Brock Innovator of the Year Award honors Brock faculty and staff who have demonstrated exemplary innovation or commercialization and have successfully translated their research and ideas into social or economic impact.
Brock Entrepreneur of the Year Award celebrates and recognizes the most promising entrepreneurs developing their businesses at Brock. The award highlights the innovative startups that are shaping the world and inspiring action.
Past Award Winners
2026 Brock Innovation Award Winners
Congratulations to our Innovation Showcase Award Winners; Dr. Shawn Beaudette and Dr. David T. Brown for Brock’s Innovator of the Year, and Milad Nourvand for Brock’s Entrepreneur of the year!
Brock innovator of the year 2026
Dr. Shawn Beaudette, Associate Professor, Kinesiology
Dr. Beaudette develops accessible computer-vision tools that use consumer-grade video to objectively analyze human movement outside the lab. His innovations have led to multiple spin-off companies that improve clinical screening, athletic performance analysis, and musculoskeletal health outcomes.
Brock innovator of the year 2026
Dr. David T. Brown, Associate Professor, Geography and Tourism Studies
Dr. Brown developed Interpretours and the GuideTags mobile app, an open, GPS-enabled digital platform that allows anyone to create and experience location-based multimedia stories in real-world settings. His innovation democratizes heritage interpretation, education, and tourism storytelling, engaging hundreds of students, community partners, and public organizations worldwide while enabling scalable social and economic impact.
Brock entrepreneur of the year 2026
Milad Nourvand, LingUp Education Inc.
LingUp is an app that helps users practice speaking English, Spanish, Turkish, French, and German through real-life, interactive conversations. Its AI gives instant feedback on users’ pronunciation, grammar, and word choice and adapts each practice to their level and goals.
2025 Brock Innovation Award Winners
Congratulations to our Innovation Showcase Award Winners; Dr. Sean Locke for Brock’s Innovator of the Year, and Matthew Cary for Brock’s Entrepreneur of the year!
Brock innovator of the year 2025
Dr. Sean Locke, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology
Dr. Sean Locke has pioneered innovations in health coaching, focusing on behavior change to prevent non-communicable diseases. As a Co-founder of Healthy Habits Coaches and the Behavioral Science Officer for Healthifi, Dr. Locke has developed an innovative curriculum integrating psychology-based strategies. His research, coupled with community partnerships, is transforming healthcare practices by addressing behavioral factors in disease prevention. Dr. Locke has conducted behavioural research for individuals with a variety of chronic conditions: multiple sclerosis, cardiac rehabilitation, and prediabetes. His work has the potential for significant economic and social benefits, particularly in the prevention and management of diseases.
Brock entrepreneur of the year 2025
Matthew Cary
Matthew Cary is the founder of Fawkes, which provides research-backed candidate selection and services for emergency dispatch communication centres. Matthew has advanced his business from concept to a beta product in 2024. After winning the Navigate Pitch award, he generated strong industry interest at IAED conferences in the US and UK and secured collaboration opportunities. He has recently established a research partnership with Brock psychology professors, enabling access to MITACs grants for research validation, and has been active in product development and testing. Matthew plans to expand at the IAED Orlando conference, develop training modules for licensing, and has published research in the IAED industry journal.