Attend the 2025 Research Showcase
Join us at KPU’s 2025 Research Showcase, a full day event which spotlights the remarkable research and innovation efforts of our KPU community. Attendees can expect insightful presentations from KPU researchers, student posters, and networking opportunities.
This year's theme: Generative AI in Research
Generative AI is transforming how we do research. From drug discovery and material science to climate modelling and creative design, researchers are harnessing GenAI to analyze data, generate insights, and accelerate innovation. Scholars are pushing the boundaries of discovery, while also acknowledging the risks and impact of using such fast-evolving technology in their fields.
How is GenAI already changing research, and how can we move forward while accounting for concerns regarding ethics, equity, and security? The event will foster engaging discussion around the impacts of this major paradigm shift, while considering the implications for EDI efforts, sustainability, and other aspects of research.
The keynote and panel will highlight how Generative AI is transforming research and pushing boundaries, while considering the implications on research ethics, equity, security, and more. The second half of the day will showcase the diverse research and innovation happening across KPU.
The Keynote
We are thrilled to announce this year’s Research Showcase Keynote Speaker, Dr. Mohammad Keyhani
Mohammad Keyhani is an Associate Professor at the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, where he directs the DBA program and teaches courses on generative AI and no-code technology for entrepreneurs. Mohammad's research has been published in leading journals and presented in international conferences where he has received multiple best paper and best reviewer awards. Mohammad is co-founder of HoneybeeLogic.com, maker of Lstr.cc, advisor to multiple startups, and has held roles as Lab Strategist at the Creative Destruction Lab Rockies, and David Rockefeller Fellow at the Trilateral Commission. He holds a doctorate in strategic management from York University, and M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees from the University of Tehran. His blog and projects can be found at DigitVibe.com.
Keynote Title: How Generative AI is Changing You and Your Research
In this presentation Dr. Keyhani will discuss the various ways in which generative AI technology, with the advent of Large Language Models (LLMs), is changing us as humans and as scholars. We will consider the significance of LLMs as a technology of thought and knowledge accumulation. We will review a variety of AI-powered tools that have recently become available to researchers, and showcase a number of research projects that have taken advantage of recent AI advances at the leading edge.
Panel Discussion
Following the keynote presentation, a panel of KPU experts will discuss the various implications of Artificial Intelligence in the research landscape. .
Zahia Marzouk, Educational Studies
Dr. Zahia Marzouk is Chair and faculty member in the Educational Studies Department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Her research focuses on learning strategies, motivation, and the development of cognitive and metacognitive scaffolds to support student learning. She currently leads a SSHRC-funded project examining the dynamic interplay between motivation, cognition, and metacognition, as well as how learners engage in hybrid regulation by using AI to support their learning. Dr. Marzouk’s work combines real-time data tracking, surveys, and AI-driven coaching to better understand and enhance self-regulated learning, with the goal of improving online learning experiences for students and educators worldwide.
Carley Hodgkinson, Graphic Design for Marketing
Carley Hodgkinson has chaired and taught studio and technology ethics courses in the Graphic Design for Marketing program at the Wilson School of Design since 2017. In her industry practice, Carley worked in agency, inhouse, and publication positions, and ran her own business, focusing on book design in the cultural sector. She moved into user experience design, working as a senior visual designer on business intelligence software and big data collection. As co-founder of Big Pictures Lab, Carley has run two WSD conferences looking at visual imagery in urban settings, including digital and interactive installations, and continues to look at the intersection of technology and community-building in creative research.
Daniel Anvari, Mathematics
Dr. Daniel Anvari is an expert in System Dynamic Modeling, with extensive academic training and a strong background in Predictive Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Machine Learning. His research spans various domains, including public health, business, and criminology, where he has successfully applied big data methodologies. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Saskatchewan Police Predictive Analytics Lab and has a thorough understanding of public data security processes. Throughout his academic journey, Dr. Anvari has contributed to institutions like York University in Toronto, the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, BCIT and currently he is a faculty member at KPU.
Lightning talks and student poster presentations
The afternoon will showcase the diverse research and innovation from members of the KPU community. Faculty members and researchers will have the opportunity to showcase their recent work in snappy lightning talks. Stay tuned for further details on the presenters.
There will also be a dedicated period where student researchers can discuss their projects with attendees. This is an opportunity for students to share their experience and findings while celebrating their great work!
| Title | Presenters |
|---|---|
| Watershed Toxicity Testing in Coquitlam River - Partnership with kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation | Layne Myhre |
| KPU’s Applied Genomics Centre: Faculty and Student Engagement in Driving Innovation in BC’s Agriculture and Biotech Sectors | Paul Adams, Taylor Chin |
| Harnessing Genomic Toolkits for Accurate Pathogen Detection in Salmon | Abhinaya Venkatesan |
| Resilient and Thriving, Vancouver Island Food Future | Victor Martinez |
| VFX & Animation Sustainability Project: Project Shadow | Diego De la Rocha, Varsha Vijayakumar, Jonathan Estrella Vazquez |
| Wildfire Suppression: From Machine Learning Prediction of Behaviour to Efficient Targeting of Fire Suppression | Kianoosh Tahani |
| The Smart Greenhouse of the future | Deborah Henderson |
| Ebolavirus evolution and emergence are associated with land use change | Christian Lange |
| Like goes with like: Congruency as a source of bias in investigation | Carla MacLean |
| Rapid detection of specific bacteria in drinking water using surface imprinted polymers and surface plasmons. | James Hoyland |
Who can register to attend?
This event is open to employees, faculty, and students across the KPU community. It is not open to the public.
Agenda (subject to change):
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:30am | Registration, Breakfast (with prior registration) |
| 9:00am | Opening remarks |
| 9:30am | Keynote and Q&A |
| 10:45am | Break |
| 11:00am | Panel discussion |
| 12:00pm | Lunch (with prior registration) Student poster presentations |
| 1:30pm | Lightning talks |
| 2:50pm | Break |
| 3:00pm | Interactive department/Faculty booths and Networking Student Poster awards, Closing remarks |
| 4:00pm | Adjournment |
Event Details
- Date: Tue May 13th, 2025
- Time: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
- Cost: FREE
- Organizer: Office of AVP Research and Innovation
- Registration deadline: April 29, 2025
- Note: Breakfast and lunch are provided to those who pre-register only
Venue Details
Conference Centre, KPU Surrey Campus (Cedar 1205)
12666 72 Avenue
Surrey, British Columbia V3W 2M8 Canada+ Google Map