Awards & Distinctions | 2024

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Research Western is proud to support its researchers, scholars and artists in their quest for knowledge; we are equally enthusiastic about their many varied contributions to academic and public life. Over the course of a year, many of the University's scholars are acknowledged with local, national and international awards and distinctions, which we celebrate at an annual gala.

For the 2023 year, we would like to recognize the following recipients of research awards and distinctions. Congratulations to all!

Western Research Awards

Western Research Excellence Awards

The Western Research Excellence Awards celebrate Western faculty members at all career stages for exceptional achievements in research, scholarship and/or creative activity.

Outstanding Emerging Scholar

  • Susana Caxaj (Faculty of Health Sciences)
  • Yolanda Hedberg (Faculty of Science)

Outstanding Scholar

  • Jessica Grahn (Faculty of Social Science)
  • Martin Petrin (Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Science)

Outstanding Lifetime Achievement

  • Laurence de Looze (Faculty of Arts & Humanities)
  • Fred Longstaffe (Faculty of Science)

Western Research Chairs

Western Research Chairs support networking and relationship building in Canada and globally, including with the business community and with other non-academic stakeholder communities.

  • Bipasha Baruah (Faculty of Arts & Humanities), Strategic Focus Chair
  • Stefan Everling (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Strategic Focus Chair
  • Sarah Gallagher (Faculty of Science), Leadership Chair
  • Michael Hallett (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Strategic Focus Chair
  • Kun Ping Lu (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Strategic Focus Chair
  • Valerie Oosterveld (Faculty of Law), Strategic Focus Chair
  • Miguel Quiñones-Mateu (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Strategic Focus Chair
  • Nicole Redvers (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Strategic Focus Chair
  • Maxwell Smith (Faculty of Health Sciences), Advancing Research Chair
  • Raymond Thomas (Faculty of Science), Leadership Chair

Wolfe-Western Fellowship

One Wolfe-Western Fellowship is awarded every five years to support exceptional scholars in the first year of their first Western appointment who demonstrates outstanding leadership and potential within their area(s) of research.

  • Natasha MacBean (Faculty of Science)

Federal Awards & Distinctions

Canada Excellence Research Chairs

The Canada Excellence Research Chairs program supports world‑renowned researchers and their teams to establish ambitious research programs at Canadian universities.

  • Robyn Klein (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry)

Canada Research Chairs

The Canada Research Chairs Program attracts and retains some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds. Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences.

New Canada Research Chairs

  • Hamid Abdolvand (Faculty of Engineering), Tier 2 CRC in Advanced Materials for Low-Emission Energies
  • Amanda Friesen (Faculty of Social Science), Tier 2 CRC in Political Psychology
  • Jennifer Guthrie (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Tier 2 CRC in Pathogen Genomics and Bioinformatics
  • Pingzhao Hu (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Tier 2 CRC in Computational Approach to Health Research
  • Jibran Khokhar (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry) Tier 2 CRC in Translational Neuropsychopharmacology
  • Maria Mathews (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Tier 1 CRC in Primary Health Care and Health Equity
  • adam patrick bell (Don Wright Faculty of Music), Tier 2 CRC in Music, Inclusion and Accessibility
  • Katarina Grolinger (Faculty of Engineering), Tier 2 CRC in Engineering Applications of Machine Learning
  • Yanping Li (Faculty of Science), Tier 2 CRC in Climate Change Risk and Resilience
  • Lindsay Nagamatsu (Faculty of Health Sciences), Tier 2 CRC in Healthy Aging
  • Angela Roberts (Faculty of Health Sciences), Tier 2 CRC in Data Analytics and Digital Health in Cognitive Aging and Dementia
  • Ayan Sadhu (Faculty of Engineering), Tier 2 CRC in Smart and Sustainable Civil Infrastructure

Renewed Canada Research Chairs

  • Eric Arts (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Renewed Tier 1 CRC in Pathogenesis and Viral Control
  • Katsu Goda (Faculty of Science), Renewed Tier 2 CRC in Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment
  • Haojie Mao (Faculty of Engineering, Renewed Tier 2 CRC in Head Mechanics

Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity

The Robbins-Ollivier Award for Excellence in Equity is granted to an eligible faculty member who lead initiatives that address persistent systemic barriers in the research ecosystem and academia.

  • Godwin Arku (Faculty of Social Science)

Order of Ontario

The Order of Ontario honours individuals of excellence and achievement in any field, benefiting society in Ontario and elsewhere.

  • Claire Crooks (Faculty of Education)
  • Joy MacDermid (Faculty of Heath Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry)
  • Fred Possmayer (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry)

Governor General Awards & Distinctions

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada honours individuals who make outstanding contributions to their field.

  • Fred Longstaffe (Faculty of Science)

Innovation Award

The Innovation Award honours individuals that have developed new or better ways of creating value and are improving our collective lives.

  • Valerie Oosterveld (Faculty of Law)

Royal Society of Canada

Pierre Chauveau Medal

The medal is awarded for a distinguished contribution to knowledge in the humanities other than Canadian literature and Canadian history. The silver medal is offered every two years if there is a suitable candidate.

  • Tilottama Rajan (Faculty of Arts & Humanities)

Fellows

Election to Fellowship in The Royal Society of Canada, Canada’s national academy, is the highest honour attained by Canadian scholars, researchers, and artists. Fellows are peer-elected as the best in their field, and thus represent the pinnacle of Canadian intellectual leadership.

  • Antonio Calcagno (King's University College)
  • Cheryl Forchuck (Faculty of Health Sciences)
  • Marlys Koschinsky (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry)
  • Ruth Lanius (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry)
  • Isaac Luginaah (Faculty of Social Science)
  • Alan MacEachern (Faculty of Social Science)

Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

The objective of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences is to provide assessments of and advice on key issues relevant to the health of Canadians.

  • Trevor Birmingham (Faculty of Health Sciences)
  • Cindy Hutnik (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry)
  • Adrian Owen (Faculty of Social Science)
  • Carlos Quinonez (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry)
  • Shannon Stewart (Faculty of Education)

Discipline-Specific Fellowships

  • Saleema Allana (Faculty of Health Sciences), AMS HealthCare Fellowship In Compassion and Artificial Intelligence
  • Giovanni Fanchini (Faculty of Science), Canadian Association of Physicists
  • Beth Gillies (Faculty of Engineering), Canadian Academy of Engineering
  • Gordon McBean (Faculty of Social Science), International Science Council
  • Kibret Mequanint (Faculty of Engineering), International Union of Biomaterials Science and Engineering Societies
  • John Paul Minda (Faculty of Social Science), Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognition
  • Abdallah Shami (Faculty of Engineering), The Engineering Institute of Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering, Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association
  • Charles Xu (Faculty of Engineering), The Engineering Institute of Canada

Discipline-Specific Awards & Distinctions

  • Marlene Bagatto (Faculty of Health Sciences), American Academy of Audiology | Marion Downs Award in Pediatric Audiology
  • Carrie Branch (Faculty of Social Science), American Ornithological Society | Early Investigator Award
  • Fiona Fang (Faculty of Engineering), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Communications Society | SPCC Early Achievement Award
  • Jerzy Floryan (Faculty of Engineering), The Engineering Institute of Canada | John B. Stirling Medal
  • Beth Gillies (Faculty of Engineering), Chemical Institute of Canada | Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award
  • Michael Haan (Faculty of Social Science), Metropolis Canada | Researcher Award of Excellence
  • Carol Herbert (Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry), Canadian Medical Hall of Fame
  • Anders Holm (Faculty of Social Science), American Sociological Association | Innovation Award
  • Samantha Joel (Faculty of Social Science), The Society for Personality and Social Psychology | Rusbult Young Investigator
  • Gregory Kopp (Faculty of Engineering), International Association for Wind Engineering | Senior Award and Davenport Medal
  • Jun Li (Faculty of Education), Ming Yuan Faculty of Education Prize | China Education Research Outstanding Contribution Award
  • Gordon McBean (Faculty of Social Science), American Meteorological Society | Warren Washington Research and Leadership Medal
  • Laura Misener (Faculty of Health Sciences), North American Society for Sport Management | Joy DeSensi Diversity Award for Inclusive Excellence
  • Nicole Neil (Faculty of Education), Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis | Research Award
  • Abe Oudshoorn (Faculty of Health Sciences), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation | Gold Roof Award for Housing Research Excellence
  • TK Sham (Faculty of Science), Chemical Institute of Canada | CIC Montreal Medal
  • Abdallah Shami (Faculty of Engineering), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Communications Society | Information Infrastructure and Networking Technical Achievement Award
  • Slobodan Siminovic (Faculty of Engineering), China Institute for Water Resources and Hydropower Research | Eminent Researcher Award
  • Jacqueline Specht (Faculty of Education), Canadian Association for Educational Psychology | Robbie Case Memorial Award