Participate in Research
Help us drive innovation! Get involved with the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) initiatives and research to help us answer some of the most challenging questions facing an aging population.
Learn how you can help improve dementia research by becoming a research partner.
Current Research Opportunities
Calibrating Trust: AI and Financial Decision-Making+
Eligibility: Adults aged 65 or older who speak English and have some experience with online or mobile banking.
Are you 65 or older and curious about how artificial intelligence (AI) tools are being used in banking? We invite you to take part in a 60 to 75-minute virtual study exploring how older adults interact with and trust AI-style chatbots when making financial decisions, such as paying bills or transferring savings. Participants will receive a $25 gift card as a token of appreciation.
This research is led by Kelly Huang, MASc Candidate in Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo, under the supervision of Cosmin Munteanu, Schlegel Research Chair in Technology for Healthy Aging. This study has been reviewed and approved by the University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board.
Sessions are conducted online via Zoom on your personal laptop. The study uses a secure simulated banking application, so no real financial accounts or personal information are ever involved.
For more information or to sign up, please contact Kelly Huang at k99huang@uwaterloo.ca or by viewing this poster.
Carotid Artery Health Study Using New Ultrasound Technologies+
Eligibility: All ages (18+) are eligible, without any major acute or chronic medical conditions.
The purpose of our study is to assess markers of arterial stiffness, blood flow patterns, arterial wall properties and their relationship with age.
To measure arterial health outcomes across wide age ranges, we will ask you to come into the lab for a single 1-hour visit to undergo vascular ultrasound measures. We will be using two novel types of ultrasound techniques to measure complex blood flow patterns within the carotid artery, and to measure arterial wall properties. We will also be measuring classic markers of arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and carotid distensibility).
In the short-term, we will compare these outcomes across age groups and the potential health impacts. In the long-term, our goal is to use this data to cross-reference vascular health and blood flow changes in astronauts. This research continues work from our lab that examined arterial stiffness changes in astronauts during long duration spaceflight.
If you are interested in participating, please reach out to our Manager (Research), Andrew Robertson, PhD, at andrew.robertson@the-ria.ca