Western University, Ontario, Canada
Western University, Ontario, Canada

Five new project collaborations between Radboud and Western University

Radboud University and Western University, Canada, have been collaborating for some years. To further boost our collaboration, new educational and research initiatives have been supported through the third call of the Radboud-Western Collaboration Fund.

These five projects have been selected:

Dr. Friederike Landau-Donnelly, Dr. Kirsty Robertson & Dr. Sarah Smith - Hearing Conflicts (HEARCON): Unpacking Decolonization in Canadian and Dutch Museum Initiatives via a Research Podcast  
This research brings together an interdisciplinary team of scholars (Cultural Geography, Information & Media Studies, and Museum & Curatorial Studies) employing creative methodologies to explore museological strategies for contending with colonial histories and “difficult knowledge.” Examining museum practice in Canada and the Netherlands, the team will explore curatorial approaches at a range of institutions and engage with museum practitioners, with research outputs including a podcast and scholarly publication. 

Dr. Rosemary Yu & Dr. Nica Borradaile  - Balancing act: EEF1A1 and the regulation of cellular energy source use 
How does a cell balance between using sugars or fats for energy? In this project, Dr. Borradaile and Dr. Yu will tackle this question using an innovative combination of big data experiments and computer simulations. 

Dr. Ir. Dennis Janssen & Dr. Ryan Willing - Dynamic medical imaging and experimental evaluation of patellofemoral biomechanics
The project between the Biomechanical Engineering Research Lab of Western University and the Orthopaedic Research Lab of Radboudumc focuses on the biomechanical evaluation of patellar instability. The collaboration unites advanced physical testing with dynamic medical imaging to gain more insight into the underlying pathology to improve care for patients with patellofemoral instability.

Prof. Dr. Vivian Weerdesteyn & Dr. Sue Peters - Enabling prediction of fall risk from a light-based neuroimaging tool during balance correcting responses 
Poor reactive stepping (the kind needed to avoid a fall) is a significant risk factor for experiencing a fall and is typically impaired following neurological injury.  To enable development of interventions and prediction algorithms, our project will determine which mobile neuroimaging measures are associated with the stepping responses needed to avoid a fall. 

Prof. Dr. Marcel van Gerven & Prof. Dr. Roy Eagleson - Investigation on Artificial Intelligence using Transformer Networks to Implement Algorithmic Models of Computation 
One over-arching question that will be examined in this project is whether a classical "von Neumann" architecture can be implemented within a GPT-like Transformer Network. Computational models will be developed to explore whether a classical computational architecture can be implemented within a neural network. Drawing the neural networks and classical computers together under a single information-processing framework is what is at the heart of this research project.

New call in 2024

In January 2024, a new call for proposals for this Fund will be launched. More information will be published on the web page on International collaboration funds