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The University of Toronto has recognized 49 faculty members across its three campuses with Connaught New Researcher Awards.

The annual award supports early-stage researchers in the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, engineering and other fields – and aims to enhance their competitiveness for external awards.

"This funding supports our talented early-career researchers as they establish themselves in their respective academic fields,” said Professor Leah Cowen, ��˾��ֱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

"I am excited to see their work on an array of important and complex issues such as gender discrimination in the technology industry, capacity-building in community-based health care and social services, and engineering of anaerobic bacteria for sustainable fuel production."

Other topics being investigated by this year's recipients range from road safety in Toronto and improving access to HIV/AIDS services for racialized populations, to the role of volunteers in aiding Afghan evacuees and understanding how planets form.

The Connaught New Researcher Award is part of , which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. As Canada’s largest internal university research funding program, the Connaught Fund has given out more than $183 million to researchers across myriad disciplines to tackle pressing global issues.