President's Message

WELCOME to the 2026 edition of Ascend. As interim president and vice chancellor, it is both a privilege and a joy to introduce a magazine that captures the courage and creativity that define York University’s research community.

This year’s issue explores one of the most transformative forces of our time: artificial intelligence (AI), which is rapidly reshaping how we communicate, learn, work and live. Any form of emerging technology is a double-edged sword, but in the case of AI, even its original inventors have warned of its potential negative consequences to humanity.

With industries deploying new technologies at breakneck speed, these risks can easily be overlooked. While the pace and unpredictability of technological change can feel daunting, I find great reassurance in knowing that York’s researchers are approaching this moment with both ambition and deep responsibility.

What distinguishes our researchers is their interdisciplinary teamwork to steer innovation towards the public good. Across our campuses, York scholars are asking urgent and essential questions: How do we ensure technological advances are equitable? How do we design systems to include a wider diversity of voices and experiences? How can we accelerate AI adoption in ways that will lead to greater shared prosperity and well-being for all communities?

These questions go beyond the technical. They require multiple ways of knowing to come together across the arts and sciences, and they demand deep collaboration with industry, community and government. This is where York stands out as a leading force for impactful, solutions-oriented research. Our leadership is exemplified in research initiatives such as Connected Minds, the first project of its kind in Canada to focus on developing next-generation technologies that are ethical by design, where transparency, inclusivity and accountability are built in, not bolted on.

In these pages, you will read about AI projects that span fields as varied as health, mobility, ethics, emergency management, governance, the creative arts and beyond. The common thread that runs through all of them is the belief that technology, when shaped by empathy and collaboration, can benefit people in concrete ways, such as improving health outcomes through personalized and more accurate care and making large-scale predictions that could save lives. The researchers you will meet in the following stories are working to make AI technology better by addressing bias, promoting the creation of ethical frameworks and advocating for stronger privacy and other policies around AI governance.

Recently, York placed as a top five comprehensive university in Canada for health sciences and cross-sector AI publications in Research Infosource’s Top 50 Research Universities, just one of the rankings that illustrate the positive impact our researchers have already made.

Looking ahead, I have no doubt that we will continue to champion local and global research excellence, expand opportunities to partner across sectors, co-create solutions with those living the realities being studied and strengthen the networks that bring ideas to life.

As you read through Ascend, I hope you will be inspired to learn more, explore new ideas, make new connections and find bold ways to spark positive change for others.