IMI Awards

people holding awards

Congratulations to our 2023 IMI Award winners!

Each year, the Institute for Management & Innovation honours its most innovative and collaborative IMI teams and team members. The IMI Awards provide us with a chance to honour our hardworking, innovative, and committed faculty & staff.

In 2021, we proudly announced new awards for our IMI graduate students and alumni.

In 2023, we proudly introduced two new awards, the IMI Emerging Technology & AI Award and the IMI Campus Partner Award.

Award nominations are reviewed by a panel that includes staff, faculty, students, and alumni from across UTM.

Winners are celebrated at our annual IMI Awards Reception.

Jump to an award:

Faculty | Research | Staff | Team Collaboration | Alumni | IMIvator | Social Leadership | Emerging Technology & AI Award | Campus Partner

Past Recipients


IMI Faculty Award

This faculty member will have significantly enhanced the overall support, learning and/or engagement of students and/or faculty within the Institute for Management & Innovation. This may be at an undergraduate or graduate level.

2023 Recipient: Soo Min Toh


IMI Research Award

This faculty member will have been recognized for a significant research/scholarly contribution to their discipline. This contribution could be but is not limited to an original published work or key research contributions deemed innovative in nature.

2023 Recipient: Yue Li


IMI Staff Award

This staff member will have significantly enhanced the overall support, learning and/or engagement of students, staff and/or faculty within the Institute for Management & Innovation.

2023 Recipient: Natasha Walli


IMI Team Collaboration Award

This team of two or more members can include any balance of faculty and staff (up to four (4) members). They will have collaboratively introduced and implemented a new program, product, or initiative that has significantly enhanced the overall support, learning and/or engagement of students, staff and/or faculty within the Institute for Management & Innovation.

2023 Recipient: BIGDataAIHUB Communications Team (Ryan Cerrudo, Sarah Ogbiti, Abdullah Qaisar, Claire Westgate)


IMI Alumni Award

This award recognizes and celebrates the professional achievements made by IMI alumni. The panel will be looking for an alumna/alumnus who may have made a significant contribution to their field, acted as a prominent voice within their discipline, and/or demonstrated their commitment to making the world a better place through innovative ideas and solutions. They may also be a recent graduate with outstanding achievements in a short time who have shown themselves to be a trailblazer in their chosen field.

Eligibility:

  • The nominated alumna/alumnus must have graduated at least two (2) years prior to the nomination.
  • The nomination should be for achievements related to their field of study at IMI.
  • Alumni are not eligible to nominate themselves for the award.

2023 Recipient: Anureet Kaur (MScSM Class of 2016)


IMIvator Award

This award is given to a current IMI graduate student (individual or group) who has used a multi-disciplinary approach in the conceptualization and/or creation of a new product, service, project, event, group or program that demonstrates innovative idea(s), enhances the student experience, and may have a long-lasting impact on students and/or community.

* Student(s) can be nominated for both the IMIvator and Social Leadership Awards.

2023 Recipient: The Energy Network (TEN)


IMI Social Leadership Award

This award is given to a current IMI graduate student (individual or group) who has led an initiative or conceptualized a product or service that focused directly on social responsibility, community well-being, and/or sustainable future. The contribution may focus on the well-being of IMI, UTM, the local community, or the broader community at large.

2023 Recipient: Hannah MacRae (MScSM Class of 2023)


IMI Emerging Technology & AI Award

This award is given to a current IMI graduate student (individual or group) who demonstrates exceptional creativity and innovation in leveraging an emerging technology or Artificial Intelligence (i.e., AI) algorithm in solving challenging real-world or simulated problems in their research or class projects. The award recognizes their potential and ability to leverage technology in novel, practical, and impactful ways.

2023 Recipient: HollyTM Team (Imran Rhemtulla, Crystal Valdez & Naina Jain)


IMI Campus Partner Award

This award recognizes a UTM campus partner for going above and beyond in partnership with IMI in order to significantly enhance, expand, or otherwise support IMI’s goals, mission, and purpose.

2023 Recipients: City of Mississauga, Economic Development Office; City of Mississauga, Strategic Communications & Initiatives


Read up on past recipients:

IMI Faculty Award Recipients

Soo Min Toh with her award and Claire Westgate

2023 - Soo Min Toh

Gabriel Eidelman

2022 - Gabriel Eidelman

Gerhard Trippen

2021 - Gerhard Trippen

Kevin Yousie

2020 - Kevin Yousie

Otto Yung with IMI Director Soo Min Toh

2019 - Otto Yung

Laurel Besco

2018 - Laurel Besco

Louis Florence with Chair Mihkel Tombak

2017 - Louis Florence

Irene Wiecek with Chair Mihkel Tombak

2016 - Irene Wiecek

IMI Research Award Recipients

Yue Li with his IMI award

2023 - Yue Li

Tara Vinodrai with her IMI award presented by Shashi Kant and Soo Min Toh

2022 - Tara Vinodrai

Ningyuan Chen

2021 - Ningyuan Chen

Nico Lacetera with his IMI award presented by Soo Min Toh

2019 - Nico Lacetera

Minlei Ye

2018 - Minlei Ye

Sonia Kang with her IMI Award presented by Mihkel Tombak

2017 - Sonia Kang

 

 

IMI Staff Award Recipients

Natasha Walli with her IMI award presented by Claire Westgate

2023 - Natasha Walli

Nazeem Shamshuddin with his IMI award presented by Shashi Kant and Soo Min Toh

2022 - Nazeem Shamsuddin

Maria Andrade & Claire Westgate

2021 - Maria Andrade, Claire Westgate

Diana Aldaz

2020 - Diana Aldaz

David Linden with his IMI Award presented by Soo Min Toh

2019 - David Linden

Linnet Kocheril with his IMI award presented by Heather Hines

2018 - Linnet Kocheril

Carol Solonenko and Debby Keown with their IMI awards presented by Pierre Desrochers

2017 - Carol Solonenko, Debby Keown

Natasha Walli with her IMI award presented by Hugh Gunz

2016 - Natasha Walli

IMI Team Collaboration Award Recipients

BIGDataAIHUB Communications Team (Ryan Cerrudo, Sarah Ogbiti, Abdullah Qaisar, Claire Westgate)

2023 - BIGDataAIHUB Communications Team: Ryan Cerrudo, Sarah Ogbiti, Abdullah Qaisar, Claire Westgate

Nazeem Shamsuddin, Alyssa Madrasto, Martina Simmonds

2022 - IMI Connect Team: Alyssa Madrasto, Nazeem Shamsuddin, Martina Simmonds

Bianca Gaspini & Wesley Mack

2021 - MMPA Recruitment Team: Bianca Gaspini & Wesley Mack

Rima Abu-Shakra, Ryan Cerrudo, & Carol Solonenko

2020 - Big Data & AI Case Competition: Rima Abu-Shakra, Ryan Cerrudo, & Carol Solonenko

Donna Heslin, Natasha Walli, Shauna Brail, Alyssa Madrasto, Ryan Cerrudo, and Soo Min Toh

2019 - Urban Leadership eXchange: Natasha Walli, Shauna Brail, Alyssa Madrasto, & Ryan Cerrudo

Ignacio Mongrell & Sam Dumcum

2018 - ICUBE: Ignacio Mongrell & Sam Dumcum

Beate Ensminger, Afrodite Cruz, Alberto Galasso, & Pierre Desrochers

2017 - MMI: Beate Ensminger, Afrodite Cruz, & Alberto Galasso

Rose Mary Craig, Shashi Kant, & Claire Westgate

2016 - MScSM: Rose Mary Craig, Shashi Kant, & Claire Westgate

IMI Alumni Award Recipients

Anureet Kaur with her IMI Award presented by Claire Westgate

2023 - Anureet Kaur

Daniel Tourangeau with Shashi Kant & Soo Min Toh

2022 - Daniel Tourangeau

David Harary, Shane Saltzman

2021 - David Harary, Shane Saltzman

 

IMIvator Award Recipients

Sean Kavanagh and Maimuna Hafiz from The Energy Network (TEN)

2023 - The Energy Network (TEN)

Kaitlyn D’Lima with Shashi Kant & Soo Min Toh

2022 - Kaitlyn D’Lima

Lara Brooks, Angelica Chow, Alannah Hoops, Allan Huang, Elyse Muir, & Xi Shao

2022 - Lara Brooks, Angelica Chow, Alannah Hoops, Allan Huang, Elyse Muir, & Xi Shao

Gloria Ko

2021 - Gloria Ko

IMI Social Leadership Award Recipients

Hannah MacRae

2023 - Hannah MacRae

Jananee Savuntharanathan with Shashi Kant & Soo Min Toh

2022 - Jananee Savuntharanathan

Raguram Bhaskar

2021 - Raguram Bhaskar

 

IMI Emerging Technology & AI Award

Imran Rhemtulla, Crystal Valdez & Naina Jain

2023 - Imran Rhemtulla, Crystal Valdez & Naina Jain

 

 

 

IMI Campus Partner Award

Donna Heslin and Uzma Shakir from the City of Mississauga

2023 - City of Mississauga, Economic Development Office; City of Mississauga, Strategic Communications & Initiatives