U of T Engineering is committed to fostering an environment in which each member of our community can excel, contribute and benefit from different perspectives.
Through various programs and initiatives, we work to ensure that Indigenous students, faculty, staff and members of other Indigenous communities feel welcome and supported within our engineering Indigenous community. We are also in the process of building connections with Indigenous peoples to facilitate future partnerships.
Community building is never done in isolation. The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering works closely with First Nations House and several groups across U of T to be a place deserving of Indigenous community members. Learn more about resources available across the University of Toronto.
Blueprint for Action & Indigenous Cultural Competency Toolkit
Our ongoing journey toward reconciliation is guided by the Blueprint for Action.
Released in 2018 by the Eagle’s Longhouse, U of T Engineering’s Indigenous Initiatives Steering Committee, the report builds on Answering The Call: Weheecheetowin, produced by the University of Toronto’s Truth and Reconciliation Steering Committee.
One of the outcomes of the report has been the creation of U of T Engineering’s Indigenous Cultural Competency Toolkit.
Created by and with Indigenous leaders, the toolkit includes workshops, events and self-educational tools designed to help guide the journeys of students, staff and faculty members towards reconciliation.
Meet Indigenous faculty members at U of T Engineering
Professor Jason Bazylak, Teaching Stream
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (MIE)
A Métis engineer from Saskatchewan, Professor Bazylak worked in industry as a manufacturing engineer, before returning to academia. He brings deep experience in engineering, education and design experience to his role at the University of Toronto. He is currently the co-ordinator and instructor for the award-winning first year design course, Engineering Strategies and Practice, which enables first-year students to complete practical, hands-on project for real-world clients.
Concurrently, Bazylak conducts research into reducing the under-representation of women and Indigenous people in the engineering profession and he serves as the Dean’s Advisor on Indigenous Initiatives. Bazylak’s commitment to inclusivity is reflected activity in the Advancing Indigenous Science and Engineering Society (AISES) in Canada, particularly the AISES Student Chapter located at here at the University of Toronto.
Professor Justin Beland, Teaching Stream
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (MIE)
A member of the Fort William First Nation, Professor Beland specializes in machine intelligence, deep learning, probabilistic modelling, data science and optimization under uncertainty. He studied engineering at Western University before completing his graduate studies at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS).
Beland’s PhD thesis focused on the development of novel function approximation algorithms and the extension of Bayesian optimization algorithms to high-dimensional problems and optimization under uncertainty. Application areas include aircraft engines, biomedical systems and robot design. He teaches MIE250: Fundamentals of Object-Oriented Programming, APS1070: Foundations of Data Analytics and Machine Learning, MIE1519: Gaussian Processes for Machine Learning and APS360: Applied Fundamentals of Deep Learning. Beland’s current research program focuses on the development of novel deep Gaussian process modeling techniques.
In photos
Explore our gallery of work in action via the navigation arrows. Click images to expand and display captions.
Working with Indigenous communities on research
The Blueprint for Action advocates taking a 100 cups of tea approach toward relationships between U of T Engineering and Indigenous Peoples. Across the Faculty, several research projects, past and present, seek to develop partnerships with various First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. Examples include:
IBET scholar and PhD student Raylene Mitchell is studying the challenges of building renewable energy infrastructure in Northern Canada and Indigenous communities. Supervised by Professor David Sinton (MIE), Mitchell shared her story with Dean Chris Yip in a 2024 podcast episode.
During his undergraduate degree, Connor Isaac helped assess renewable energy projects in his home community of Walpole Island First Nation. He is now an IBET scholar and PhD student, also working with Professor David Sinton (MIE) to assess the potential of renewable energy infrastructure to meet the needs of remote communities.
Indigenous student James Ropotar is working with Professor Greg Jamieson (MIE) on a project relating to small modular reactors (SMRs), an emerging paradigm in the nuclear energy space. He is focusing on the need for effective communication to build partnerships with Indigenous communities around the operation of these facilities.
PhD student LaShawn Murray, supervised by Professor Enid Montague (MIE), is assessing the impact of a new AI scribe tool on clinical documentation workflows among nurses. The project includes visits to four pilot sites in First Nations communities near Calgary and Edmonton.
Led by Professor Cristina Amon (MIE), the NSERC CREATE in Thermal Management of Electrification Technologies (TherMET) project includes provisions for trainees to visit northern renewable energy projects and learn from Indigenous partners.
From 2018 to 2024, the Reconciliation Through Engineering Initiative (RTEI) considered various pathways for enacting reconciliation within the activities of the Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN). This included efforts to facilitate reciprocal, long-term partnerships between Indigenous Nations and engineering faculty to support community-identified needs.
Engineering student opportunities
Scholarships
A wide range of scholarships are available for prospective Indigenous students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Examples include:
Indigenous & Black Engineering and Technology (IBET) Momentum Fellowships
This program aims to address the urgent need to provide opportunities that encourage and support the pursuit of PhDs by equity-deserving groups traditionally underrepresented within STEM research.
Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
This award is available to engage eight Indigenous and/or Black postdoctoral researchers annually. It provides funding that exceeds the median postdoctoral salary at the University of Toronto and is in keeping with Canada’s most prestigious postdoctoral awards.
U of T Engineering Entrance Scholarship for Indigenous Students
This renewable scholarship is given to Indigenous students (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) entering any undergraduate engineering program at U of T on the basis of academic merit and financial need. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition and a possible stipend.
William Buttimer Entrance Scholarship
This scholarship is given annually to an academically strong student entering any undergraduate engineering program at U of T with a goal to enhance diversity.
In addition, many awards at the undergraduate level give preference to underrepresented groups, including Indigenous students, Black students and women-identifying students. Examples include:
- The Energy Systems Scholarship in Engineering Science
- The LAPORTE Award in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
- The Selvarani Gulasekaram Award
- The Ontario Power Generation Award
- The Prasad Family Foundation Scholarship in Mechanical Engineering
- The Steve Mirkopoulos Engineering Science Third Year Scholarship
- The Sundar Devi Mullick Scholarship in Materials Science and Engineering
AISES U of T Chapter
U of T has its own local chapter of Advancing Indigenous Science and Engineering Society (AISES), which welcomes new membership. The group recently received dedicated space in the Myhal Centre. which they aim to use to enhance their recruitment and growth. The chapter’s goal is to build a continuous community of Indigenous STEM students at U of T.
In the news
Read more about our Indigenous community members, as well as U of T Engineering initiatives that work closely with Indigenous communities.
