Tristen Brown Via Lakehead University

Lakehead University PhD student Tristen Brown has been awarded the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, a national award for doctoral students.

The scholarship will see Brown receive $50,000 per year for three years to support his studies.

Brown’s academic career began at Lethbridge College in Alberta before joining Lakehead University through a transfer program for engineering students.

He went on to achieve a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering before beginning his doctorate.

As a PhD student and graduate research assistant in Lakehead’s Department of Civil Engineering, Brown is currently researching solutions to overcome the housing challenges for Indigenous communities throughout Canada subjected to extreme climate conditions.

“Winning this prestigious award would not have been possible without the unwavering support and dedication from my PhD supervisors in the Faculty of Engineering, and all my colleagues in the Structural and Wind Engineering Research Laboratory at Lakehead,” Brown said.

“I’m truly humbled and excited for all the new opportunities this scholarship will bring. I am more than thrilled to compile research related to my own Indigenous culture. I know the research and novel solutions will make an immediate impact on the current challenges that Indigenous communities face.” he added.

Across Canada, 166 doctoral students will receive a total of $24.9 million in support through the Vanier Graduate Scholarship that is jointly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.