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Laurier researchers at all levels excel in their fields of endeavour. In addition to the faculty members named as research chairs, professors and fellows, many professors, students and postdoctoral fellows have received prestigious awards and honours for their research.
Though it would be difficult to list every award, the following is a selection of some of the most prominent honours Laurier researchers have earned in recent years.
Faculty Members
One of the highest honours in Canadian academia, Royal Society fellows compose Canada’s senior collegium of distinguished scholars, artists and scientists. As such, they advise governments, non-governmental organizations and Canadians generally on matters of public interest.
- Mark Terry (English and Film Studies), Academy of the Arts and Humanities, elected 2020.
- Phelim Boyle (Finance), Academy of Science, Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, elected 2019.
- Rianne Mahon (Political Science/International Policy and Governance), Academy of Social Science, elected 2019.
- Eleanor Ty (English and Film Studies), Academy of the Arts and Humanities, elected 2019.
- William Finlayson (Archaeology and Heritage Studies), Academy of Social Science, elected 2002
- Rhoda Howard-Hassman (Political Science/International Policy and Governance), Academy of Social Science, elected 1993.
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The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists is a body that the Royal Society of Canada established in 2014 to recognize the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership. Members are Canadians and permanent residents who have demonstrated a high level of achievement at an early stage in their career. Membership is for seven years.
- Jennifer Baltzer (Biology; Geography and Environmental Studies), elected 2017.
- Shohini Ghose (Physics and Computer Science), elected 2017.
- Alison Blay-Palmer (Geography and Environmental Studies; International Policy and Governance), elected 2016.
- Alison Mountz (Geography and Environmental Studies; International Policy and Governance), elected 2016.
- Anne Wilson (Psychology), elected 2014.
Founded in 2009, the TED Fellows program brings together young innovators from around the world and across disciplines. The program provides mentorship, coaching, and collaboration and networking opportunities to raise international awareness of fellows’ work and maximize its impact. Just 10 senior fellows are selected every year from among all previous TED fellows who apply.
Laurier physicist Shohini Ghose was named a TED Senior Fellow in 2018, a two-year additional honour after having been one of only two Canadians named a TED Fellow in 2014.
The Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious and competitive fellowship programs in the world. It provides funding to exceptional scholars from around the world to spend time at academic institutions in the United States to collaborate and contribute to research, as well as to teach.
In 2018, Hind Al-Abadleh (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Eleanor Ty (English and Film Studies) were named Fulbright Scholars.
Other Laurier faculty members who have participated in the Fulbright Program include:
- Mihai Costea (Biology)
- Michael Haughton (Operations and Decision Sciences)
- David Johnson (Economics)
- Christopher Lemieux (Geography and Environmental Studies)
- David Monod (History)
- Susan Neylan (History)
- Chatura Ranaweera (Marketing)
- Debora VanNijnatten (Political Science; North American Studies)
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Impact Awards celebrate the achievements of Canada's top leaders, thinkers and researchers in the social sciences and humanities. Every year, three faculty members are named as finalists in each of three categories of excellence.
In the last few years, three Laurier faculty members have been named as finalists.
- In 2019, Alison Blay-Palmer was named a finalist for the Partnership Award.
- In 2018, Terry Mitchell was a finalist for the Connection Award and Jonathan Crush was a finalist for the Partnership Award.
The Ig Nobel Prizes, presented by science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research, honour achievements that make people laugh and then think. The international prizes are intended to “celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people’s interest in science, medicine, and technology.” Despite the humour involved, there is real prestige and recognition attached to these prizes, which are often presented by Nobel Prize winners.
Laurier human resources and organizational behaviour expert Lindie Liang won the economics Ig Nobel in 2018 as leader of a team that used voodoo dolls to explore how and why employees retaliate against abusive supervisors.
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) is a Canadian-based global charitable organization that convenes extraordinary minds to address the most important questions facing science and humanity. CIFAR fellows are collaborative researchers at the top of their fields internationally who are interested in pursuing advances across disciplines.
Psychology professor Anne Wilson was selected as a fellow of CIFAR’s Successful Societies program in 2016.
The Banting Research Foundation Discovery Award is a prestigious national award for innovative health and biomedical research projects by outstanding new investigators within the first three years of their first academic appointment.
- In 2016, Noam Miller won a Banting Discovery Award for his research into how collective behaviour in animals shapes cognition.
- In 2015, Michael Suits won a Banting Discovery Award for his research into how particular bacteria contribute to gum disease and cavities.
The Province of Ontario’s Early Researcher Awards provide funding to help the most promising early-career researchers build research teams.
Laurier faculty who have received these prestigious awards include:
- Erin Dej (Criminology) in 2024
- Bree Akesson (Social Work) in 2019
- Diane Gregory (Kinesiology and Physical Education) in 2018
- Stephanie DeWitte-Orr (Biology) and Ivona Hideg (Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management) in 2016
- Mark Humphries (History) in 2015
- Laurie Barclay (Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management) and Jennifer Baltzer (Biology; Geography and Environmental Studies) in 2012
- Ken Maly (Chemistry and Biochemistry) in 2011
- Vladimir Kitaev (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Nancy Kocovski (Psychology) in 2010
- Mark Eys (Kinesiology and Physical Education; Psychology) and Matthew Smith (Biology) in 2007
- Yuming Chen (Mathematics) in 2005
Stephanie DeWitte-Orr received the Robert G. Boutlier New Investigator Award in 2018 from the Canadian Society of Zoologists. The award honours "rising stars” within the Canadian Society of Zoologists within seven years of receiving their first academic or professional appointment. DeWitte-Orr was recognized for her project, “Modulating innate antiviral immunity at the cellular level using double-stranded RNA in rainbow trout.”
The Early Career Researcher Award is a university-wide recognition of exceptional early career faculty members who have made notable contributions to research/creative activities in their area(s) of expertise and to the training of students. Up to three awards will be awarded annually. The selection committee will strive to ensure that the individuals honoured in any given or succeeding years represent a diversity of disciplines from across Laurier.
The award was created to:
- Recognize and reward a continuous record of outstanding scholarship or creativity by an early career full-time member of the Laurier faculty.
- Recognize early career faculty members for their commitment to training and mentoring students.
- Emphasize the importance of research at Laurier and to highlight and promote the achievements of our outstanding scholars.
The Early Career Researcher Awards Program is administered by the Office of Research Services and provides a $2,500 research award and a certificate of recognition.
Early Career Researcher Award Recipients
- 2024: Ardavan Eizadirad, Education; Melody Morton Ninomiya, Health Sciences; Deanna Yerichuk, Music
- 2023: Christian Danve Castroverde, Biology; Tarah Hodgkinson, Criminology; Homa Kheyrollah Pour, Geography and Environmental Sciences
- 2022: Jennifer Holm, Education; James Popham, Criminology; David Soave; Mathematics
- 2021: Erin Dej, Criminology; Maritt Kirst, Community Psychology; Lindie Hanyu Liang, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management
- 2020: Greg Bird, Sociology; Jenny Kerber, English and Film Studies; Noam Miller, Psychology and Biology.
- 2019: Diane Gregory, Health Sciences and Kinesiology and Physical Education; Tom Hazell, Kinesiology and Physical Education; Ciann Wilson, Psychology.
- 2018: Bree Akesson, Social Work; Stephanie DeWitte-Orr, Health Sciences and Ivona Hideg, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management.
Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
Laurier students and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to apply for awards and grants to help fund their research. Explore the many funding opportunities available:
The prestigious Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants and is available to both Canadian and international applicants who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social and intellectual growth. Laurier’s Scott Hamilton won a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2017, as did Liam Riley in 2016.
The Vanier scholarship program was launched by the Government of Canada to attract and retain world-class doctoral students. A number of Laurier students have received prestigious Vanier awards over the years, including:
- Arash Rafat in 2023
- Ellis Furman in 2019
- Bianca Dreyer in 2017
- Bharati Sethi in 2009
Laurier faculty members who won Vanier scholarships when they were students include Bree Akesson and Christian Danve Castroverde.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Impact Awards celebrate the achievements of Canada's top leaders, thinkers and researchers in the social sciences and humanities. Its Talent Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a doctoral student or postdoctoral fellow. At Laurier, Liam Riley was named a finalist for a SSHRC Talent Award in 2017.
The Weston Family Awards in Northern Research (previously The W. Garfield Weston Awards in Northern Research) are among the most prestigious for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows pursuing research in Canada’s North.
A number of Laurier students have received Weston Awards, including:
- Timothy Ensom and Geoffrey Kershaw in 2018
- Evan Wilcox in 2017
- Katherine Black and James Telford in 2016
- Ryan Connon in 2014
- Andrew Medeiros in 2012
- Kevin Turner in 2010
Ontario Women's Health Scholars are outstanding graduate students and postdoctoral fellows whose research seeks to improve the health and well-being of women.
Laurier students who have received the award include:
- Brianna Hunt in 2018
- Halina (Lin) Haag in 2017
- Bharati Sethi in 2012
The Hilary M. Weston Scholarship is awarded annually to two graduate-level social work students across Ontario who work in the area of mental health.
Several Laurier social work students have won the award:
- Maryam Motia in 2022
- Tin Vo in 2021
- Amar Ghelani in 2020
- Megan Gauthier in 2019
- Jennifer Scarborough in 2018
- Julia Read in 2017
Michelle Skop, now a Laurier faculty member, won in 2010 while she was a Laurier student and Bharati Sethi won the inaugural award in 2008.
Magnus Mfoafo-M'Carthy, now a Laurier faculty member, won in 2009 when he was a PhD student.
The prestigious Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs) are open to students in the departments of Biology, Business, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Economics, Geography and Environmental Studies, Kinesiology and Physical Education, Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science and Psychology. They enable undergraduate students with strong potential as researchers to spend a summer working as research assistants. Many Laurier students have received URSAs over the years. Interested students should contact their academic units for instructions and timelines.
Read about student experiences with URSAs:
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