Laurentian U. researchers left in dark after funding disappears

A Laurentian Ph.D. student says he hasn't heard anything from the university after finding out his research funding has disappeared.

Adam Kirkwood, who was collaborating with researchers in southern Ontario, says he was sending permafrost samples to coworkers when payment was declined.

This was just days after the university publicly said it was seeking creditor protection.

"At first, like I didn't fully understand, I thought, okay, Laurentian's entered some legal proceedings and they're just letting us know," Kirkwood said. "And then I started talking to my supervisors and to other researchers, and they're like, 'no, this is actually pretty serious.'"

The money that had been raised specifically for research, including by Kirkwood himself, was "mingled" with operational funds.

"We found out that all of the money that students and the faculty had applied for for research grants was now gone," Kirkwood said.

"We didn't even hear this from the university."

Kirkwood estimates he's lost $10,000 of his own fellowship funding.

He added that the school's credibility in the academic field will also take a big hit.

"I don't know what the reputation of Laurentian University is going to be afterwards," Kirkwood said. "Is the fact that I did my Ph.D. here at Laurentian, is it going to look negatively on me?"

"There's a lot of questions about how this will affect future funding and the future of people's careers."

Kirkwood says he may have to do a few extra semesters or even another full year to complete his work.