Research Awards: Recognizing research excellence
Memorial University is home to many outstanding researchers. The work of these individuals (often alongside talented colleagues) has a tremendous impact on our communities and our understanding of the world. It is always a thrill when a dedicated researcher is recognized for their contributions.
On these pages, we will continue to profile those who have been recently recognized by the university or external agencies. We extend our congratulations to these individuals, and all their hardworking colleagues.
2010 Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
To be invited to become a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada is considered the highest honour that can be attained by scholars, artists and scientists in this country.
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Dr. Priscilla Renouf, Canada Research Chair in North Atlantic Archaeology, was cited by the Royal Society of Canada for her interest in 6,000 years of coastal settlement on Newfoundland’s north west coast. Understanding how prehistoric peoples adapted to the changing environment of the North Atlantic will provide a context for understanding more recent North Atlantic settlements. |
2009 Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
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Dr. John (Sean) Brosnan has discovered important basic mechanisms in amino acid metabolism that also address crucial clinical issues. Dr. Brosnan shares with us his and his teams many discoveries within this area of research in the following video. |
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Dr. Patrick Parfrey, Faculty of Medicine, is an international authority on the clinical epidemiology of kidney and genetic diseases. In this video Dr. Parfrey talks about the various interdisciplinary research teams that he has either led or collaborated with over the years and the research that they have been involved in. |
2009 Trudeau Fellowship
Every year the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation selects individuals for fellowship who have set themselves apart through their research achievements, creativity and social commitment.
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This year, Dr. Beverley Diamond, School of Music and Department of Folklore, a pioneer in contemporary ethnomusicology in Canada, has been named as one of five fellows. Dr. Diamond talks about her surprise in learning that she was selected for fellowship as well as her plans on how to advance and expand upon her important work in this video. |
2010 University Research Professors
The title of University Research Professor is the most prestigious award the university gives for research, and goes to faculty who have demonstrated a consistently high level of scholarship and whose research is of truly international stature.
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The research of Dr. Mary Courage, Associate Dean of Science (research and graduate), focuses on developmental processes in the early years of infancy and childhood - including the changes with age in visual functioning, attention and information processing, memory and social cognition. |
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Dr. Wolfgang Banzhaf, Department of Computer Science, is studying the evolution of computer programs. He is reknowned for his contributions to genetic programming, which is a subfield of artificial intelligence. As a researcher he has worked all over the world - most notably as both a visiting and senior researcher for the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. |
Previous University Research Professors
2010 President's Award for Outstanding Research
The President’s Award for Outstanding Research recognizes researchers who have made outstanding contributions to their scholarly disciplines.
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Dr. Maria Mathews, Faculty of Medicine, holds a PhD in health policy, management and evaluation and her research interests lie primarily in physician supply and access to care. Needless to say, these two research areas are vital to the future of this province, country, and the world. |
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To Dr. Marco Merkli, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, math is about more then just numbers - it is a tool used to create and discover new and surprising works. In his case, these works revolve around the behaviour of quantum systems. |
Previous President's Award for Outstanding Research winners
2010 Terra Nova Young Innovator Award
The Terra Nova Young Innovator Awards builds on the legacy of the Petro-Canada Young Innovator Awards. Petro-Canada, which was merged with Suncor Energy in August 2009, sponsored the award at Memorial University from 1998-2009. Suncor Energy, through the Terra Nova development, has committed to continue their support of this prestigious annual award (valued at $250,000) for the next five years. The Terra Nova Young Innovator Awards are meant to recognize, promote and support outstanding and emerging researchers whose innovative work has the potential to significantly impact society.
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Dr. Joerg Evermann, Faculty of Business Administration, is a leading young researcher in the field of information systems. His research focuses on data integration in database systems. His research funded by the Terra Nova Young Innovator Award will examine why people make the judgments and decisions they do when it comes to integrating multiple databases. |
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The research of Dr. Matthew Rise, Tier 2 Canda Research Chair in Marine Biotechnology at the Ocean Sciences Centre, includes the development and utilization of leading-edge genomic tools for the investigation of and applications in fish diseases, environmental toxicology, and aquaculture. |
Past Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award winners
Have you or someone you know been recently recognized for outstanding research? Please be sure to let us know by contacting Ellen Steinhauer at 709-864-2651 or ellens@mun.ca.
