From documenting the Salvadoran civil war to creating the next generation of sodium ion batteries, two postdoctoral researchers at Western have been awarded the prestigious Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Tania Cañas, from the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, and Jian Peng, from the Faculty of Engineering, are among the 70 recipients in 2024.
The fellowship program provides funding – $70,000 annually for two years – to top postdoctoral scholars, including both national and international candidates. Recipients are chosen based on their ability to contribute to Canada’s economic, social and research growth.
A total of 70 fellowships are awarded each year through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The fellowships are named in memory of Sir Frederick Banting, the Canadian physician, researcher, Nobel laureate and war hero who, together with his assistant Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin.
Tania Cañas, Faculty of Information and Media Studies
Research Project: Creative Approaches to Postwar Memory: Canada and Australia
Cañas, an artist and researcher, is part of Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador, a long-term project to document the history of the Salvadoran Civil War and prevent future violence. Her postdoctoral research will examine the memory of Salvadorans in Canada and Australia through creative practice, participatory methods and community-led approaches. Among her key research questions: How might initiatives between Salvadorans in Canada and Australia support sustained collaboration and deeper understanding of displacement? How can creative and community-based research approaches develop better understandings of the war-time memories that survive in the diaspora? How do we assemble, share and honor these memories? The research project is described as a “unique opportunity to foster collaboration among transnational displaced Salvadoran communities” in Australia and Canada.
Jian Peng, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Research Project: Advanced Materials for Sodium Ion Batteries
Peng and his team are working on creating a new type of rechargeable battery that could play a crucial role in fighting global climate change. The sodium-ion batteries are designed to store large amounts of energy from renewable sources like the sun and wind. By making these batteries cost-effective, capable of storing a lot of energy and very safe to use, he hopes to make it easier for the world to rely more on renewable energy and less on fossil fuels. Peng hopes his solution will address the expenses and safety concerns associated with current products such as lithium-ion batteries. If successful, this project has the potential to position Canada as a leading force in the field of energy storage systems, contributing to a greener future.
