Celebrating our success: External award winners 2023-24

In 2023-24, over 20 different faculty and staff members received awards from external organizations, recognizing their incredible achievements in research and teaching. Recognition spans across all departments, and ranges from early career researchers to our emeritus professors.

“It was humbling to read though the names of all those who won external awards this year,” says Peter Loock, Dean of Science. “I am so glad that our colleagues are being recognized, nationally and internationally, for their many remarkable contributions to science.”

Research Awards

Arif Babul (PHYS)

American Physical Society Fellow

Leverhulme Visiting Professorship at the University of Edinburgh

The American Physical Society (APS) Fellowship program recognizes members who may have made advances in physics through original research and publication, or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology. Fellowship is restricted to 0.5% of the APS membership in a given year. Babul was recognized for advances in astrophysics from galaxy formation and gravitational lensing to cosmic strings and warm dark matter. In particular, for increasing the understanding of the assembly and evolution of galaxy groups/clusters.

Babul has also received the Leverhulme Visiting Professorship, which is given to an eminent senior professor from outside the UK, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in the UK. This is Babel’s second-time receiving this award. He will spend time at the University of Edinburgh during the 2024/2025 academic year.

Amanda Bates (BIOL)

Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship

Bates, who studies marine ecosystems with the goal of enhancing conservation outcomes, was recognized for her scholarship, international collaborations and visionary research program as the recipient of a prestigious 2023 Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship. Awarded by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). The Fellowship supports early career researchers to enhance their research capacity to that they can become leaders in their field and inspire others, and includes a two-year, $250,000 research grant.  

Learn more about Bates and the Fellowship

Magdalena Bazalova-Carter (PHYS)

Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars

Bazalova-Carter is a medical physicist whose research on cancer radiotherapy technologies is leading to better treatment outcomes, less damage to healthy tissues, lower cost and greater global accessibility. She was elected to the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, which recognizes early career Canadians who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishment.

Read more about Bazalova-Carter

Alexandre Brolo (CHEM)

Gerhard Herzberg Award, Canadian Society for Analytical Sciences and Spectroscopy

Alexandre Brolo is using spectroscopy to illuminate processes at surfaces and nanostructures. He works on the synthesis and fabrication of metallic structures, studies their optical properties and uses them in applications in several areas, such as electrochemistry, biosensor development and single molecule spectroscopy. Brolo has received the Gerhard Herzberg Award, which is given to a Canadian spectroscopist in recognition of outstanding achievement in the science of spectroscopy. 

Ross Chapman (SEOS)

Walter M. Munk Award from The Oceanographic Society

Ross Chapman has dedicated his career to understanding the ocean through the use of sound, and is a prominent figure in the field of ocean acoustics. He was awarded the Walter Munk Medal by The Oceanography Society, which is presented every two years to recognize extraordinary accomplishments and novel insight contributing to the advancement or application of physical oceanography, ocean acoustics or marine geophysics.

Learn more about Ross Chapman

David Harrington (CHEM)

Excellence in Research Partnerships Award, REACH Award

For more than 25 years, David Harrington has been collaborating with Dr. Frode Seland from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology to make electrochemical energy systems more efficient. Their longstanding partnership was recognized this year with the Excellence in Research Partnerships Award, part of UVic’s REACH Awards.

Paul Hoffman (SEOS)

Kyoto Prize

Paul Hoffman has spent his career exploring hypotheses that other scientists have ignored, and has made groundbreaking achievement regarding global freezing and plate tectonics in the deep past. His research has had a profound influence on our understanding of Earth’s early history. Hoffman was awarded the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, an international award presented to individuals who have made significant contributions in the fields of science and technology, as well as arts and philosophy. Hoffman is the first geologist and third-ever Canadian to win the award.

Learn more about Paul Hoffman

Francis Juanes (BIOL)

CUFA-BC Career Achievement Award

Timothy R. Parsons Medal

Francis Juanes, the Liber Ero Chair for Fisheries Research, studies marine ecosystems through fisheries, acoustics, and community engagement. He has made major contributions to fish sounds research, including the creation of The Fish Sounds Project, and has also advanced the field of salmon ecology. Juanes received the Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award from the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC in recognition of his contributions to fisheries ecology and for inspiring new generations of leaders and policymakers in the field of fisheries ecology. Juanes also received the Timothy R. Parsons Medal from Fisheries and Oceans Canada this year.

Learn more about Francis Juanes

Julio Navarro (PHYS)

Carlyle S. Beales Award for Outstanding Research, Canadian Astronomical Society

Royal Society of London Wolfson Visiting Fellowship

David H. Turpin Gold Medal for Career Achievement in Research (REACH Awards)

Julio Navarro deciphers the laws of the universe. The world-leading cosmologist has made ground-breaking contributions to our understanding of the formation of structure, galaxies and galaxy clusters in the universe. Navarro is the recipient of the Carlyle S. Beales Award for Outstanding Research, which recognizes the outstanding achievements in research of a Canadian astronomer. Navarro has also received the Royal Society of London Wolfson Visiting Fellowship and the David H. Turpin Gold Medal for Career Achievement in Research at UVic’s REACH Awards.

Lisa Reynolds (BCMB)

CIHR INMD / Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Early Career Investigator Partnership Prize

Lisa Reynolds is a microbiologist interested in understanding how the inhabitants of our intestinal tract (the microbiota) can affect the development and function of the immune system, and how this can affect our susceptibility to various infectious, inflammatory, and allergic diseases. Reynolds received the CIHR-INMD-CAG Early Career Researcher Partnership Prize in recognition of her outstanding contributions to gastroenterology through basic and/or clinical research.

Adam Ritz (PHYS)

American Physical Society Fellow

The American Physical Society (APS) Fellowship program recognizes members who may have made advances in physics through original research and publication, or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology. Fellowship is restricted to 0.5% of the APS membership in a given year. Ritz was recognized for important theory contributions toward understanding the relic density of baryonic and dark matter in the universe, for discovering novel astrophysical and terrestrial signatures of dark matter and dark forces, and for improving our understanding of the dynamics of quantum field theories.

Lisa Rosenberg (CHEM)

Chemical Institute of Canada Fellow

The Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) fellowship recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions across multiple areas, including scientific contributions, service to CIC, and teaching and mentorship. Rosenberg leads a focused, dynamic research group that is internationally renowned for transformative insights in mechanistic organometallic chemistry and main group catalysis. 

Makhsud Saidaminov (CHEM)

Keith Laidler Award, Chemical Institute of Canada

Early Career Award for Excellence in Research, REACH Awards

Makhsud Saidaminov grows life-saving perovskite crystals to solve pressing global challenges in medical diagnostics and in energy distribution. His work contributes to safer and cheaper x-ray technology and more affordable solar-cell technology. Saidaminov, a Tier 2 Canada research chair in advanced functional materials, was awarded the Keith Laidler Award, which recognizes outstanding early-career contributions to physical chemistry, for research carried out in Canada, by a scientist residing in Canada. Saidaminov also received the Early Career Award for Excellence in Research from UVic’s REACH Awards this year.

Verena Tunnicliffe (SEOS)

Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Maritime Achievement

Verena Tunnicliffe is currently a professor emeritus in the School of Earth & Ocean Sciences. Throughout her career, she has done extensive work on submersibles on BC’s coast and seminal work on hydrothermal vents and the curious animal life that lives in these hostile environments. She was the principal lead in developing and directing operations of the cabled subsea observing network VENUS, the world’s first subsea research system delivering online data. Tunnicliffe has receiving the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Maritime Achievement, which recognizes and acknowledges individuals and organizations along British Columbia’s coast and inland waterways who have made noteworthy contributions to BC’s maritime interests in the areas of science, technology, business, applications of maritime skills, nautical heritage and culture, art, and academic endeavours.

Teaching Awards

Trefor Bazett (MATH)

Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences Education Award

Trefor Bazett is an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics and also hosts a popular math YouTube channel with over 400,000 subscribers. Bazett recently received the PIMS Education Prize, which highlights contributions to education in the mathematical sciences and more specifically, someone who has played a major role in encouraging activities which have enhanced public awareness and appreciation of the mathematical sciences.

Chris Eagle (MATH)

Canadian Mathematical Society Excellence in Teaching Award

Harry Hickman Alumni Award—Excellence in Teaching and Education, REACH Awards

Chris Eagle is a mathematics professor who has taught a wide array of subjects and levels and is known for his innovative teaching style, student mentorship and depth of subject knowledge. He ties complex concepts to tangible experiences, has implemented a collaborative note-taking system, and has created open-source resources. Eagle has received the CMS Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognises sustained and distinguished contributions in mathematics education at the post-secondary undergraduate level at a Canadian institution. Eagle was also the recipient of the Harry Hickman Alumni Award—Excellence in Teaching and Education at this year’s REACH Awards.  

Nahiane Pipaon Fernandez (CHEM)

Andy Farquharson Teaching Excellence Award—Grad Students, REACH Award

Nahiane Pipaon Fernandez recently completed her PhD in Chemistry. As a graduate student, her unyielding enthusiasm for teaching fosters a learning environment where students are empowered to develop both hands-on and critical thinking skills. Fernandez received the Andy Farquharson Teaching Excellence Award—Grad Students at this year’s REACH Awards.

Barbara Hawkins (BIOL)

Canadian Botanical Association Magister Teaching Award

Barbara Hawkins has been spreading her enthusiasm for plant biology to undergraduate and graduate students for over 30 years. She has taught 14 different courses of a variety of topics and spearheaded UVic’s concentration in forest biology. She has received the CBA’s Magister Teaching Award, awarded for excellence in teaching botany/plant biology for more than 10 years as a faculty member at a Canadian post-secondary institution.

Andrew MacRae (PHYS)

Gilian Sherwin Alumni Award—Excellence in Teaching

Andrew MacRae is a senior lab instructor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, and is known for transforming the study of physics into an immersive and collaborative experience. He is this year’s recipient of the Gilian Sherwin Alumni Award—Excellence in Teaching from this year’s REACH Awards.

Other

Nicholas Roberts (CHEM)

Gilead Early Career Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Nicholas Roberts is a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry, and received the Gilead Early Career Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion from the Chemical Institute of Canada this year. This award is presented to an early career chemist as a mark of distinction and recognition for excellence in their work in equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Beginning in his undergraduate degree at Dalhousie, Roberts has been a leader in creating equitable, accessible and inclusive student-centric learning experiences. His work focuses on research and advocacy around navigating colour vision deficiency in chemistry.

Improving accessibility in chemistry education