Memorial recognized some of its newest outstanding research leaders and emerging innovators during a celebration recently.
Drs. Neil Bose, vice-president (research) and Noreen Golfman, provost and vice-president (academic), co-hosted a breakfast to acknowledge the university’s newest Canada Research Chairs (CRCs), as well as the recipients of the 2019 Terra Nova Young Innovator Award and the Marilyn Harvey Award to Recognize the Importance of Research Ethics.
“As one of the top 20 research universities in Canada, Memorial plays a key role in driving innovation and discovering new knowledge through the creative activities, scholarship and research led by dedicated faculty,” Dr. Bose told those in attendance.
“That is why we are here this morning – to recognize the talent and ingenuity of some of the remarkable members of our Memorial community.”
Celebrating CRCs
Among those recognized at the ceremony included Memorial’s newest CRCs including Tier 1 chairs:
- Harris Berger, Canada Research Chair in Ethnomusicology
- Faisal Khan, Canada Research Chair in Offshore Safety and Risk Engineering
- Uta Passow, Canada Research Chair in Biological Oceanographic Processes
- John Schouten, Canada Research Chair in Social Enterprise
- Sue Ziegler, Canada Research Chair in Boreal Biogeochemistry
As well as Tier 2 chairs:
- Amanda Bates, Canada Research Chair in Marine Physiological Ecology
- Touati Benoukraf, Canada Research Chair in Bioinformatics for Personalized Medicine
- Julia Christensen, Canada Research Chair in Northern Governance and Public Policy
- John Jamieson, Canada Research Chair in Marine Geology
- Hai Nguyen, Canada Research Chair in Health Policy Evaluation and Health Care Sustainability
- Katleen Robert, Canada Research Chair in Ocean Mapping
- Rachel Sipler, Canada Research Chair in Ocean Biogeochemistry
- Nicholas Welch, Canada Research Chair in Change, Adaptation and Revitalization of Aboriginal Languages
- Baiyu (Helen) Zhang, Canada Research Chair in Coastal Environmental Engineering
Memorial is currently home to 20 active CRCs, with several nominations pending. CRC appointments are among the country’s highest honours for research excellence.
“While the subject matter expertise of our chairs is broad, there are common denominators among each of these researchers,” said Dr. Golfman. “A shared passion to make a difference; to generate new ideas; to push the research boundaries; and foster the next generation of researchers.”
Making an impact
Dr. Xili Duan was recognized as 2019’s recipient of the Terra Nova Young Innovator Award (TNYIA), which recognizes and supports outstanding young faculty members whose research is particularly innovative and whose specific proposal has real potential to make a significant impact on society.
The award is supported through $50,000 in funding from Suncor Energy, on behalf of the partners in the Terra Nova oil field.
The assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, is leading the design of a novel device that directly converts wind energy to heat thanks to receiving a coveted faculty award.
Ethical leader
Dr. Kati Szego was honoured as the latest recipient of the Marilyn Harvey Award to Recognize the Importance of Research Ethics.
Dr. Szego, professor, School of Music, joined Memorial in 1995, establishing its program in ethnomusicology. She was a founding member of the school’s ethics review committee, which she continues to serve on today.
The award is named for a research nurse who brought forward her concerns regarding research ethics to senior administrators at Memorial. It was created to recognize individuals who have demonstrated leadership in creating an environment of excellence in their commitment to research ethics.
Awards and honours
Memorial’s Strategic Institutional Research Initiatives unit oversees all aspects of the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and other large-scale institutional funding programs.
It also promotes and facilitates the nomination of faculty and staff for prestigious honours with the intent of increasing and highlighting Memorial’s reputation and research success.
Institutional awards have been established to support excellence in scholarly work, innovative research proposals and research ethics. Information on these awards can be found here.
