Connected Minds at Queen's: exploring the impact of technology on society

Feature Stories | 21 Mar 2024

Connected Minds is living up to its name: bringing researchers together to explore the advantages and disadvantages of technology for humanity.

A year ago, the Government of Canada pledged $105.7 million from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) for Connected Minds, an innovative interdisciplinary research initiative. This collaborative effort between Queen's and York Universities aims to explore the impact of technology on society.

The project draws from faculty across Queen’s, including Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS) researchers and research institutes, and aims to leverage the power of neurotechnology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to build a healthier, more just society for tomorrow.

“Our expertise in robotics, AI, health sciences, and policy complement York’s strengths in the neurosciences, arts, and humanities,” says Dr. Gunnar Blohm, Connected Minds’ Vice-Director, and a computational neuroscientist with the university’s Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS). “This project is creating exciting new synergies of cross-institutional research and innovation.”

Connected Minds has already launched scholarships, fellowships, and grants, organized forward-thinking workshops, and identified key research projects.

The project’s vision is captured in the work of its first cohort of Queen’s PhD scholarship awardees. Each recipient receives a $10,000 annually towards work on topics as varied as rehabilitative brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), musculoskeletal modelling for prosthesis development, bias in medical image classification, spiking neural networks for optimal control, and BCIs as augmentative and alternative communication systems.

Connected Minds has also recently awarded four fellowships to newly recruited Postdoctoral Fellows to Queen’s and Queen’s faculty are co-supervisors and partners for four additional postdoctoral projects at York. These research proposals span Indigenous AI for healthcare and knowledge preservation, understanding the social networks of older adults, generative AI policy, hybrid exoskeleton therapy, regulating AI for healthcare, Explainable Large Language Models for healthcare, neural network models of visually-guided reaching, and Canadian implementation on responsible innovation and neurotechnology.

*Students using electroencephalography headset in lab*

The projects’ first round of seed grants from the CFREF funding has also just been awarded. Grants with Queen’s researchers spearhead topics such as: robotics and smart textiles for physical interactions in virtual reality; exo-sensory augmentation for injury risk reduction; culturally appropriate AI-powered mobility tools; and socially-responsible knowledge mobilization between artists, engineers, and neuroscientists. Many of these projects involve external partnerships with industry, government, and Indigenous communities.

With support from Connected Minds funding, Queen’s has committed to a nine new faculty recruits, three of which have been filled: Dr. Susan Boehnke (Biomedical and Molecular Sciences), an electrophysiologist who developed a ground-breaking new microcredential program in neurotechnology housed within QHS’s brand new Discovery Labs; Dr. Pouya Amiri (Kinesiology) a biomechanics and prosthetics researcher; and Dr. Effie Pereira (Psychology) who studies social interactions and attention. Their research is supported through the four main Queen’s research centres and institutes receiving $195,000 annually in Connected Minds funding: CNS, Ingenuity Labs Research Institute, Centre for Health Innovation (CHI) and the Health Services and Policy Research Institute (HSPRI).

"We are thrilled to strengthen this Connected Minds research environment by welcoming these outstanding new colleagues," Dr. Blohm says.

Connected Minds thrives to create a more just world through supporting equity-deserving groups. At least 20 per cent of the project’s competitive funding is reserved for research involving Black and Indigenous Peoples. The project’s Indigenous research is guided by an Indigenous Advisory Circle which also manages any unspent funds that have been earmarked for Indigenous research. These funds can then be used for building new relationships with Indigenous communities, co-creating Indigenous research priorities, and directly supporting Indigenous scholars and initiatives. For example, at Queen’s, Connected Minds is currently funding the STEMInA academic support program to promote academic careers to Indigenous students.

"Connected Minds believes in active allyship and support, and we hope to further deepen our relationship with equity-deserving groups," Dr. Blohm adds.

*A student using the Muse 2 EEG Headset created by Toronto-based InteraXon*

Connected Minds advocates for socially-responsible research and innovation through education and outreach. Neurotechnology is an emerging growth industry that applies brain sensing, imaging, or modulating technologies to solve real world problems, such as diagnosing and treating brain disorders, understanding and modifying brain states, and even interfacing the brain with machines. To address ethical issues in this field, Connected Minds is working on recommendations for Canada’s implementation of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines on responsible neurotechnology. Other related initiatives include partnering with Neuromatch, an organization that facilitates equitable participation in scientific research and education, and supporting outreach events for public education around the technological, ethical, and legal implications of neurotechnology and AI.

Connected Minds places a strong emphasis on community building and cross-disciplinary collaboration, creating numerous opportunities for members at Queen’s and York to engage, share insights, and foster a cooperative research environment. This includes grant brainstorming and research strategy sessions. The project will also soon launch a flagship seminar series and trainee-supporting events such as career development and mentorship programs. The initiative also provides funding for its core research centres and institutes to support their communities with collaborative activities.

Upcoming milestones for Connected Minds at Queen’s include: large flagship team grants, on-boarding more trainees, and hiring additional faculty in QHS and Engineering.

"Moving forward, we will further develop our partnerships with industry, government, and academia across the world,” Dr. Blohm says. “This should also lead to new research and innovation dynamics allowing us to attract new funding to complement the CFREF investments for Connected Minds."

Photo Credit (left to right): Dr. Gunnar Blohm, Dr. Doug Crawford (outgoing Connected Minds director, York University), Dr. Pina D’Agostino (new Connected Minds director at York), Sean Hillier (associate director of Connected Minds at York).

More information about Connected Minds can be found here.