York University professors Eric Kennedy and Kohitij Kar have received Ontario’s Early Researcher Award, a competitive provincial honour that supports promising early-career faculty leading innovative research.
The Early Researcher Award recognizes faculty at publicly funded Ontario institutions within their first 10 years of an academic career. It supports advancing knowledge and building strong teams of graduate and undergraduate trainees to develop future research leaders in Ontario.
Kennedy, an associate professor in the disaster and emergency management program in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, earned the award for a project aimed at enhancing wildfire predictive services in Ontario – an essential set of systems to protect communities from wildfire.
Developed with Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services, the initiative will identify barriers and strengthen coordinated systems to improve emergency response and community safety amid growing wildfire threats.
“Wildfires are growing in frequency and severity, and the systems we use to anticipate and respond to them must evolve just as rapidly,” says Kennedy. “This award enables us to work directly with wildfire agencies and international experts to develop solutions tailored to Ontario’s needs, and ultimately protect communities, ecosystems and lives.”
The Early Researcher Award builds on Kennedy’s internationally recognized expertise in wildfire governance, emergency management and decision making. He also serves as director of York University’s Emergency Mitigation, Engagement, Governance, Response Institute.
Kar, a professor of biology in the Faculty of Science and Canada Research Chair in Visual Neuroscience, received the Early Researcher Award for work exploring how the brain might process sensory information differently in autistic adults, focusing on how they see and understand the world.
By combining computer simulations with brain activity studies, the team models how changes in specific brain areas might lead to autism-like behaviours, specifically by adding controlled “noise.” The findings aim to enhance diagnosis and develop more effective support strategies, reinforcing Ontario’s investment in autism services and assisting community organizations.
“There is an urgent need to develop testable computational models of the neural basis of autism, particularly the sensory differences,” says Kar. “This award is a critical boost for our project, allowing us to expand our research and accelerate the development of tools that can better understand sensory processing differences in autism. It brings us closer to real-world impact for individuals and families affected by autism.”
Kar’s current project builds on his award-winning work studying visual object processing. His research appears in leading journals including Nature Neuroscience and Science. He leads a research program at York and has earned awards such as the Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research Award. His combined expertise in neuroscience and artificial intelligence makes him well positioned to lead this innovative effort.
The achievements of both researchers reflect York’s growing leadership in interdisciplinary research with real-world impact, says Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation.
“These prestigious awards underscore York’s dedication to fostering the next generation of research leaders,” adds Asif. “Eric and Kohitij exemplify how interdisciplinary research can drive innovation and deliver tangible benefits to society. With support from the province, their work will not only advance academic knowledge but also contribute to solving urgent challenges facing Ontario and beyond.”