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Remarkable leaders

Saluting new and established researchers for exceptional contributions

Research

By Jeff Green

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.

From left (front row) are: Dr. Kati Szego; Dr. Xili Duan; Dr. Neil Bose; Marilyn Harvey; Dr. Hai Nguyen; and Dr. Nicholas Welch. From left (back row) are: Dr. Katleen Robert; Dr. Faisal Khan; Karen Kelly; Dr. Noreen Golfman; Dr. John Jamieson; Dr. Rachel Sipler; Dr. Touati Benoukraf; and Dr. Uta Passow.
From left (front) are Dr. Kati Szego; Dr. Xili Duan; Dr. Neil Bose; Marilyn Harvey; Dr. Hai Nguyen; and Dr. Nicholas Welch. From left (back) are Dr. Katleen Robert; Dr. Faisal Khan; Karen Kelly; Dr. Noreen Golfman; Dr. John Jamieson; Dr. Rachel Sipler; Dr. Touati Benoukraf; and Dr. Uta Passow.
Photo: Rich Blenkinsopp

“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:

As well as Tier 2 chairs:

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.

From left are Karen Kelly, Suncor Energy, Dr. Xili Duan and Dr. Neil Bose.
From left are Karen Kelly, Suncor Energy, Dr. Xili Duan and Dr. Neil Bose.
Photo: Rich Blenkinsopp

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.

From left are Marilyn Harvey, Dr. Kati Szego and Dr. Neil Bose.
From left are Marilyn Harvey, Dr. Kati Szego and Dr. Neil Bose.
Photo: Rich Blenkinsopp

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.


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