On April 27–28, 2026, York University hosted its 4th Annual NSERC CREATE Conference, bringing together six NSERC CREATE programs to celebrate trainee research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional development. The two-day conference featured keynote presentations, student oral and poster presentations, career development sessions, networking opportunities, and program updates, highlighting the breadth and impact of CREATE-funded research at York University.
The SMART (SMART Mobility in Advanced Research & Training) CREATE program, led by MOVE Director Professor Gunho Sohn, was one of the six featured NSERC CREATE programs. The program also includes several MOVE researchers serving in leadership roles, with Professors Sunil Bisnath, Hina Tabassum, Manos Papagelis, & Ping Wang, serving as Co-Principal Investigators. As part of the conference’s program overview session, Professor Gunho Sohn presented an overview of the SMART CREATE program, highlighting its vision, accomplishments, trainee activities, and expanding network of collaborations spanning academia, industry, public sector organizations, and Indigenous communities.
Throughout the conference, SMART trainees showcased their research through oral and poster presentations alongside trainees from the other CREATE programs, demonstrating the innovative and interdisciplinary research being undertaken across the program.
On the second day, the SMART CREATE program welcomed Dr. Miyoung Suh (University of Manitoba) as its invited keynote speaker. Her presentation, “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Research through an Indigenous and Systems Perspective,” explored the importance of inclusive, community-engaged research and interdisciplinary collaboration.
By participating alongside five other NSERC CREATE programs, SMART highlighted the strength of York University’s collaborative research ecosystem while showcasing MOVE’s leadership in mobility research, innovation, and graduate training.
