NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges Chris Tyler to continue research on emerging computing platforms
Media Release
Seneca Open Source researcher’s $1-million grant renewed for five years
Toronto, May 5, 2017 – With funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Seneca Professor Chris Tyler will build on five years as an Industrial Research Chair for Colleges (IRCC) with expanded research into open source software that can run on low-energy, high-performance computers.
“This $1 million five-year grant recognizes Seneca’s expertise and acknowledges the success of the first five years with Chris Tyler as an Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in open source technology for emerging platforms,” said David Agnew, Seneca President. “The next phase of this business-focused applied research program will provide an opportunity for additional Seneca faculty and students to work with new industry partners on applications for low-energy computer technology.”
Building on the research into ARM computer systems, Tyler will also now focus on expanding into related areas of super-embedded computing and development practices. ARM computer systems have the potential to reduce datacentre energy, space, and cooling requirements by 90 per cent or more.
"Over the next five years, we will be working with multiple industry partners to leverage low-energy high-performance computing, both in datacenters and in some really innovative products with embedded computers, such as robots and indoor air quality monitors,” said Tyler. “We will also be applying our experience with DevOps technology to assist Ontario companies in increasing their agility and strengthening their competitive position."
For the second term, Tyler will work with new industry partners, including Alteeve's Niche! Inc., and Z3 Controls, and build on work initiated during the first term with NexJ Systems Inc. Additional partners will be engaged over the next five years.
The project is expected to involve approximately 240 students in the classroom and more than 35 hired student researchers.
IRCC Grants support Chair programs across the spectrum of natural and social sciences, engineering, humanities and/or health sciences fields. The grants are part of the College and Community Innovation Program which is managed by NSERC in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Seneca is recognized for worldwide expertise in open source technology. Seneca's Centre for Development of Open Technology (CDOT) provides a physical and virtual environment for the development and research of Open Source products in collaboration with the Open Source community, business, and partner institutions.
Tyler is a professor in Seneca’s School of Information and Communications Technology and a member of CDOT. As a founding member of Seneca’s CDOT, he has contributed to the Seneca Free Software and Open Source Symposium since its inception in 2002.
About Seneca
With campuses in Toronto, York Region and Peterborough, Seneca offers degrees, diplomas, certificates and graduate programs renowned for their quality and respected by employers. It is one of the largest comprehensive colleges in Canada, offering nearly 300 full-time, part-time and online programs. Combining the highest academic standards with work-integrated and applied learning, expert teaching faculty and the latest technology ensure Seneca graduates are career-ready.