SaskOilseeds is committed to improving Saskatchewan agriculture by directly investing in initiatives that strengthen the grower community. Two scholarship programs ensure growers will continue to have the agronomic support they need for successful canola production and that industry will have research scientists for future generations.
Undergraduate scholarships support future agrologists and shape the next generation of agronomists. The Dr. Keith Downey Undergraduate Scholarship offers $2,500 each to four students studying towards their agriculture degrees at the University of Saskatchewan. The recipients must be children of levy-paying Saskatchewan canola/flax farmers.
Graduate student scholarships support canola/flax researchers in developing research capacity in Saskatchewan. The prestigious Dr. Roger Rimmer Award for Excellence in Graduate Research offers $18,000 per year for a maximum of two years to four students in a MSc or PhD program at the University of Saskatchewan for projects focusing on either canola development or utilization.
2026 Graduate Scholarship Renewals
Daphnée Ferland
Plant Science
Daphnée is using micrometeorology technology to study year-round N2O and CO2 emissions in canola-wheat rotations with the goal of reducing fertilizer-based emissions while maintaining yields.
Muhammad Rizwan
Plant Science
Muhammad is using high-throughput root and shoot phenotyping platforms and multi-omics analysis to identify canola lines that have higher water use efficiency under drought conditions, so that key genetic traits for drought resistance can be identified for future breeding.
2026 Graduate Scholarship Recipients
Thulani Hewavithana
Computer Science
Thulani is developing computational and genomic tools to help canola breeders identify key traits, improve disease resistance and develop higher-yielding varieties more efficiently.
Makenna Mitchell
Plant Science
Makenna is studying pasmo disease in flax by identifying resistance genes and validating molecular markers that could help breeders develop more resilient varieties with less reliance on fungicides.
Will Short
Plant Science
Will is developing frost- and drought-resilience strategies for Prairie canola, including stress-resistant lines and a frost-protective spray to help growers protect crops and support more reliable yields.