UVic Research & Innovation

We are proud to announce that the University of Victoria is the first official OpenAlex Member!
By supporting OpenAlex early, UVic is reinforcing its commitment to open scholarship, transparency, and equitable access to knowledge.
#OpenScience #OpenScholarship
@uvic.ca

B.C.'s balmy January brings out blossoms, but a cold snap could put plants in peril | CBC News An unseasonably mild winter is coaxing blossoms to bloom early in some Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods, as it experiences one of the warmest Januaries on record.

Cherry blossoms are already starting to appear in Victoria, and it's only January! What does this mean, and how does it relate to climate change?

Thoughts from UVic's Andrew Weaver (@ajwvictoriabc.bsky.social) and Barbara Hawkins are included in this CBC story: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Two people in heavy jackets near icy shore with a red ship visible on the cold sea under cloudy sky.

Group of people in cold-weather gear standing near a red research station by a rocky shore with crates and a ramp leading inside.

1/🚢 Ruchie and Bradley have safely arrived at the Spanish Antarctic base, Juan Carlos I Base on Livingston Island, #Antarctica, with our partner, @csiccat.bsky.social sky.social!

🧪 🌊 #KnowTheOcean #CDNsci #OceanScience #PolarScience @uvic.ca

Indigenous approach gives meaning to Western research - UVic News A collaboration reveals the key role of relationships in reconciling worldviews to advance knowledge.

UVic’s François Bastien brought an Indigenous approach to metaphor to a @ualberta.bsky.social business research project. He and his colleagues wove strong relationships and a good story.

🔗 news.uvic.ca/2025/indigen...

@uvicresearch.bsky.social

Top 10 stories of 2025 - UVic News We’ve gathered a few of the top stories from 2025 that highlight the incredible work happening across UVic.

These stories shaped our year. 📆

From psychedelic research to innovating clean energy solutions, let’s revisit some of UVic’s biggest stories from 2025. Each one offers a snapshot of how our students, faculty and partners are creating impact locally and globally.

news.uvic.ca/2025/top-10-...

A group of people in business attire standing in front of a table with a screen, and a large LED-lit backdrop. The graphic shows a map of Canada and title, "Transforming Ocean Science".

A group of people in business attire standing in front of a large sign that reads: CSPC 2025.

Innovation across #Canada's research landscape is inspiring!

ONC wrapped up 3 days of collaborating, sharing insights, & planning for a strong future w/ partners at #CSPC25.

We are proud to be part of the University of Victoria delegation w/ UVic Research & Innovation & UVic ACET.

#KnowTheOcean

1/❄️ ONC is proud to join the @uvic.ca delegation at #CSPC2025!

Delegates are invited to visit ONC, @uvicresearch.bsky.social, and UVic Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) at booths 2007, 2009 and 2011.

@sciencepolicy.ca

#KnowTheOcean

🌊 My colleagues in @seos-uvic.bsky.social and Biology as well as adjunct faculty at the CCCMa, Pacific Geoscience Centre and DFO contributed directly to this research excellence. Great to be part of such a strong earth, ocean and atmospheric science research team @uvicscience.bsky.social

Kissing goes back 21 million years, to the common ancestor of humans and other large apes, study finds Scientists traced kissing back to a primate ancestor that lived around 21 million years ago.

Pucker up!

Dr. April Nowell commented on the evolutionary origin of kissing for Live Science's new article "Kissing goes back 21 million years, to the common ancestor of humans and other large apes, study finds"

tinyurl.com/3mc6kfjc

@uvic.ca @uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social #anthropology #kissing

Fascinating!

Testosterone in body odour linked to perceptions of social status - UVic News New research from the University of Victoria suggests we can smell testosterone, and that we associate it with dominance

What can scent tell us about a person?👃

Humans use scent as a form of communication. It can signal fear, sickness, attraction, and more. New research suggests that scent may also tell us something about testosterone levels.

Learn more: news.uvic.ca/2025/testost...

@uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social

clarivate 2025 - University of Victoria - University of Victoria Highly cited researchers 2025

This year, @clarivate.com has recognized 6 UVic researchers as #HighlyCited2025! They have been recognized for the significant and broad influence in their fields of research over the past decade. Congratulations!

Find out more about their work: bit.ly/481atTZ

Why Canada must transform its long-term care system The long-term care system is under pressure — both from an aging population and from a workforce in crisis. More humane, sustainable models of care are critical.

#uvic @uvicgeography.bsky.social Denise Cloutier writes, "With Canadians now living longer than ever, the question of who will care for them — and under what conditions — when they can no longer care for themselves has become one of the country’s most pressing issues." @ca.theconversation.com

Cover and promotional graphic for Borders in Globalization Review, Volume 6, Number 2 (2025). The journal cover features a desert landscape bisected by a long border fence, emphasizing territorial division. A red box displays the journal’s logo. Text highlights the issue’s theme: “Academic and artistic explorations of borders in the 21st century,” with a special focus on Europe, Russia, and borders with Ukraine.

Borders in the 21st century—Vol. 2025 of The BIG_Review explores policy, poetry, and resistance. From EU–Ukraine relations to the US–Mexico wall, this issue is packed with critical insight.
🔗 journals.uvic.ca/index.php/bi... #BIGReview #MigrationPolicy

I'm honoured to be a new Canada Research Chair established this cycle @uvic.ca. The CRC in Inorganic Materials & Polymers will reveal new frontiers in main group chemistry, develop applications for green inorganic materials, and train chemists who can exploit the full breadth of the periodic table!

CanAssist technology helps local barista work independently   - UVic News Break barriers, build belonging   Despite talent, drive and ambition, many individuals with disabilities still encounter barriers in the workplace.

Innovation helps local barista work independently. ☕

@canassist.bsky.social builds custom tools that break down barriers for people with disabilities.

With Coco Café BC, they created a device that helps barista Colin read orders independently.

🔗 news.uvic.ca/2025/canassi...

Four new Canada Research Chairs Marie-Eve Tremblay Saurabh S. Chitnis Joel Ong Dominique Trischuk

Four new Canada Research Chairs at UVic!

• Marie-Eve Tremblay – Neurobiology of Healthy Cognitive Aging
• Saurabh S. Chitnis – Inorganic Materials & Polymers
• Joel Ong – Emergent Digital Art Practices
• Dominique Trischuk – Particle and Astroparticle Physics

Learn more: ow.ly/IJ8V50XgCvH
@uvic.ca

🔬High-resolution imaging just got a lot more accessible. A UVic team led by Arthur Blackburn achieved sub-Ångström resolution using a low-energy electron microscope—a breakthrough that makes atomic-scale imaging more accessible and affordable than ever before.

🔗 Learn more: ow.ly/6GgI50XbgL8

Bridging knowledges for climate action | Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions New PICS report captures insights from a series of workshops held in collaboration with the First Nation Leadership Council.

What does it take to bridge knowledges for climate action?

A new PICS report captures insights from a cross-university workshop series focused on collaboration, co-design, and doing research in a good way.

Learn more: climatesolutions.ca/bridging-kno...

UVic neuroscientists advance depression research - UVic News A new paper from the Caruncho Lab shows the potential of a protein called Reelin for treating both “leaky gut” and severe depression.

What if a protein could be injected to help heal both “leaky gut” and severe depression?

New @uvic.ca research shows that Reelin may one day do just that.

On #WorldMentalHealthDay, it’s a promising step forward.

news.uvic.ca/2025/uvic-ne...

🚨 Big news! UVic researchers receive $1.13M from CFI-JELF to advance their work in climate and health innovation. These locally grounded projects are creating global impact, from BC’s alpine ecosystems to coastal communities and beyond. 🌍

ow.ly/sXrw50X9T4t

Well deserved! Congratulations to the team!

Potent new drug turning up in counterfeit pills in Greater Victoria Drug-checking service warns the synthetic opioid nitazene is showing up in counterfeit pills sold as oxycodone, percocet and hydromorphone.

“The biggest worry is that they are quite potent molecules in comparison to fentanyl, which is a strong opioid as well...And detecting them can be challenging.”
Substance's Derek Robinson talking about nitazenes in the @timescolonist.bsky.social this week.
www.timescolonist.com/local-news/p...

UVic neuroscientists advance depression research - UVic News A new paper from the Caruncho Lab shows the potential of a protein called Reelin for treating both “leaky gut” and severe depression.

🧠 What if a protein could be injected to help heal both “leaky gut” and severe depression?

New research from the University of Victoria, published in Chronic Stress, shows that a glycoprotein called Reelin may one day be able to do just that.

Learn more: ow.ly/bNl250X7XmB

A yellow oceanographic instrument floating on calm Antarctic waters, with glaciers in the background under an overcast sky.

1/🧊 ONC is partnering to support the global delivery of research data from the first all-Canadian led scientific expedition to the Southern Ocean.

The data will soon be available on ONC’s data portal, Oceans 3.0 and partners’ platforms.

Full story 🔗 bit.ly/4n7CvmA

🧪 🌊#KnowTheOcean #CDNsci

"Liver harm caused by alcohol is a public health problem. Collectively, we need to take better care of our livers by taking steps to reduce alcohol consumption in the population."
CISUR's Tim Naimi in @ca.theconversation.com #alcoholpolicy #alcoholresearch

Psychedelics offer healing for concussion, traumatic brain injuries    - UVic News New research from the Christie Lab at UVic reveals the promise of two psychedelic compounds for healing traumatic brain injuries.

Could psychedelics spark recovery after brain injury? 🧠 New research from UVic's Christie Lab explores the potential of psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT for healing concussions and other traumatic brain injuries.
news.uvic.ca/media-releas...

YouTube video by PICSCanada A Radical Act of Hope: "What A World We’d Created"

In Episode 3 of A Radical Act of Hope, Siila Sheila Watt-Cloutier shares how the voices of Arctic hunters, Elders, and women helped shift the global conversation through a landmark petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

youtu.be/s0yFP539Sw0

UVic research with the Squamish Nation & BC Parks, @cs-sfu.bsky.social @ubcpress.bsky.social examines if our quest for nature is putting BC's Coast Mountains at risk. #uvic @uvicresearch.bsky.social @uvicgeography.bsky.social news.uvic.ca/media-releas...

UVic welcomes $5M boost to scale Indigenous priorities and reconciliation - UVic News UVic is recognized for its national leadership in advancing education for Indigenous young people with a $5-million investment from the Mastercard Foundation.

UVic receives $5M investment from the Mastercard Foundation to strengthen education initiatives for indigenous youth.

🔗 Learn more about this investment: news.uvic.ca/media-releas...