Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) scholarship recipients are forward-thinking future leaders in the agri-food and rural sectors.
The HQP program, jointly funded by Food from Thought and the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, supports the development of highly skilled graduates to become future researchers, policy-makers, business leaders and innovators who can meet the changing demands of the agri-food industry.
What impact does the HQP program have on scholars and their future careers? Hear directly from some of the HQP program scholars in the videos and testimonials below to learn about what they’re studying; what motivates them; and what impact their research is poised to make.
Degree: M.Sc.
Primary Faculty Advisor: Wayne Caldwell
Department: Rural Planning and Development
“The HQP program is an excellent opportunity to collaborate with many stakeholders in agri-food to provide cutting-edge solutions to sustaining Ontario’s rapidly evolving agricultural industry.”
Degree: PhD
Primary Faculty Advisor: Kate Parizeau
Department: Geography, Environment, and Geomatics
“The HQP Program has been invaluable as I work towards my future career as a food waste consultant to support governments and businesses to reduce food waste in Canada’s agri-food system.”
Degree: MA (Management)
Primary Faculty Advisor: Simon Somogyi
Department: University of Guelph’s Lang School of Business and Economics
“I’ve always found food and agriculture to be central parts of my life story, and my research here is a natural extension to that by working with OMAFRA on value chain research.”
Degree: M.Sc.
Primary Faculty Advisor: Asim Biswas
Department: School of Environmental Sciences
“The HQP program has been very rewarding for me as it introduced me to the Canadian agri-food sector.”
Degree: PhD
Primary Faculty Advisor: Emily Yi Wai Chiang
Project: Carbon-sequestering Technology for Offsetting Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reducing Fertilizer Requirements
Department: School of Engineering, CEPS
“I learned about the knowledge mobilization in agri-food sector by taking the HQP course on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Agri-Food Systems.”
Degree: M.Sc.
Primary Faculty Advisor: Alan Ker
Project: Business Risk Management Policy, Yield Resiliency and On-Farm Climate Change Adaptation Efforts
Department: Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, OAC
“My research helps us get an idea of whether today’s crop insurance programs help Ontario farmers transition to more sustainable farming practices that can help them effectively deal with climate change.”
Degree: M.Sc.
Primary Faculty Advisor: Simon Somogyi
Project: Plastic Makes Perfect: A Value Chain Analysis of Single-Use Plastics in the Agri-Food Sector
Department: School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, Lang
“My research is about investigating the perceived barriers in eliminating single-use plastics from Canadian restaurants. Given the single-use plastic ban coming into effect, the constant pressure from employees and consumers, and the search for sustainable business models, this research has many practical implications.”
Degree: M.Sc.
Primary Faculty Advisor: Jonathan LaMarre
Project: Improving Bovine Fertility by miRNA Biomarker Supplementation.
Department: Department of Biomedical Sciences, OVC
“The HQP scholarship course was great because it introduced me to so many incredible researchers and opened my eyes to the many areas of agriculture innovation”
Degree: M.A.Sc.
Primary Faculty Advisor: Andrew Binns
Project: Climate Change Effects on Nutrient Dynamics in the Hydrosystem of a Great Lakes Clay Plain Setting
Department: School of Engineering, CEPS
“The HQP scholarship has enriched my experience in my academic journey in a number of ways! Through this program, I’ve also been able to enrich a lot of my soft skills, like teamwork, project management, communication, and building my academic profile.”
Degree: M.Sc.
Primary Faculty Advisor: Trevor DeVries
Project: Supplementing Glycerol to Transition Dairy Cows to Improve Metabolic Status, Health and Productivity
Department: Department of Animal Biosciences, OAC
“I am really passionate about calf health and welfare, so getting to conduct research in this area to increase what we know, and that may be used to support the implementation of improved practices is really exciting to me!”
Degree: M.Sc.
Primary Faculty Advisor: Ian Tetlow
Project: Investigating Protein Complexes Associated with Starch Synthesis in Cereals: A Proteomic Approach using Blue-Native PAGE
Department: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, CBS
“The HQP scholarship has given me the opportunity to participate in an industry-partnered project and gain experience solving problems that have the potential to have a direct impact on policy.”
Degree: PhD
Primary Faculty Advisor: Amar Mohanty
Project: Development of Biopolymeric Composites made with Ontario Biomass for Engineering Multi-Layer Cast Film in Packaging Applications
Department: Department of Plant Agriculture, OAC
“HQP course has given an opportunity to learn more about the Canadian Agriculture system and provided an insight into the importance of Food and Agriculture Government /NGO organizations.”
Degree: PhD
Primary Faculty Advisor: Jeff Caswell
Project: Role of Abnormally Regulated Inflammatory Responses in Development of Bovine Respiratory Disease
Department: Department of Pathobiology, OVC
“The HQP scholarship provided me with the opportunity to attend the course on agricultural innovation. This course helped me to become familiar with current challenges and opinions around climate change and the future of food systems.”
Degree: PhD
Primary Faculty Advisor: John Cant
Project: Estimating Energy Balance and Providing Individualized Nutrient Supplementation to Dairy Cattle Using Automated Technology
Department: Department of Animal Biosciences, OAC
“My research aims to provide individualized nutrition programs for each dairy cow, which is vastly different from the herd feeding systems currently used.”
Degree: PhD
Primary Faculty Advisor: Istvan Rajcan
Project: Genomic Analysis of Sclerotinia Stem Rot (caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) Resistance in Canadian Soybean Germplasm
Department: Department of Plant Agriculture, OAC
“Plant breeding and genetics research are both very applied and have an artistic twist to them, which I enjoy. At its core, my research area seeks to create an improved version of a crop in response to a set of presented challenges.”
Degree: PhD
Primary Faculty Advisor: James Longstaffe
Project: Impacts of Organic and Inorganic Amendments on Chemical Behavior of Phosphorus in a Complex Soil System
Department: School of Environmental Sciences, OAC
“The course has opened my eye to the wide gap that exists between agricultural research and efficient knowledge mobilization.”