By: Justine Brooks
3 Jul, 2025
New and returning AI talent at CIFAR
July 3, 2025
New and renewed Canada CIFAR AI Chairs build upon Canada’s strong AI ecosystem
The Canada CIFAR AI Chairs program, a cornerstone of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, enables talented researchers working at the forefront of AI to continue to pursue transformative ideas that advance science and have a positive social and economic impact for Canada. Currently in its 8th year, CIFAR is pleased to welcome new and returning Chairs to the program.
Each Chair is affiliated with one of Canada’s three national AI institutes – Amii, Mila and the Vector Institute – and is a leader in their field, bringing unique expertise and perspective to Canada’s AI research community. By bringing together a diverse group of researchers, the program fosters innovation and the development of cutting-edge AI applications while also supporting the next generation of AI talent.
Joining the CIFAR community through the Vector Institute are:
- Kelsey Allen, University of British Columbia
- Evan Shelhamer, University of British Columbia
Renewed through the Vector Institute are:
- Sheila McIlraith, University of Toronto
- Nicolas Papernot, University of Toronto
- Gennady Pekhimenko, University of Toronto
- Yaoliang Yu, University of Waterloo
In a Q&A CIFAR asked the Chairs about their research, the impact of the program and what they’re most looking forward to during their term.
Newly appointed Canada CIFAR AI Chairs
What is the focus of your research?
Kelsey Allen: My research is on human-AI interaction and robotics.
Evan Shelhamer: My research is on adaptation – how models and systems can keep updating because we live in a world of change.
What are you hoping to accomplish during your term as a Canada CIFAR AI Chair?
KA: I hope to develop AI systems which interact better with humans by behaving in more human-like ways and by better complementing human weaknesses.
ES: I want to work on a future with more models, not fewer, by establishing a toolkit for decentralized deep learning in general and deep learning for remote sensing in particular. We should have models of Canada, by Canada and for Canada that are informed by satellite data that is made more accessible through machine learning.
What are you looking forward to most about your Chair appointment?
KA: My research program is highly interdisciplinary covering cognitive science, robotics and machine learning. The CIFAR ecosystem will enable me to build bridges to researchers across Canada working in each of these areas. By working together, we will be able to accomplish more than any one researcher could.
ES: Collaboration across Canada and across disciplines to make progress on AI itself and AI for science and sustainability through do-it-yourself deep learning!
Renewed Canada CIFAR AI Chairs
How has your Canada CIFAR AI Chair funding impacted your research?
Sheila McIlraith: My Canada CIFAR AI Chair funding has impacted my research tremendously. I have been able to recruit and retain excellent students, interns and a postdoc. Through those students and the shared work environment, I have undertaken collaborations with other Vector colleagues that I would not have otherwise initiated. The compute facilities have allowed me to pursue important research questions that my students and I would not have otherwise been able to pursue, and to make important advances in AI.
Nicolas Papernot: In my first term as a Chair, my research group shaped the community in many ways; we discovered new security threats against machine learning systems and pioneered the field of machine unlearning for deep neural networks. The impact my group had on our field was made possible by my faculty membership at the Vector Institute which was funded through the CIFAR program. Without the benefits this provided, the Canadian ecosystem would not have adequately supported my proposed long-term research agenda.
Yaoliang Yu: The Chair funding was essential in attracting and retaining the best students in my group and gave my group much more freedom to explore higher-risk projects.
Has your CIFAR affiliation led to any new collaborations/connections?
SM: My CIFAR affiliation has led to a number of new collaborations and connections with fellow researchers affiliated with Vector, Amii and Mila, and with industry and government agencies nationally and internationally.
NP: The Vector Institute community helps me build productive collaborations with faculty in other departments at the University of Toronto as well as other Canadian universities. The program makes all these collaborations significantly more interactive by providing shared desk space in the Vector Institute office. Attending AICan has also been a highlight of my first term as a Chair, allowing me to grow my network of Canadian research collaborators.
YY: The CIFAR affiliation has allowed my group to attend the various workshops/summer schools organized by CIFAR and the National AI Institutes, and get to know the other Chair holders in other universities. Additionally, I was privileged to host visiting researchers to the Vector Institute, which has led to new collaborations in directions that I would not be able to pursue by myself.
What are you looking forward to most about the renewal of your Chair appointment?
SM: I’m excited to continue to pursue my research and to support the Canadian AI ecosystem. The next few years will see rapid advances in AI and with those advances will come significant economic and societal impact. I’m committed to pursuing an agenda that will see AI promote human flourishing.
NP: CIFAR played an essential role in enabling the right environment to grow my research group, so I’m honoured to continue to be part of the program and I am genuinely looking forward to continuing to engage with the CIFAR community.
YY: I’m looking forward to the additional funding for my group, access to new computer clusters and further collaboration opportunities with other Chair holders.
Related Articles
-
CIFAR announces first AI safety Catalyst Grants under new national program
June 04, 2025
-
From research to real-world impact
June 03, 2025
-
Strengthening Canada’s AI talent ecosystem
April 16, 2025
-
CAISI Research Program at CIFAR announces council membership
February 03, 2025