As we welcome 2023, the Faculty of Science is excited for the year ahead! Having settled back into life on-campus last fall, we are recharged and renewed in our commitment to research, teaching and service. With our growth in research excellence, national and international awards and recognitions, and student enrolment (over 4,000 students and counting!) we see the year ahead as an opportunity to strengthen and expand our leadership in our community and beyond. 

From coast to coast to coast, our faculty and students are leading in research in the areas of health, environment, advanced materials and data science. And through our established and growing research institutes, the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research and the WE-SPARK Health Institute, we are building new research collaborations and partnerships across our region and the globe. We hope you will enjoy reading about all about our latest accomplishments.

Our students and alumni are also making their marks in science! Building on their experiences in Science at UWindsor, they are becoming leaders in their own fields. Their numerous successes are clearly demonstrated through regional, provincial and national recognitions. To highlight some of their successes, we have begun a “Because of Science at UWindsor” communications series, which we hope you will enjoy reading.

We also take this time to recognize a former dean of science and professor emeritus, Dr. Datta Pillay who passed away earlier this year. Dr. Pillay was a strong champion and advocate of science and worked tirelessly well into his retirement to mentor our faculty and support our students. Thank you, Dr. Pillay for your unwavering dedication and service to the Faculty of Science.

We wish you all a wonderful year ahead and we hope that you will continue to join us at the leading edge of science.

Catherine Febria with IPBES fellow Amani Al-Assaf at the organization’s 2018 plenary in Medellín, Colombia.

We are celebrating our illustrious alumni with a new series called 'Because of Science at UWindsor.' Each month we will highlight the stories of alumni who share how their experiences as a student in the Faculty of Science at UWindsor contributed to their successes.

Recent graduate Dante Bresolin (BSc 2022) took their scientific training and passion for the arts to become the latest Emerging Artist in Residence with Art Windsor Essex (AWE).

Daily News: Science graduate explores the nature of art

Two former Faculty of Science students were recognized by the Athena Scholarship Program which maintains that by elevating people with potential and solid values, they will be exceptional role models and inspire others to achieve excellence.

Daily News: Science grads win recognition for academic and community leadership

Science alumnus Dennis Ma (BSc 2010, PhD 2016) will start in 2023 with a new role as a senior scientist at Calico Life Sciences, a company focused on longevity, aging, and diseases related to aging.

Daily News: Grad a senior scientist investigating drugs to treat cancer

Alumna Katherine Vrantsidis (BMath 2016) thanks her UWindsor mathematics degree for preparing her for real-world success, by training her how to learn.



Daily News: Math grad finds success as an actuary

Joseph Zurakowski, a doctoral student of chemistry, has won a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Physics student Jordyn Matthews won a $5,000 scholarship promoting diversity in technology.

Third-year UWindsor student Ben Chittle helps strap one of his DIY pressure sensors to a cement block to keep it submerged. Image: Ben Chittle

Doctoral student Cody Caba and biochemistry professor Yufeng Tong are pursuing a possible line of inquiry to prevent and treat Parkinson’s disease.

Chemistry professor Marcus Drover leads a team working towards creating sustainable fuel products from greenhouse gas-containing waste streams.

During his time with science, from 1963 to 1997, Dr. Pillay was a dynamic and formative figure who contributed not only to the helping fill the (formally titled) Department of Biological Science, but to the entire University and the stature it enjoys today. 

In his 34 years as a research scientist, Dr. Pillay was successful each year in being awarded the competitive National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) grants. He pioneered a research program on the role of hormones in the growth and development of plants and the molecular mechanics of aging.

Interim Vice President, Research and Innovation Chris Houser stated that Dr Pillay, “was the first person to construct a soybean chloroplast gene map, a task that today may seem routine, but at the time it was an impressive feat and his work on the soybean gene map helped to significantly elevate the research profile of the University of Windsor." 

To learn more about Dr. Pillay's impressive career read the full memorial tribute.