Happy holidays from the OVPRI. Toronto Metropolitan University is closed from Monday, December 22, 2025, until Friday, January 2, 2026. This account will not be monitored during that time. See you in the New Year!!

Hiring skilled AI workers is one of the biggest challenges for organizations, @trsmtorontomet.bsky.social professor Ron Babin writes in CIO. The reason? Younger hires typically have the most familiarity with GenAI tools but typically lack both experience and critical thinking skills. Read more:

Last summer, Computer Science PhD candidate Cassandra Ferworn competed in the #SchumanChallenge, a policy competition by @euincanada.bsky.social. Cassandra was among the top three teams, bringing their proposal on AI literacy to Brussels last month. Read more: www.torontomu.ca/news-events/...

As the year comes to a close, take a look back with us at some of the top and most read stories of 2025 – one of the university’s most transformative years yet.

Practicing mindfulness helps us handle stress but non-attachment is the main driver of wellbeing, says @trsmtorontomet.bsky.social professor Ellen Choi. In @forbes.com, she explains how cultivating a “let it be” mindset can help improve our emotional regulation. Read more:

Research from the U.S. suggests living alongside humans is causing urban raccoons to evolve into more domesticated creatures. @torontomet.bsky.social professor Janet Koprivnikar says their bold, endearing behaviour fits the pattern. Read more in @torontotoday.ca:

Ever felt jealous of a close friend who had a rare or unique experience? #Research by @trsmtorontomet.bsky.social professor Eugene Chan finds happiness for one friend can trigger social comparison in another, sparking a jealousy that casual acquaintances don't. Read more:

Is the condo business model dead? In Corporate Knights, @torontomet.bsky.social professor emeritus David Amborski says investors have stopped seeing condos as an asset that can generate better returns than stocks or gold. So, what's next for the future of housing? Read more:

The recent @torontomet.bsky.social Health & Technology Symposium brought researchers, practitioners and innovators together to consider the intersections of health and technology. They shared work that centres community needs, advances equity and sparks potential new collaborations. Read more:

Why are lawmakers pushing to regulate sports-betting ads? @torontomet.bsky.social professor and Canada Research Chair Andrew Kim tells @theglobeandmail.com the evidence is clear: exposure affects future gambling behaviour, especially for those most at risk. Read more:

How do educators balance caring for students and themselves? On a new episode of Podagogies, @torontomet.bsky.social professors May Friedman and Fiona Cheuk unpack vulnerability, burnout, accessibility, and the realities of teaching. Listen:

Can changing leaders reshape election outcomes? Analysis co-authored by @torontomet.bsky.social professor Michael McGregor shows how leadership changes can redefine a party’s brand, shift cross-party appeal and influence vote choices in close races. Read more:

Research shows women with disabilities face elevated rates of online violence. To help make online spaces safer, @torontomet.bsky.social's Karen Soldatic and Eunice Tunggal call for collaborative, accessible and informed digital safety measures. Read more:

Reconciliation must include immediate legal change, says @torontomet.bsky.social Chair in Indigenous Governance Pam Palmater. She explains how the ‘second-generation cut-off’ rule in the Indian Act continues to harm Indigenous communities. Read more:

Professor Alireza Khatami of The Creative School at @torontomet.bsky.social shed tears of joy when his film 'The Things You Kill' was nominated as Canada's entry for Best International Feature at the Oscars. He tells @thr.com the emotion came from knowing it meant Canada was "home." More:

Artificial intelligence is helping Canadians make smarter holiday shopping decisions. @torontomet.bsky.social professor Jenna Jacobson explains how #AI tools help people track prices, find deals and manage information overload. Read more in @cdnpress.bsky.social:

TMU (@torontomet.bsky.social) is proud to become a new member of the @who.int's Disability Health Equity Network. This global effort seeks to close avoidable health gaps for people with disabilities. Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair Karen Soldatic will lead TMU's membership. Read more:

🎓 CERC Migration's Winter School brought together early-career researchers for an intensive week of #qualitativeresearch training in migration studies. Participants gained hands-on experience in interviewing, data analysis, and ethical research practices. 🔗 www.torontomu.ca/cerc-migrati...

On #WorldSoilDay, learn how dirty soil can still do good work for the planet. @torontomet.bsky.social professor Christopher de Sousa explains how converting contaminated brownfields into solar farm 'brightfields' can reduce emissions, decrease clean-up costs and benefit communities. Read more:

In the age of AI, Canadian research will depend on the ability to combine technology with human insight and compassion, says @torontomet.bsky.social's Steven N. Liss, vice-president, research & innovation. Read his article in Canada's Innovation Leaders 2025: tinyurl.com/2ez5as3f #CIL2025

The iBEST Visiting Lecturer Series is pleased to host Dr. Kamil Uludag at 1:00pm today, Friday, December 5th, for his talk “Challenges and Opportunities of Human 7 Tesla MRI for Clinical Research.” Come to the LKS Auditorium at 209 Victoria Street or join via Zoom. Details: tinyurl.com/kt6f85m2

In the latest Research Infosource rankings of Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities, @torontomet.bsky.social ranks in the top five in six categories among Canada’s comprehensive research universities. The rankings demonstrate the success of TMU researchers. Read more:

The deadly fire at a Hong Kong apartment complex is a warning to cities the world over about the risks of maintenance, @torontomet.bsky.social's Jason Wang writes in @theglobeandmail.com. By cutting corners on the skin of our cities, Wang says, we gamble on the bodies within. Read more:

Check out the scholarly, research and creative events happening across @torontomet.bsky.social in December, from presentations to workshops. Read our latest events newsletter: tinyurl.com/5uh942n9

Canada needs a renewed national #AI strategy. Our submission to the federal consultation outlines how to build public trust, build talent and boost productivity through: 1️⃣ Responsible adoption 2️⃣ Skills development 3️⃣ Investment in homegrown innovation & compute Read more: dais.ca/reports/subm...

Many consumers value ethical products but rarely pay more for them. #Research from @trsmtorontomet.bsky.social professor Mehak Bharti shows the pain of paying higher prices can be overcome by offering smaller sizes of ethical products at the same cost as counterparts. Read:

Research by @trsmtorontomet.bsky.social professors Matthew Philp and Nükhet Taylor found fast-food diners don't believe food prepared by robots would taste as good as a human-made meal, and wouldn't pay as much for it. Read more about their work on robots in the kitchen:

Canada has "benefitted tremendously" from the decline in international tourism spending in the United States, @trsmtorontomet.bsky.social professor Wayne Smith tells @CBCNews. Year-on-year tourism spending in Canada rose $3.3 billion in the 2025 summer season. Read more:

Thanks to all who attended today's @torontomet.bsky.social Health & Technology Symposium. This interdisciplinary event brought research and innovation experts together to examine the interplay between health and technology, and to discuss its impact on individuals, communities and society.

Researchers at @torontometsci.bsky.social and iBEST are exploring a promising new approach that uses low-intensity ultrasound waves to activate drug-coated gold nanoparticles inside the human body. The approach boosts drug delivery to tumours while protecting healthy tissue. Read more:

First-year Computer Science students Annber Verginom and Mya Grosz are the recipients of the 2025 Ted Rogers Legacy Scholarship, valued at up to $100,000 each.

In the digital age, is there still sanctuary in sanctuary cities? New #research from @torontomet.bsky.social law professor Graham Hudson warns that digital surveillance and data sharing may be quietly eroding the protections of sanctuary cities. Read more: tinyurl.com/yh9dne4a

Are sports gambling and alcohol consumption correlated? @torontomet.bsky.social professor and Canada Research Chair Andrew Kim studied the behaviours in 4300 adults across two years. He found an increase in one behaviour can predict a rise in the other. Read more:

PhD grad James Cairns channels political activism and personal addiction struggles in new essay collection.

Return-to-office mandates are about control, not productivity, @torontomet.bsky.social professor Ope Akanbi writes in @macleans.bsky.social. Still, amid an "all-out clawback" on work flexibility, the deeper change is that employees now know many jobs can be done anywhere. Read more:

How can cities help older adults age in place? New research by @torontomet.bsky.social professors Samantha Biglieri and Pamela Robinson calls for better coordination across city services, increased funding of community programs, and expanding affordable housing options. Read more:

Canada’s e-waste is growing fast, but awareness and education lag behind. @torontomet.bsky.social PhD student Saidia Ali says the solution starts in the classroom by teaching youth to reduce, repair and reuse before they toss or recycle. Read more in @ca.theconversation.com:

Hossein Rahnama’s research is reimagining how humans and machines collaborate. The @torontomet.bsky.social professor aims to create more empathetic, human-centred systems. Read more:

Researchers at @torontomet.bsky.social are tackling big societal challenges with a sophisticated technology: the digital twin, a virtual model of a physical asset connected to live data. Read more about this critical pathway in sustainable development in @theglobeandmail.com:

The things we say in social media posts can reveal clues about our well-being. New research by @trsmtorontomet.bsky.social professor Nancy Yang puts AI-powered language models to work studying social media posts to detect signs of depression. Read more (sensitive subject matter):

Many of us read online reviews, but some are clever fakes that can erode customer trust in e-commerce. New research from @torontomet.bsky.social professor Rasha Kashef and PhD student Dina Nawara uses AI and machine learning to help flag those fakes. Read more:

Lowering Ontario’s licensing standards for psychologists won’t fix our mental health crisis, it risks making care unsafe, @torontomet.bsky.social professor Michael Cheng, York's Skye Fitzpatrick and Tri Health Clinic's Jenn Bossio write in the @theglobeandmail.com. More:

Researchers from @torontomet.bsky.social are connecting what matters through innovative, human-centred research. In the latest issue of Innovation Magazine, learn more about advances in technologies, healthy aging, community, culture and democracy. Read more:

Canadians shouldn’t confuse policy disagreements with disagreeable politics. “Parliamentary debate, while it sometimes seems like a shouting match, is a safeguard against bad policy.” More reflections on the TMU Democracy Forum from @reggcohn.bsky.social: www.thestar.com/politics/pol... #cdnpoli

Congratulations to @torontomet.bsky.social's Narjes Allahrabbi for winning the @mitacscanada.bsky.social award for Canadian Start-Up Innovator of the Year. Her start-up Fertilead's novel at-home fertility technology is expanding access to equitable, accessible care. Read more:

As AI-generated actor Tilly Norwood takes centre stage, @torontomet.bsky.social professor Ramona Pringle writes in the @ca.theconversation.com about the impact on creativity, ethics and the responsibility of storytellers in an increasingly synthetic world. Read more:

This summer, @torontomet.bsky.social won first place in the pitch competition at the STEM Fellowship National Conference. Led by biomedical sciences student Grace Boakye, the team of FOS and FEAS students developed a project to help manage arthritis care. Read more: www.torontomu.ca/science/news...

Congratulations, @TorontoMet professor Daolun Chen. At Saturday evening's Annual Gala, professor Chen was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (@src-rsc.bsky.social). In this video, watch the world-renowned expert in materials science talk about his research:

The importance of Fashion Art Toronto lies in community building, @torontomet.bsky.social professor Joseph Medaglia tells @thestar.com. For students, the biannual event is "an incredible opportunity to learn ... and network with key players." Read more:

🧾 Make a Will Month Planning ahead helps ensure that our wishes are known and respected. 📑 This Make a Will Month, the NIA encourages Canadians to take proactive steps toward future planning to support independence and peace of mind as we age.