What is the “switch tax” costing you at work?
We often treat multitasking as a badge of honour. New research suggests it can come at a much higher cost than we realize.
In a recent large-scale study published in Nature Human Behaviour, Dr. Yiwen Jin, PhD and his co-authors examined over 300,000 organ transplant surgeries to understand what happens when professionals switch between drastically different tasks.
The “switch tax” shows up wherever high-stakes work demands constant context changes—from operating rooms to boardrooms.
As Dr. Jin notes, this research moves “from diagnosis to prescription,” giving leaders practical tools to redesign workflows for safer, more effective performance.
👉 Read more about the research and its implications using the link in our bio.
@ucalgaryresearch
A hidden mountain gem: 60 years of UCalgary’s Barrier Lake Research Station 🏔️
The Rocky Mountains provide a picturesque backdrop for some of the most important environmental education and research in Canada.
From local junior high and high school students to undergraduate and graduate students, the University of Calgary’s Barrier Lake Research Station has inspired many to follow their passions over the last 60 years.
It’s also become the home base for national and international researchers and collaborations, as well as a host for visitors from around the world.
It and the Richard Birnie (RB) Miller Station, a research-only facility located in Sheep River Provincial Park, serve as UCalgary’s two field research stations in the Rockies.
Known as the UCalgary Biogeoscience Institute to oversee the vision and operations of the two stations, it will now be known as the University of Calgary Kananaskis Centre.
“We’ve become known as a place to come and work, with easy access to glaciers, mountains, forests, lakes, rivers and small mammals,” says Dr. Steven Vamosi, PhD, scientific director for the centre. “It’s not just a place to study the environment, as we are also being mindful of the human presence.”
As Vamosi and his staff map out the future for Barrier Lake, they hope to build on the last 60 years of success through community and connection with nature.
Link in profile to read more
Have you heard of UCalgary's Transdisciplinary Scholarship Initiative? Learn how UCalgary is creating real-world impact through collaborative and community engaged research and scholarship.
@ucalgaryresearch
Join us May 19-20, 2026 for the Together | Ensemble conference, Canada’s leading national platform for collaborating and accelerating progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hosted at UCalgary's main campus, the conference brings together intergenerational Indigenous Peoples, youth, academia, government, business, and community leaders to turn global goals into local action and tackle Canada’s toughest sustainability challenges.
Learn more and register at the link in our bio.
Dr. Nigel Shrive, a professor emeritus in civil and biomedical engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering, is being honoured with the 2026 Killam Prize in Engineering.
The prize recognizes Dr. Shrive’s many career accomplishments spanning orthopaedic and cardiovascular research, as well as masonry.
“Recognition that one has done something useful with one’s life is nice, but I think even more it gives you the confidence and enthusiasm to keep doing it, do more." He still has many projects on the go, with ideas for many others he’d like to begin.
Dr. Shrive says receiving the Killam Prize only confirms to him that he should keep going with his work. “It'll make me more excited to finish a couple of projects that I've got started. Really gives you the drive to do it, makes you want to finish."
Congratulations!
@ucalgaryresearch@schulichengineer@ucalgarymed
If you turn on your television, open a newspaper, or scroll through Instagram, it won't take long to see the politicization of science happening around the globe, from mis- and disinformation, industry-manufactured uncertainty, and the scientization of policy. It can be hard to figure out what’s based in research, data, and facts, and what is created for clicks.
It’s for this reason that researchers at UCalgary have launched a science diplomacy initiative, a rapidly evolving field that sits at the intersection of science, technology, and foreign policy, and is a critical tool for addressing global challenges, fostering international co-operation, and advancing national interests.
@ucalgaryresearch
UCalgary researcher Dr. Shabir Barzanjeh has been awarded a prestigious Killam NRC Paul Corkum Fellowship. The fellowship supports research aligned with Canada’s scientific and technological priorities and is conducted in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). Barzanjeh will work with NRC co-principal investigator Dr. Sergei Studenikin to transform quantum technologies with the potential to advance computing, health care and Canada’s innovation landscape.
@ucalgaryresearch@ucalgaryscience
As 2026 @paralympics athletes speed down the slopes, there is always risk of suffering a concussion from a crash. Dr. Kathryn Schneider, BA’96, PhD’12, a physiotherapist and associate professor in @ucalgaryknes has developed a rehabilitation approach and treatment methods that have informed harmonized concussion protocols in Canada and globally through the Amsterdam Consensus.
Schneider’s targeted research focuses on healing the multiple systems affected by concussion, not just cognitive function.
🔗 Link in profile to read the full story
@achfkids@hotchkiss.brain
Led by Paige Collings, a Master's student and graduate researcher in the St. John’s Adapted Exercise Science Lab in the Faculty of Kinesiology, this adaptive ice skating program applies research-informed principles to inclusive movement design.
By centring neurodivergent children and emphasizing inclusion over integration, the program demonstrates how kinesiology research can translate into real-world impact for health, well-being, and participation.
@ucalgaryknes@ucalgaryresearch
#Werklund alum and One Child Every Child postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Stephanie Bartlett, is walking alongside youth, Elders, and educators to witness language and culture revitalization in Fort Vermilion schools.
Through the Walking Alongside You(th) project led by Dr. Jennifer Markides, this community-grounded research centres land, language, and youth voice. It reflects the powerful impact of Indigenous cultural inclusion in education.
Click the link in our bio to read more ⬆️
A new five-year study, Unifying Framework for Patient-Centred Clinical-study Endpoints Derived from Digital Health Technologies (UNIFIED), proposes a bold idea: the development of a harmonized, evidence-based framework that brings together information patients have long asked to be included in health-care decisions.
Dr. Deborah Marshall is named to lead the Calgary-based part of the study.
Read full story with link in bio.
@achfkids
