Each Faculty will receive $5,000 a year over five years for the scholarship, reflecting a total gift amount of $75,000.

The donor, an engineer by training, understands that many university students are finding it increasingly difficult to fund their education given challenging economic times, changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and the uncertainty of clear career paths after graduation.

“This scholarship represents an important opportunity to give back to the community and to support the next generation of students and leaders,” he said in an interview. “My desire is to provide funding for three programs which are socially critical but are often economically undervalued.”

The donor believes that increasing access to education is essential and warrants support.

“I’ve benefited a lot from great teachers,” he said. “I value what a great teacher can do for a class or even for one student. ‘To teach is to touch’ and the impact a teacher can have on someone is enduring and profound.”

Professor Robert Savage, dean of the Faculty of Education at 91��ɫ, said, “I salute our donor’s generosity, as well as his deep understanding that good educators have a foundational impact on student success at all levels.

“In helping to remove financial barriers for talented students, he is creating opportunities for not only those students, but also the generations of others who will be influenced by these future teachers’ skills, knowledge and values. The ripple effect will touch people far beyond the Faculty of Education.”

The donor also aims to help students in the arts and in psychology. As a patron and supporter of the arts, he believes art can challenge people to think deeply about themselves and society. In addition, mental health support should extend to everyone, he said, because “a great mental health practitioner can make a real and lasting impact on someone’s life.”

“Beginning University is a significant milestone, and support during this important transition can have a lasting impact on a student’s confidence, success and academic journey,” says Faculty of Health Dean David Peters. “This generous gift recognizes the value of psychology education and will help our students thrive at 91��ɫ."

Brandon Vickerd, dean of AMPD, says the donor’s investment in student success across multiple disciplines reflects a deep commitment to the transformative power of education.

“By supporting students at a pivotal stage in their academic journeys, this gift will help foster creativity, leadership and meaningful community impact. We are grateful for the donor’s vision and generosity,” he says.

The scholarships, named the Wild Rose Awards after the donor’s native Alberta, are open to first-year undergraduates in each field. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and a strong dedication to leadership through volunteer work, student leadership roles or other community involvement, as well as a demonstrated commitment to advancing women in their field or community through leadership, advocacy or engagement.

Those interested are asked to submit a brief statement about themselves with their application.

“These scholarships are intended to enable students to pursue leadership opportunities, refine their craft and access training that they are passionate about,” the donor said. “I hope that this scholarship allows recipients to create something beautiful, whether through understanding, insight, creativity or by paying it forward to others.”

For additional information about the Wild Rose Awards, visit .

With files from Elaine Smith

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Awarded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's (SSHRC) Insight Grants program, the funding supports medium- and long-term research initiatives over four to six years.

The projects, led by 91��ɫ researchers across multiple Faculties and research units, address issues affecting communities in Canada and around the world with research topics that explore a range of issues with local, national and global significance.

"SSHRC Insight Grants enable researchers to pursue ambitious, long-term programs of inquiry that deepen understanding of complex social issues and generate knowledge with real-world relevance," says Amir Asif, vice-president research and innovation. "This year's funded projects demonstrate the remarkable breadth of 91��ɫ's research strengths, spanning health and well-being, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, Indigenous knowledge and cultural resurgence, education, labour markets, environmental and climate challenges, social inclusion, governance and public policy. Together these projects will generate new insights that help inform policy, practice and public dialogue in Canada and around the world."

Among the largest grants is a six-year, $463,646 project led by Stephanie Ben-Ishai () examining the financial and psychological effects of insolvency. Ann Marie Murnaghan (Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies) received $459,784 for a six-year project focused on cultural resurgence in Witsuwit'en territories, while Michael Kalu () received $456,501 for research examining the needs of Black older adults and developing Afrocentric-informed strategies.

Other significant awards include Andrea Emberly's (LA&PS) six-year study exploring community connection and musical arts among young people, funded at $435,379, and Shital Desai's () six-year, $417,127 project investigating approaches to strengthening communication and relationships in dementia care. Enakshi Dua (LA&PS) received $411,890 for a five-year project that explores the changing landscape of diversity, equity, inclusion and decolonization initiatives.

Several funded projects examine the social implications of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Christo El Morr (Faculty of Health) received $396,562 for Mapping Workplace Racism in Canada: A Community-Driven AI Platform Grounded in Ontario, while sava saheli singh's (Faculty of Education) Machine Learning or Learning Machines: Critical AI Futures in Education received $111,678. Isha Sharma (LA&PS) received $123,659 to study the adoption and impact of agentic AI in financial crime compliance.

Health and social well-being are also prominent themes. Mary Fox (Faculty of Health) received $400,708 to develop an e-learning intervention aimed at disrupting ageism in social work education, while Nazilla Khanlou's (Faculty of Health) $390,389 project will examine supports for racialized families of children and youth with developmental disabilities. Kerry Scott (Faculty of Health) received $286,282 to investigate public trust and engagement with Ontario's health system.

Other projects, listed below, explore immigrant inequality, labour market barriers, disability and education policy, climate and energy transitions, Indigenous resurgence, entrepreneurship in the age of AI, anti-human trafficking and cultural heritage, and more, reflecting the breadth of 91��ɫ's research strengths.

Russ Patrick P. Alcedo, AMPD
Project: From Field to Stage: Choreographing for Theatre Philippine Folk Dance Practices through Ethnographic Research
Funding: $163,951

Lalaie Ameeriar, LA&PS
Project: We Inherit Each Other: Racialized Care Work and Reproductive Labour during and after COVID-19
Funding: $109,580

Ilya Archakov, LA&PS
Project: Measuring and Modeling Economic Correlations: Robust, Valid, and Large-Scale
Funding: $59,770

Godfred O. Boateng, Faculty of Health
Project: A Cross-Cultural Validation of Housing Insecurity Scale in Slums and Informal Settlements
Funding: $362,992

Rebecca Caines, AMPD
Project: Interfacing, Playtesting, Resetting: Reframing Technology Use Through Improvised Creative Technologies
Funding: $118,750

Barnali Choudhury, Osgoode Hall Law School
Project: Improving Modern Slavery Reporting in Canada: Legal Ripple Effects and Insights from Australia
Funding: $185,789

Elicia A. Clements, LA&PS
Project: Interventions in Early Twentieth-Century Opera: Gender, Race, Coloniality
Funding: $104,553

Matias Cortes, LA&PS
Project: The Role of Firms in Lifecycle Earnings Growth and Inequality
Funding: $109,052

David B. Goldstein, LA&PS
Project: Imagined Tables: Eating and the Articulation of Community
Funding: $111,875

Luann M. Good Gingrich, LA&PS
Project: Places and Spaces of Social Inclusion: A Contextual Analysis of Immigrant Inequality in Canada
Funding: $254,831

Philip A. Harland, LA&PS
Project: Criminalization of Minorities and Subject Peoples in Antiquity
Funding: $116,231

Robert J. Heynen, LA&PS
Project: Mediations of Anti-Human Trafficking: Technology, Securitization, and Policing at the Border
Funding: $218,627

Alice J. Hovorka,
Project: Animal Performativity: ‘Becoming Primate’ in Human Society
Funding: $207,650

Hong Kal, AMPD
Project: Grievable Images: Visualizing State Violence and Resistance in South Korea Since 1948
Funding: $115,556

Magdalena J. Kazubowski-Houston, AMPD
Project: Performing Eco-Grief: Youth, Theatre, and Climate Mourning in Canada and Poland
Funding: $217,657

Étienne Lalé, LA&PS
Project: Foot Traffic, Consumer Spending, and Employment: New Insights from Cell Phone Data
Funding: $105,346

Margaret E. MacDonald, LA&PS
Project: Governing Reproduction in Senegal: Discourses and Images in the Postcolonial Archive
Funding: $105,490

Raymond A. Mar, Faculty of Health
Project: Learning Social Content from Stories
Funding: $124,843

Yuka Nakamura, Faculty of Health
Project: Community and Connection: Understanding the Growth and Social Impact of Ethnic, Cultural and Religious Sport Organizations in Toronto
Funding: $172,229

Lilian K. Ng,
Project: Giving Where They Operate: Biodiversity Governance and Corporate Philanthropy
Funding: $161,035

Ken Ogata, LA&PS
Project: Legitimacy and the Hierarchy of Artefacts Along the Entrepreneurial Journey: Evidence from the Introduction of Third-Party Certification Agencies into the Collectible Comic Books Industry
Funding: $101,646

Nathanael Ojong, LA&PS
Project: Entrepreneurship and the Sustainable Development Goals in the Age of AI
Funding: $286,219

Salewa Olawoye, LA&PS
Project: Towards An Inclusive Monetary Theory: African Entrepreneurship and Money Creation
Funding: $124,927

Oyemolade Osibodu, Faculty of Education
Project: Navigating Blackness: Sub-Saharan African Immigrant Parents' and Youth's Perspectives on the Racialization of Mathematics Education
Funding: $106,237

Gillian Parekh, Faculty of Education
Project: Constructing Disability in Education: Disability Identity, Policy Enactment and Academic Outcomes
Funding: $342,757

Jennifer R. Pybus, LA&PS
Project: Extracting Intimacy: FemTech, Surveillance, and Sovereignty
Funding: $98,892

Amanda Ricci, Glendon College
Project: At the Heart of the City: A History of the Garment Industry in Montreal, 1930–1990
Funding: $81,855

Perry Sadorsky, Schulich School of Business
Project: Energy Transition Systemic Risk in Times of Uncertainty
Funding: $109,082

Akolisa Ufodike, LA&PS
Project: Gatekeeping Growth: Immigration, Credentialing, and the Hidden Drivers of Canada's Productivity Decline
Funding: $375,300

Daniel J. Wigfield, LA&PS
Project: Systemic Integrity: Institutional Logics and Misconduct in Federated Sport Governance
Funding: $242,431

91��ɫ researchers are also directly involved as co-applicants for 15 other projects awarded a total of $3.85 million. See the of projects and recipients.

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The 91��ɫ-affiliated recipients are among 61 new appointments announced this year. The Order of Canada recognizes individuals whose service and contributions have had a lasting impact on communities across Canada and beyond.

Officers

Niv Fichman, alumnus and honorary degree recipient
A film producer and founder of Rhombus Media, Fichman has helped shape Canadian cinema over nearly five decades. His body of work includes internationally recognized films such as The Red Violin, Enemy and BlackBerry, reflecting a career marked by innovation and mentorship in the screen industries.

Duke Redbird, alumnus
An Elder of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, Redbird has spent more than 60 years advancing Indigenous arts and ways of knowing through poetry, visual art and performance. His work has influenced artists, educators and communities across the country, foregrounding the relationship between people and the land.

Mayann E. Francis, honorary degree recipient
Francis is a former lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia and a long-standing advocate for human rights. In 2006, she became the first African Nova Scotian and the second woman to serve in the role, and has since continued her public service and writing, including publishing a memoir.

Members

Tim Whiten, professor emeritus
Artist and member of the (AMPD), Whiten has built an influential career spanning five decades. Working across sculpture, drawing, performance and installation, his practice explores spirituality and transformation while his teaching has shaped generations of students.

Nancy Nicol, professor emerita and senior scholar
Nicol (AMPD), is a documentary filmmaker, researcher and writer whose work documents the history of 2SLGBTQIA+ activism in Canada and internationally. Through her participatory research project, Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights, she fostered international collaboration and advanced equity and human rights.

Duane D.O. Gibson, alumnus
Gibson is a hip-hop artist, author and educator who engages students through music and literacy-focused programming. Through his initiative Stay Driven, he has reached thousands of young people with messages centred on perseverance, leadership and positive decision-making.

Harvey Skinner, professor emeritus
Skinner, founding dean of the Faculty of Health, has made significant contributions to the study of behaviour change and addictions. He is known for developing the Drug Abuse Screening Test, a widely used tool that has informed clinical practice, policy and broader approaches to health innovation.

For more information about the Order of Canada or to view the full list of this year’s appointees, visit the .

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When Olsen finished his bachelor of fine arts in 1979 at 91��ɫ, instead of leaving, he made the University his home.

For 41 years, he worked in the Department of Visual Art and Art History (VAAH) as a technician within the print media area, overseeing the daily operations of a specialized space where AMPD students learn printmaking, the process of transferring inked images from prepared surfaces onto paper using presses and other tools.

Much of the role happens behind the scenes – including coordinating studio schedules and maintaining equipment and supplies. Because these processes rely on dedicated equipment, materials and controlled working conditions, students depend on an experienced technician to help them develop their skills and complete coursework.

Olsen exemplified these responsibilities, playing an active part in student learning by guiding them and supporting their work in the studio.

“As technician, teacher and mentor, he supported and encouraged generations of students, creating a cooperative and dynamic environment where they could realize their goals,” says Barbara Balfour, professor emerita, who worked with Olsen for over two decades. He even helped them do so when ideas pushed the limits of conventional approaches or required creative problem-solving in the studio.

“Dan always seriously entertained students’ unorthodox technical questions, only discouraging them when health and safety considerations prevailed,” she says.

For Daryl Vocat, the current print media technician in VAAH, that was part of who Olsen was, and something that continues to inspire his own approach to the job. “I remember Dan as someone who was happy to lend a hand, and as someone who made the studio a welcome and friendly place,” he says.

The long-term impact of Olsen’s generosity, patience and technical knowledge was recognized through honours like the AMPD Award of Excellence Staff Recognition Award in 2019 for his career efforts and the annual Dan Olsen Print Media Award, named after him when he retired in 2020.

Olsen’s impact is recognized in other meaningful ways. David Scott Armstrong, an associate professor who worked with Olsen for 17 years, says when he meets former students who were part of VAAH’s printmaking community, a frequent question arises. “They ask, with a glimmer of fond recollection in their eye, ‘Is Dan still there?’”

He may no longer be, but his influence continues to be felt in the studio and in the work of the many artists he supported over the years.

“Dan brought so much to this community over the years, and all who knew him – students, artists, teachers, colleagues – are grateful for all that we have learned from him,” says Armstrong. “Faculty and course offerings came and went, but Dan was there through it all. He was a vital presence and spirit that made 91��ɫ's printmaking community strong and enduring.”

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In recent years, accessibility and inclusion have gained growing attention across education, technology, design and policy. That shift has brought renewed focus to inclusive design, an approach that asks how courses are taught, technologies are built, research is conducted and systems are organized to account for a wide range of human needs.

For Desai, an associate professor at the (AMPD), the challenge is that inclusive design is often treated an issue to address later, rather than key factor that guides decisions from the beginning.

“From my perspective, accessibility and inclusivity are often used as aspirational terms but not always treated as obligations that must shape design, teaching, research, policy and implementation from the beginning,” she says.

Desai is working to create that shift through her teaching, research and a newly co-authored book to advance an approach that treats accessibility and inclusion as baseline responsibilities in any work that affects people.

A member of AMPD's Department of Design, she leads courses that examine how people interact with systems, environments and emerging technologies including AI, mixed reality and physical computing.

She asks students to consider who is included, who might be left out and how those decisions inform designs, and applies this approach directly in the classroom.

Rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought, she approaches courses as systems that can either create or reduce barriers. Her classes offer multiple ways for students to complete assignments and demonstrate learning, whether through speaking, making, sketching, prototyping or reflective documentation.

This approach, she says, allows barriers to be anticipated and addressed early, rather than treated only after a student encounters them.

“A student may not have a formal diagnosis, may not disclose a disability, or may be experiencing barriers that are temporary, technological or cultural,” Desai says.

Beyond the classroom, this perspective extends into Desai's research. Her work focuses on developing technologies and systems that support a range of needs, particularly among older adults, people living with dementia, people with disabilities and communities that are underserved by conventional approaches.

Using participatory and co-design methods with those communities, she aims to understand how everyday practices, relationships and environments can enhance designing interventions. Those insights shape technologies that respond to people’s needs, rather than forcing users to fit to systems not designed around their needs.

“It means not simply recruiting people with disabilities or older adults as participants, but considering how they shape the research itself,” she says.

Desai extends these ideas in a new co-authored book, , with colleagues whose research extends across accessibility, Deaf studies, education and technology. The book examines how inclusive design can be applied across teaching, research, business, policy and implementation.

The book responds to a common gap, she says: many people agree inclusion matters but lack guidance on how to apply it in practice, from running inclusive meetings to designing accessible research. In response, it presents examples for embedding equitability in different contexts, as compliance or usability requirements, but also as part of how systems are shaped.

“Phrases such as ‘designing for accessibility’ can sometimes make accessibility sound like a specialized domain or a project-specific choice,” Desai says. “They should be understood as baseline responsibilities in any work that affects people.”

This perspective also reshapes how inclusive design is often evaluated. Accessibility is frequently framed in terms of compliance, usability testing or accommodation. These are important steps, she notes, but limited ones.

“Accessibility and inclusion should not depend on whether a particular designer, instructor, researcher or organization chooses to prioritize them,” she says.

Compliance can show whether something meets a standard, and usability testing can show whether people can complete a task. But inclusive design, she argues, requires deeper consideration of who is included, who may be excluded and how systems enable participation.

This challenge is increasingly visible in the technologies Desai studies. Systems powered by AI, extended reality and other data-driven tools can reproduce exclusion when built on narrow assumptions or datasets. At the same time, they can support communication, memory, engagement and participation when designed with accessibility and lived experience from the start.

The issue, she says, is not whether these technologies are inclusive or harmful, but how they are designed, with whom, for what purpose and under what forms of accountability.

For Desai, the question of accountability extends beyond individual projects. “One unresolved issue is how inclusive design can be made mandatory without becoming reduced to minimum compliance. How do we create systems where accessibility is not optional, but also not treated as a checklist?”

Across her teaching, research and collaborations, Desai is working to put that shift into practice, shaping how designers think, how technologies are built and how institutions approach accessibility and inclusion.

“For me, the most important shift is from thinking about inclusion as adaptation to thinking about it as responsibility,” Desai says. “Inclusive design is not only about making things usable for more people. It's about recognizing diverse bodies, minds, experiences, cultures and ways of participating as central from the start.”

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At this year's Canadian Screen Awards, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, 91��ɫ’s excellence in Canadian screen-based storytelling was represented across the (AMPD), the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) and Glendon College.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie led several film-related wins, with 91��ɫ alumni involved across multiple categories, including Best Motion Picture. Matthew Miller (MFA ’16) was part of the producing team recognized for the top prize, alongside Matt Greyson (BFA ’08). Matt Johnson (MFA ’16) received honours for Achievement in Music – Original Song as well as Performance in a Supporting Role, Comedy. Craft recognition for the film also included Adam Clark (BFA ’11) for Achievement in Sound Mixing and Luca Tarantini (BA ’13) for Achievement in Visual Effects.

Elsewhere in film, Iris Ng (BA ’01) earned Best Cinematography in a Feature-Length Documentary for There Are No Words and Best Photography, Documentary or Factual for Exclusion: Beyond the Silence.  Madeleine Sims-Fewer (BFA ’08) and Heather Hedley (BFA '26) earned Achievement in Costume Design for Honey Bunch.

Documentary and factual programming also earned wide recognition. The documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story saw Alison Duke (MFA ’20) awarded for Best Direction, Documentary Series and Best Writing, Documentary, while Elma Bello (BFA ’95) received Best Sound, Documentary or Factual.

Howard Shefman (BFA ’10) was honoured for Best Factual Series for Dark Side of the Ring, and Francine DiBacco (MA ’15) received Best Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series for Blue Rodeo: Lost Together. Mark J.W. Bishop (MA ’12) was awarded for Best Children’s or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series for Old Enough!.

Television comedy and drama categories included several additional honours. Amanda Brugel (BFA '00) earned the Spotlight Award for Best Performance for The Handmaid’s Tale. North of North was recognized as Best Comedy Series, with Teresa M. Ho (BFA ’95) among its creative team. Casting recognition for Heated Rivalry went to Jenny Lewis (BA ’94). For This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Stacey McGunnigle (BFA ’08) earned awards for Best Sketch Comedy Show & Ensemble Performance as well as Best Writing, Variety or Sketch Comedy, with the latter category also featuring Bita Joudaki (MFA ’21) among the winners.

In animation and television film categories, Arnie Zipursky (BFA ’78) was recognized for Best TV Movie for Dying in Plain Sight, and Art Mullin (BFA ’98) received Best Sound, Animation for Unicorn Academy.

In unscripted entertainment, Justin Stockman (BFA ’96) earned two awards for The Traitors Canada and Drag Brunch Saved My Life. In other areas, Afua Baah (BA ’13) was recognized for Best Local Reporter for CityNews Toronto. Tracy Galvin (BA ’85) and Del Cowle (BA ’97) were both part of the team behind The 2025 Juno Awards, which was named Best Live Entertainment Special.

Digital and creator-focused work was led by Julie Nolke (BFA ’12), named Creator of the Year for her work producing comedic, character-driven digital videos on her YouTube and social media platforms. Jen Pogue (BA ’12) received two honours for County Blooms: A Flower Powered Adventure, including Best Web Program or Series, Non-Fiction and Best Host, Web Program or Series.

Among other 91��ɫ-connected winners, Ryan Goldhar was honoured for Best Comedy Special for People of Comedy and Graham Chittenden earned Best Writing, Factual for Still Standing.

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Like many universities in Canada and around the world, financial challenges facing 91��ɫ stem from external pressures and public policy resulting in significant strain. Despite this, the University is committed to advancing priority projects that invest in students’ academic experiences – from new programs and formats to improved learning spaces – through the University Fund (UF).

The University Fund was established to support strategic institutional initiatives, provide operating funding support to Faculties where needed, and enable emergency funding.

This year, the UF prioritized Faculty submissions supporting cross-Faculty collaboration and focused on improved teaching and learning experiences for students such as new active learning classroom spaces.

“The UF investment will help convert underused spaces into larger capacity, active learning classrooms that represent an important shift in curriculum delivery that is responsive to the evolving needs of 91��ɫ students,” says Chloë Brushwood Rose, vice-provost, teaching and learning. “These new flexible, technology-enhanced environments will support our mission to foster inclusive, innovative and high-impact teaching and learning.”

The UF is also advancing access to entrepreneurial supports and programming through the YSpace Network, the pan-University innovation hub.

“The network ensures entrepreneurship and innovation at 91��ɫ reach all students, researchers and faculty members with an idea worth building,” says David Kwok, director, entrepreneurship and innovation at YSpace. "This financial support from the UF will accelerate the development of the YSpace Network, co-designed in collaboration with the , to build a unified and connected voice for entrepreneurship that reaches every Faculty and every campus through expanded activities and initiatives at 91��ɫ.”

In addition to active learning classroom expansion and the YSpace Network, other supported projects include:

• The implementation of the proposed new undergraduate degree framework (pending Senate approval) through funds to support a new degree audit tool, revisions to the undergraduate calendar and the development of advising resources.
• Collaborative curriculum development between (AMPD), Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) and Markham Campus to explore a communications and digital media production degree.
• A collaborative and unified Faculty of Science- approach to a broader pan-University integrated outreach and access program for children and youth that can strengthen student pathways into 91��ɫ’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine and Health programs.
• Hiring of a dedicated Indigenous student recruitment officer.
• Within the , integration of non-degree studies offerings with undergraduate programs to bridge academic and professional learning.
• BorderPass, an immigration management platform to support the study permit process for all incoming international students requiring a Provincial Attestation Letter.
• Modernization of the 91��ɫ booth at the Ontario Universities’ Fair.
• A two-year pilot program to increase the availability of the Markham-Keele shuttle during peak periods to better match service with class start and end times.

“The innovative, new curriculum development project between AMPD and LA&PS is a top priority that has the potential to support more students in a program that will position them well for the future,” says Brandon Vickerd, AMPD dean. “91��ɫ has long been recognized as a leader in interdisciplinarity, and this new collaboration, along with other cross-faculty projects like the Science-Lassonde collaboration also funded this year, builds on a strong foundation that supports today’s and future students.”  

The UF does not spend funds directly but, through the Fund Council’s advice and recommendations, allocates them to Faculties and divisions in support of time-specific strategic initiatives.

Visit 91��ɫ’s University Fund website for more information.

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The program highlights contributions that position 91��ɫ as an instutition for research excellence and transformative innovations. 

Research contributed by more than 60 faculty members reflect the breadth of the University's research strengths, spanning sustainability, law, AI, chemistry and the social sciences.

"I am exceedingly proud to be part of an institution that contains the kind of excellence we are celebrating," says Lisa Philipps, interim president and vice-chancellor. "91��ɫ is an institution that offers educational experiences to our students that are informed by this deep research, scholarly and creative excellence; and a place where we also make it part of our mission to reach outside the metaphorical walls of the University to share and collaborate with communities, industry, policy-makers, the media and the wider public."

The recipients demonstrate the purposeful research that is fundamental to real-world change, says Amir Asif, vice-president, research and innovation

The annual awards program serves as an opportunity to recognize the excellence, creativity and ingenuity of 91��ɫ' research community.

Awards

President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award (PERLA)
Christopher Caputo, associate professor in the Faculty of Science, received this award for his contributions to sustainable chemistry and materials science. His research advances the use of Earth‑abundant elements as alternatives to rare and precious metals, addressing key environmental and sustainability challenges while influencing catalytic and materials science.

A Tier II Canada Research Chair and recipient of the John Charles Polanyi Prize in Chemistry, Caputo has secured more than $4 million in research funding. His work has resulted in 21 patents and strong industry engagement, demonstrating the translation of discovery into application.  

The President’s Emerging Research Leadership Award was also awarded to Emily Kidd White, associate professor at , for her pioneering scholarship at the intersection of law, emotion and constitutional theory. Her work applies the philosophy of emotion to legal analysis, examining the gap between formal legal reasoning and the lived realities of legal practice, particularly in international law. 

Her research has shaped scholarly conversations across disciplines and established her as a thinker of global influence, strengthening 91��ɫ’s research profile and academic mission. 

President’s Research Excellence Award
Presented to Jimmy Huang, professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, this award recognizes his contributions to information retrieval, data mining, AI and natural language processing. A Tier 1 91��ɫ Research Chair and founding director of the Information Retrieval and Knowledge Management Research Lab, Huang has played a leading role in shaping the future of AI research, including some of the earliest systematic evaluations of large language models.

Huang has secured more than $7 million in external research funding and his work has influenced practice across industry and health care. His mentorship record includes supervising 16 postdoctoral fellows, 23 doctoral students and 32 master’s students, many of whom have gone on to academic careers.  

President’s Research Impact Award
Kerry Kawakami, professor in the , received this award for the influence and reach of her scholarship on unconscious bias. Her research has reshaped how systemic inequality is understood across academic, legal and institutional contexts, extending well beyond the post-secondary sector.

Kawakami’s work has informed legal practice and judicial decision‑making, including professional development programs for the Law Society of Ontario, expert testimony and keynote addresses. Her research has been cited in multiple U.S. Supreme Court decisions, demonstrating its impact on public understanding, policy and the pursuit of justice. 

The awards ceremony also highlighted faculty in other categories. 

Book Awards, Literary and Artistic Achievements
Six honourees received this award for their books, creative works and exhibitions that received national or international recognition from peers and leading cultural institutions. 

Major Grants
Recognition for researchers leading significant, externally funded research initiatives that advance knowledge and address complex societal challenges was awarded to seven honourees. 

Other Learned Societies, Fellowships and Awards
91��ɫ awarded 12 honourees with this award for their leadership and contributions that have been recognized through election to learned societies, prestigious medals, professional fellowships and national or international honours. 

Outstanding Early Career Awards
Four honourees earned this award to recognize the notable achievements of 91��ɫ’s early-career researchers whose work shows strong promise and leadership within their fields. 

Significant Knowledge Mobilization &Impact Awards
For knowledge mobilization and impact outside of academia, 14 honourees were recognized with this award. 

91��ɫ Research Chairs, Canada Research Chairs and Distinguished Research Professors
Fifteen honourees were celebrated for these appointments that support research excellence and scholarly leadership at the highest level in their respective fields. 

Royal Society of Canada & Governor General Awards
Two honourees earned this distinction, recognizing faculty who have made remarkable contributions in their research pursuits related to science, humanities and the arts. 

View the slide deck below to see a full list of recipients. 

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, a first-year practice-based PhD student in visual arts at 91��ɫ’s (AMPD) was selected from more than 200 applicants across Canada. A national jury of artists and curators chose Marsh, with the final selection made by Glenfiddich Artists in Residence program curator Andy Fairgrieve.

Marsh will spend three months living and working at the historic Glenfiddich distillery in Dufftown, Scotland, where she will develop a permanent public sculpture as the residency program marks its 25th anniversary. She expects the experience will directly inform her PhD outcomes at 91��ɫ, including the research documentation that supports her dissertation and future exhibits.

Marsh's proposed project draws on her research into the ritual of coin-wishing and its historic roots in Celtic water worship.

Her work will centre on the Robbie Dhu spring, the water source that has supplied the Glenfiddich distillery since 1887.

For Marsh, the residency is timely and deeply personal. Though she is half Scottish, these histories and rituals were never passed down to her. She sees her time in the Highlands as an act of learning through presence – listening to local knowledge, walking the land and gathering stories that will shape her final work.

"I hope that while I am in the Highlands, I can learn as much as I can from locals about regional histories around holy wells, coins and the kinds of small acts of sacrifice I am interested in, which have been practiced in the Celtic world since prehistory," says Marsh. "A lot of my residency will just involve soaking up the atmosphere, landscape, histories and stories.”

At 91��ɫ, Marsh points to AMPD’s hands-on facilities as a key reason she chose the program, with specific interest in the metal shop and foundry.

"Having access to these resources was a big draw in my wanting to study at 91��ɫ," she says. "I'm aiming to do several bronze pours and possibly a copper pour over the next year."

That technical development connects to the sculptural work she plans to produce in the years ahead, with elements from the pours expected to carry into upcoming exhibitions.

Marsh has previously completed residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts, AiR Bergen and Rupert in Vilnius, among others. She describes residencies as essential to her practice, not only for the time and space they offer, but for the productive challenges of adapting to new conditions.

"Although a residency tends to require a lot of adaptation – for instance, making work without my very lived-in studio – these challenges force a flexibility that can allow new insights and require new experiments," she says. "I am hoping for this kind of generative struggle in Scotland."

Marsh’s work has received funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, Partners in Art, the Chalmers Arts Fellowship, the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council. She received her BFA from the Alberta University of the Arts in 2007 and her MFA from the University of Guelph in 2013.

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In 2023, Holly Ward, a visual arts professor in the was contacted by the City of Markham’s public art program to develop a project for the Rouge Valley Trail in the Unionville neighbourhood.

Enlisting her frequent collaborator Kevin Schmidt, an adjunct professor at Sheridan College, the two visited the trail to gather inspiration. During these visits, the artists were struck by experiential, unplanned, everyday moments, such as hearing a musician practicing just out of sight. They had found their inspiration.

Ward and Schmidt, whose shared work emphasizes collaboration, community engagement and experimental artistic practice, have long questioned where art can happen outside conventional cultural centres. "Creating in this way is the essence of our work – and it feels so rewarding," says Ward.

For Lost and Found, they forwent a traditional public show or staged performance, instead creating an interactive art exhibit inviting residents to participate by walking, playing, listening and discovering art in motion.

"For this project, we wanted to activate the public imagination in regards to rethinking categories around artistic forms, and to experience art in public space in a very intuitive way," says Ward. "The message of this project really was 'art can be anywhere you find it.'"

Lost and Found did so through a series of subtle, unscheduled moments along the Rouge Valley Trail. Local amateur musicians were hired to practice – not perform – their instruments in public, without signage or explanation. Passersby could stumble upon fragments of music, uncertain whether it was intentional or incidental, encouraging attentiveness rather than consumption.

Other experiential elements included a lending library of brightly coloured slogan T-shirts bearing open-ended or contradictory messages. Trail users and local groups were encouraged to wear the shirts while walking together, prompting reflection on self-expression and public communication. The artists also incorporated two mobile sound carts with unconventional instruments designed for experimentation rather than expertise, as a means to draw people into spontaneous moments of conversation, collaboration and play.

The initiative helped to anchor intuitive art in the community and fulfilled a key goal for Ward: emphasizing sustainability in multiple ways. By taking place in a natural public space without exploiting it, the exhibit fostered social sustainability through chance encounters between strangers, musicians and place.

Ward says the project surpassed her and Schmidt's expectations. "This was a highly experimental approach to public art, and we were not sure how it might land with an audience. We received a lot of positive feedback from local community members and participants, which was amazing."

When Lost and Found concluded its outdoor phase in the Fall of 2023, it continued its evolution beyond the trail. A second phase was launched at the Varley Art Gallery in Unionville, where it was re-presented through objects, posters, benches borrowed from the trail, audio recordings and a newspaper of participants’ reflections. The components of the exhibit were recontextualized within the gallery, deliberately exposing how meaning changes when informal public actions are reframed as art.

Following the project’s conclusion, Lost and Found drew the attention of the Creative City Network of Canada (CCNC), which recently recognized its innovation with the Impact Award for Sustainability in Public Art.

CCNC, a national non-profit organization that supports arts and culture work in Canadian cities and towns, recognizes public art projects led by municipalities that demonstrate a strong, long-term approach to sustainability, such as caring for the environment, supporting community involvement and creating lasting cultural value. The jury commended Lost and Found as "an example of how we can celebrate everyday presence and civic participation over spectacle" and praised how it advanced the discourse of contemporary art in public space while contributing to Markham’s growing art ecology.

"Winning this award as a recognition of this project was very meaningful to both of us," says Ward. "It felt like a ‘best-case scenario’ outcome for this project to also have this recognition from the art world, which meant we hit our mark in terms of the legibility of concepts and aesthetic strategies within our specific field of research, as well as local community activation."

Lost and Found was recognized in another medium as well. The project was documented in the publication Lost and Found: A Public Art Project by Schmidt and Ward, co-published by Markham Public Art and the Varley Art Gallery of Markham. The book traces the project’s full trajectory from initial inspirations to public outputs spanning the outdoor trail, the gallery and the publication, offering another way for audiences to engage with the work. The publication was recognized with an Ontario Galleries Award for Best Catalogue Design.

In addition to these recognitions, Ward says there have been other benefits. "New opportunities are already coming out of it. It also provides us with the confidence to keep pushing the envelope in terms of what public art can be, and to continue to expand our thinking around who it is for, and what functions it might serve," she says.

That remains forefront in her mind and goals as she looks ahead. "We make art to be seen and experienced by others. We are very keen to reach people and find new ways to enrich peoples lives through our own artistic expression and vision," she says.

Those interested in learning more about Lost and Found can do so through the , the or the .

With files from Holly Ward

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