices in data preparation, model evaluation, and reproducible research, providing a strong foundation for further study in data-driven engineering.

Project Director: Professor Hassan Safouhi and Professor Jason Carey

Project Overview:

In a world undergoing rapid digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant technology, it has become an integral part of our daily lives. From automation to the analysis of massive datasets, AI raises fundamental questions about our future. It is now crucial that everyone not only learns to interact with these complex systems, but also fully understands their ethical, social, and practical implications.

In this context, the creation of a comprehensive and accessible outreach publication on AI and emerging technologies has become a necessity. Its goal is to inform a broad audience about the current challenges and future prospects of AI, fostering a critical and engaged understanding of these technologies.

The publication will aim to demystify the core concepts of AI by explaining how it works, outlining the different types of systems, and presenting concrete use cases. It will also address often-overlooked issues such as access to information, algorithmic bias, discrimination, ethical dilemmas, individual and collective responsibility, and the social risks and impacts associated with AI. This cross-cutting approach will help illustrate AI’s relevance across multiple sectors. For instance, the publication will highlight the role of AI in a variety of sectors. In education, it enables personalized learning, from elementary school to post-secondary levels. In healthcare, it supports both diagnostic processes and therapeutic research. In the legal field, AI contributes to decision-making and the development of predictive justice tools. In science and technology, it accelerates innovation and discovery. Finally, in the humanities, AI invites us to question our values, cultural norms, and our very understanding of what it means to be human.

A synthesis of the main AI systems currently in use, along with practical guidance on how to use them effectively and critically, will also be included.

The intern will actively contribute to the research, structure, writing, and formatting of the content, under the supervision of Professors Safouhi and Carey. This project will draw on skills in research, critical analysis, science communication, and interdisciplinary knowledge transfer.

The final publication is intended to serve as a reference for workshops, public education initiatives, and digital literacy programs, while also supporting informed dialogue in the fields of education, health, law, science, and the humanities.

Project Director: Mourad Ferdaoussi

Project Overview: The aim of this research program is to understand how the pancreatic beta cell functions under normal conditions in order to identify the disturbed mechanisms that lead to its dysfunction and death during the development of diabetes. We have already identified a new harmful mechanism that is amplified by diabetogenic stress factors. Our challenge is to deepen our understanding of this mechanism to better understand how it damages pancreatic beta cells and to design potential therapies targeting this mechanism in order to protect these cells. The ultimate aim of this research is to use our findings to develop effective treatment strategies for people at risk of or already suffering from diabetes.

Project Director: Charlie Mballa

Project Overview: This project explores the mechanisms of citizen engagement in Québec City and Edmonton, focusing on the impact of citizen participation on the legitimacy of public policy. The aim of the program is to train students to meet the challenges of citizen participation, governance, and public policy. It will also enable them to perfect their mastery of qualitative (interviews, focus groups) and quantitative methodologies, while strengthening their ability to analyse data using software such as NVivo or SPSS.

Project Director: Professor Hassan Safouhi

Project Overview: 

In the numerical treatment of scientific and engineering problems, oscillatory integrals occur frequently. They arise from approximation procedures dependent on a parameter, iterative methods, and perturbation techniques. The use of these oscillatory integrals presents significant numerical and computational difficulties. This is why nonlinear transformation methods to improve the convergence of oscillatory integrals have been studied and applied in various situations.

The present proposal concerns the development of fast algorithms for the accurate numerical evaluation of a class of oscillatory integrals involving Bessel functions, with molecular integrals being among the most challenging types. The computation of these molecular integrals is a major task in molecular structure calculations; they occur in the millions, even for small molecules, and are extremely difficult to evaluate accurately and efficiently. Improving the computational methods for molecular integrals is crucial for further advances in the computational study of large molecular systems.

The planned methodology will strategically combine nonlinear transformations with sequence transformations and asymptotic expansions. This integrated approach is designed to significantly enhance both the efficiency and accuracy of numerically evaluating the targeted oscillatory integrals.

Project Director: Professor Guillaume Durou

Project Overview: 

This research project aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of class structure in contemporary Canada and its impact on socio-economic inequalities. Against a backdrop of profound transformations in capitalism and growing income polarisation, it is becoming essential to better understand class dynamics in the 21st century.

The main objectives of this research are:

1. to measure inequalities according to different social categories,
2. to examine how class positions influence individuals' attitudes, behaviours, and life trajectories, and, based on the results,
3. to propose an updated class model that corresponds to the new realities of the economy and the labour market.

The project adopts a quantitative methodological approach, combining a survey of a representative sample of the Canadian population with data from the 2021 and 2016 Canadian censuses. It thus aims to perform multivariate statistical analyses to measure different forms of socioeconomic inequality and construct a class typology.

The candidate for this project must have experience in quantitative analysis and knowledge of and interest in the study of inequalities and social classes from a critical perspective.