Our Researchers

Kyle Brymer, Ph.D.
Research Associate, Health

Dr. Brymer has research expertise in both applied research and basic science domains. During his undergraduate degree at UNB, Kyle was involved in two main research projects focused on a pilot program designed to inform new mothers about the difficulties arising from breastfeeding and the influence of genetic relatedness on helping behaviour. Kyle’s PhD research used rodent models of stress to model depression and examined the antidepressant effects of novel therapeutic compounds and their ability to restore depression-induced deficits in cognition. As a postdoctoral research fellow at Memorial University, Kyle utilized rodent models to examine mechanisms underlying disease progression during Alzheimer disease. As a Research Associate at NBCC, he hopes to synthesize his applied research background with the expertise in mental health and Alzheimer disease acquired during his graduate and postdoctoral research to move forward projects emphasizing aging in the province. 

Eltaher El-Shanta, Ph.D.
Research Associate, Information and Communication Technologies Research Group

Eltaher has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of New Brunswick. Eltaher brings experience in systems analysis and design, machine learning, and mobile software development to benefit projects with business partners.

Sandy Liu, M.Sc.
Research Program Manager, Information and Communication Technologies Research Group

Sandy’s extensive R&D and project leadership experience ensures proposed projects are effectively coordinated. In addition, Sandy possesses subject matter expertise in software architecture, artificial intelligence, and user-centred design.

Mullai Manoharan, M.Sc.
Research Associate, Agri-Food

Mullai is passionate in the areas of research related to agriculture and food and related industries. Mullai comes from an agriculture background. He completed  dual-undergraduate degrees in Horticulture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India and Environmental Horticulture from Nova Scotia Agriculture College, Truro, NS. He completed his Masters of Science Degree from Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture. His graduate research focused on studies related to turfgrass plant pathology. After graduation, Mullai worked for a forestry company in NB for over seven years where he was in charge of production and applied research activities in a commercial setting to grow high value conifer trees. During his time with the company, Mullai and his team grew more than 10 million, high-value seedlings for reforestation. Mullai has a Green Belt certification in Lean Six-Sigma from this experience. At NBCC, Mullai’s research focusses on integration of business partners, students, and community under the broad umbrella of agri-food research. Applied research in Agri-food will benefit New Brunswick’s farming and business community, particularly those dealing with process owners that handle farm-to-fork and all stakeholders in between. Mullai’s applied research priorities align with GNB’s Local Food and Beverages Strategy.

William McIver, Jr., Ph.D.
Director, Information and Communication Technologies Research Group

Dr. McIver is the Director of the Information and Communication Technologies Research Group. He leads a diverse team focused on research and development for business and community partners of all sizes. While his background is in computer science, Bill has an in-depth knowledge of a wide variety of subjects. His expertise encompasses software development and engineering, data analysis, useability, and product ideation.

Chien Nguyen, B.Sc.
Research Technician and Project Coordinator, Information and Communication Technologies Research Group

Chien has years of experience working as an electrical engineer and manager in large international corporations. Chien works dedicatedly with the team members and business partners to ensure deliverables are produced to expectations.