SGS ROCKStar Supervisor Award

In the fall of 2019, the School of Graduate Studies started a new annual award to celebrate outstanding faculty supervisors. We asked units with graduate programs to formulate their own nomination process, one that included the input of graduate students. The result of that process is that these 10 faculty members have been selected by their home academic unit to be one of the inaugural SGS ROCKStar Supervisors. This recognition testifies to the care and dedication they offer graduate students every day, and we are very pleased to celebrate them and their work.

A “rockstar” is someone who is admired, respected, sought after, and delivers on their product. This expression might conjure up imagery of musicians who’ve had long and distinguished careers; however, the term also applies to other professionals with stellar qualities – someone with integrity, a proven ability to get things done, a passion for their craft, and a desire to mentor up and coming stars. We know Memorial’s ROCKStar supervisors are known for their mentorship, their passion for student success, and their abilities to support students to be better. Listed below, in alphabetical order, are the 2021-2022 ROCKstar Supervisors.

Thank you for everything you do for graduate students at Memorial University.



ROCKStar Supervisor Recipients 2021-2022:

Tom Cooper, Faculty of Business Administration


Catherine de Boer, School of Social Work


Fiona Polack, Department of English


Yolande Pottie-Sherman, Department of Geography


Joshua Rash, Department of Psychology


Katleen Robert, School of Ocean Technology


Yvan Rose, Department of Lingustics


John Schouten, Faculty of Business Administration


Fereidoon Shahidi, Department of Biochemistry


Christopher Smith, School of Social Work


Previous recipients:
2019 2020