Ayed Anowar will be studying in Finland with international researchers thanks to the MITACS Globalink Research Internship.

By Tommy Osborne

UNBC Research

UNBC student to study winter road durability in Finland

Jan 19, 2026 | 5:43 PM

The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is continuing to find ways to make an international impact, and it recently saw one of its students awarded the chance to work with researchers at the University of Oulo in Finland. Ayed Anowar, a civil engineering masters student, will take his studies abroad from May to July to work with an international team on how to make our roads more durable for winter conditions.

“My main topic is dealing with the sustainable materials for the northern region of Canada. We know that the plastic waste roads comprise of ends up in the landfill, which comprises about 30% of the area of the landfill. So my main point is diverting those waste materials and creating some innovative materials for the highway and the road that faces frost cycles throughout the years,” Anowar explained.

“It’s a pretty exciting opportunity for me, collaborating with the international countries, learning about their experience, their expertise in my area, and to contribute something from Northern British Columbia,” he continued.

Anowar has this opportunity thanks to the MITACS (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems) Globalink Research Internship, which is a highly competitive international research award. UNBC says he is the first outgoing student from the school of engineering to receive the award, which both Anowar and the school are thrilled about.

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“I’m really excited for that, I bring very good experience from conducting my research for the last few years. Probably more than three years of studying from my home country (Bangladesh) and now conducting it here in Canada, learning from different researchers,” Anowar said.

“Through this collaboration, we really hope to bring long term commitment between the universities, and hopefully this would lead to co-authoring publications, and a lot of future student exchange from both the research groups,” said Chinchu Cherian, Anowar’s supervisor.

Anowar explained his research on durable road materials will be great in Finland, not only due to the work he’ll do with other researchers, but also because Finland’s climate is similar to Northern B.C.’s so the work done there is also applicable here.

“UNBC is research-driven, sustainability focused university, it mainly focuses on real world problems. So it’s an exciting opportunity for me, I would like to carry this perspective and share it with the international research environment,” Anowar said, speaking on how he hopes to represent UNBC in Finland.

“He’s going to work with an expert group on life cycle analysis of geo materials. This is big for us, we are trying to grow our understanding and expertise in that area, and I believe this is the one best opportunity,” Cherian added.

Cherian says she hopes Anowar’s work can help lead the way for future student successes down the line, especially when it comes to the ability to research international and bring a Northern B.C. perspective to issues that are applicable around the world.

“I would sense this as an opportunity for more students to apply for this award and get an opportunity to move internationally and get more exposure to wonderful research,” she said.

Anowar will leave for Finland in May, and will return to UNBC after 12 weeks of research.