Three 첥Ƶ researchers will participate in a provincial program designed to strengthen connections between science and policy.
Ciuying Jian (associate professor, ), Trevor VandenBoer (associate professor, Faculty of Science) and Daanish Mulla (postdoctoral fellow, ) are three of 34 delegates selected to engage in dialogue with policymakers during the 2026 Science Meets Parliament – Ontario Program (SMP-ON).
The event creates opportunities for in-depth knowledge sharing, in which delegates from the academic scientific community gain insights into the legislative process and learn how to effectively communicate research to policymakers.
This is the second year for the Ontario cohort, which is an expansion of the SMP federal program launched by the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) in 2018. It serves as a non-partisan initiative to benefit scientists, members of provincial parliament (MPPs) and Ontarians.
The three York representatives will bring research expertise in water and energy, air quality and chemical instrumentation, and human movement to the Spring 2026 delegation.
“This initiative is important because it creates a structured space for direct exchange between researchers and policymakers,” says Jian, a professor of mechanical engineering. “This type of engagement helps ensure that decisions are informed by evidence and allows researchers to better understand how policy is shaped in practice.”
Jian’s research explores innovative ways to use carbon and water more effectively. Specifically, her research examines how to sustainably produce carbon-based functional materials and use them to clean wastewater and improve environmental monitoring and green energy systems. Her lab also uses computer modelling to understand the behaviour of materials and interfacial systems at a microscopic level.
She plans to highlight to policymakers the importance of supporting both applied and fundamental research and hopes to help build mutual understanding between scientists and MPPs about how each approaches complex decision-making. Jian says she will share insights learned with Lassonde and the wider York community, as well as external partners such as the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering. She will incorporate these new perspectives into her research practice moving forward, she says.
For VandenBoer, the delegation is an opportunity to help ensure that “science is a non-partisan entity in politics,” and looks forward to scientists and MPPs working together to serve Ontarians
Atmospheric and analytical chemistry is the focus of VandenBoer’s research at York, which develops new tools to track nitrogen from use as fertilizer to grow crops to the air, as well as in the air quality of urban environments including indoor spaces. The research team working with VandenBoer studies how these chemicals travel and change from microscopic interactions at atmospheric interfaces to impacts at a global scale.
VandenBoer notes that by giving MPPs access to experts, and CSPC teaching scientists how to translate research for policy relevance, the program ensures that provincial decisions can be grounded in the best available evidence.
“The collaboration aims to benefit all Ontarians by bringing a wide range of diverse, expert voices into government to solve real-world problems,” says VandenBoer, adding he plans to maintain relationships developed during the delegation.
Mulla, a postdoctoral researcher with Connected Minds at York, sees the delegation as an opportunity to ensure his research generates evidence that is scientifically rigorous, but also directly actionable for public health policy.
His research investigates how the brain and nervous system control movements. By using advanced computer models, he explores how individuals learn new skills or break old habits, with the goal of finding ways to help people learn physical tasks faster and safely.
"Visible collaboration between researchers and policymakers signals that evidence and governance are working together, not in silos,” Mulla says, adding that he’ll apply what he learns to his teaching and research, and will incorporate findings into lessons about science communication.
By participating in the initiative, York researchers will help strengthen connections between science and policy at the provincial level.