Healthy City Lab | University of Calgary

About Us

Healthy City Lab / About Us

Welcome to Professor Sayeh Bayat's research group at the University of Calgary. Our team is dedicated to human-centered machine learning and advanced digital technologies, working to create personalized health solutions, develop new care models, and drive research that leads to tangible, impactful innovations. Our mission goes beyond advancing technology—we aim to reshape how health is perceived, measured, and managed, making it more efficient, sustainable, and equitable in our cities.

Open Positions - Students and Trainees

Call for Research Participants

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The changing human-environment relationship reveals significant information about people's health and well-being. As digital information grow in our cities, new approaches to studying the interconnectivity between the human-environment relationship and human health are emerging.

At the same time, the worldwide urbanization process and the ageing population are representing new challenges for cities and governments. The cities are looking for ways to provide services to their citizens in an effective and efficient manner.

The mission of the Healthy City Lab – a research team directed by Dr. Sayeh Bayat – is to study this interconnectivity through digital technology, advanced data analytics and human-centred machine learning. Our mission is to work toward intelligent, scalable and sustainable technological solutions.

Lab News

Mackenzie Wallich, MSc Student, presents her work at the ARIAL Workshop, IJCAI 2024

Mackenzie presented her paper titled "Towards Early Alzheimer’s Disease Detection: A Proof-of-Concept Study Using Life-Space Maps and CNNs" at the Workshop on AI for Aging, Rehabilitation, and Intelligent Assisted Living (ARIAL) during the 33rd International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 2024).

Congratulations to Ranuki and Mackenzie for Receiving the Nationally Competitive EPIC-AT Fellowship!

We are thrilled to share that Ranuki and Mackenzie have been awarded the prestigious EPIC-AT Fellowship.

Ranuki attended the AGE-WELL Annual Summer Institute.

Ranuki attended the AGE-WELL 7th Annual Summer Institute, themed "Co-creating Possibilities: Autonomy and Independence," where she collaborated with older adults, caregivers, and other stakeholders to co-create innovative solutions aimed at empowering older adults to age with independence and dignity at home.

Ranuki Hettiarachchige and Ron Beleno Present Collaborative Research on Driving and Dementia at AGE-WELL EPIC 2024

Ranuki Hettiarachchige, in collaboration with lived experience partner Ron Beleno, presented their research on the intersection of driving and dementia during the "Mobility & Transportation" webinar at the AGE-WELL EPIC Conference 2024.

Dr. Javad Sarvestan, Postdoctoral Scholar, joins HCL.

We are excited to welcome Dr. Javad Sarvestan to our team in the role of Postdoctoral Scholar. With a rich background in Wearable Technology and Biomechanics, Dr. Sarvestan has received the Alberta Innovates Postdoctoral Fellowship to study the use of digital technology for the early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Ranuki won the Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Women in Data Science Conference

Ranuki Hettiarachchige's poster titled "Examining the Daily Driving Behaviors of Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Dementia Using Digital Technology and Machine Learning" was awarded the Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Women in Data Science Conference.

Kelly Long has received 2023 Alberta Innovates Scholarship

Kelly Long, MSc student in Biomedical Engineering, has received the prestigious Alberta Innovates Technology Scholarship. Well done, Kelly!

We were featured on the CTV Morning News Calgary program.

Dr. Bayat highlighted our work dedicated to supporting individuals living with dementia. She discussed how our work is focused on helping individuals with dementia maintain their independence and drive safely for as long as possible.

We were featured on CBC's The Homestretch

Dr. Sayeh Bayat appeared on CBC's The Homestretch to discuss our newly launched research project on driving and dementia.

Dr. Shahab Alizadeh on Digital Health Innovations at HCL

In the Biomedical Engineering Industry Speaker Series, Dr. Shahab Alizadeh discussed the pioneering use of digital technology at the Healthy City Lab to enhance the health of individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

Dr. Shahab Alizadeh joins HCL as the Lab Manager

We are thrilled to announce the addition of Dr. Shahab Alizadeh to our team as the Lab Manager. With extensive expertise in Biomechanics and Sports Science, Dr. Alizadeh brings a rich background of knowledge and experience.

Behnaz Jafari joins HCL to study Alzheimer's using EEG and fMRI

Behnaz Jafari has joined the HCL as a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, where she will focus on studying the Alzheimer's disease continuum through the use of EEG and fMRI technologies.

Our commitment

The UCalgary's Healthy City Lab is committed to the principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. We encourage applications from all under-represented groups. It is through diverse perspectives and abilities that we see all possible answers to a problem. Apply today and join us in our mission of making our cities and healthcare systems more diverse and inclusive.

Visit us

Department of Geomatics Engineering

University of Calgary

Schulich School of Engineering

Room 221, 2500 University Drive NW,

Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4

E: sayeh.bayat[at]ucalgary[dot]ca